DILEK Peninsula National Park is one of the most precious treasures of our country. It has green slopes, awe-inspiring mountains, mysterious canyons and clean bays. The flora and the fauna offer endless opportunities for photography fans.
Dilek Peninsula National Park was the home of the now extinct Anatolian leopard. The endangered Mediterranean Monk Seals and turtles are regular visitors of the peninsula.
The National Park falls within the borders of Kuşadası and Söke districts. The park covers an area of 11,000 hectares, 5 of which is open to visitors for the day. The National Park is open everyday from 07:00 to 20:00 and you need to pay an entrance fee.
The cleanest and most beautiful of the bays lie behind the monumental trees. İçmeler Bay is on the 1st kilometre of your track and it is ideal for children with its shallow sea. Aydınlık Bay is on the 5th kilometre and the Dilek National Park Canyon is on the 6th kilometre of your track.
The rivers of the Dikkaya Valley are good for trekking; you climb the slope with a 3 km. walk. The flora of the valley ranges from evergreens to aromatic plants, strawberries, laurels and carobs, just to name a few.
Kavaklı Mull is on the 7th kilometre and Karasu Bay is on the 11th. People park at any bay they like and enjoy the sea and picnic throughout the day, but they do not forget to visit the Zeus Cave at the entrance of the park as well.
A dirt road environed with bushes and trees lead to the Zeus Cave. The entrance depth of the cave is about 10 metres. The pond in the cave serves like a pool for the local children.
Fish at dinner in Karina
A fire at Dilek Peninsula National Park in the previous years caused new roads to be opened. Karina falls behind the National Park. The underground waters springing from within the sea makes Karina a good spot for the sea bream to spawn. The palm trees and the lazy rowing boats are very picturesque.
The Priene road that separates from the Didim – Söke road takes you to Karina.
You can walk about 400 metres into the sea and it is still shallow shining in all the shades of blue. You can sunbathe on the shiny beach, environed with oleanders.
If you rent a rowing boat and turn around Karakol Mull, you’ll see Three-Eyed Pigeon Cave (Üç Gözlü Güvercin Mağarası), whose “eyes” on both sides open to the sea and the waves washing the shore make a noise like a monster is breathing in the cave.
You can row into the caves. The high- ceilinged cave with pigeons nestling in it also has a shore.
There are wild horses, boar and deer in the area.
How to get there
You can go to Dilek Peninsula National Park by the Kuşadası Davutlar Village road. To go to Karina, you take the road towards Priene on the way to Söke from Didim.
What to Eat
There are kiosks and country restaurants on the bays in Dilek National Park. Karina is a fisher’s village with a fish restaurant. The restaurant, open all year, has delicious grilled sea bass and its tables are on the beach.
More visitors at Dilek National Park
The National Parks Administration announced that the number of visitors to the Dilek Peninsula Great Meander Delta National Park, near Davutlar, had increased in 2009.
According to data released 75,000 cars, 400,000 minibuses, 100 buses and about 580,000 people had entered the National Park in the summer months. In July and August daily numbers of visitors reached 16 ,000.
Since families of martyrs and veterans and the students are not charged at the gates, the actual number of visitors cannot be calculated. It is estimated that about 2 million people visit the park every year.
The north part of the National Park is covered in a rarely rich flora for the Mediterranean. There are lots of beautiful types of flowers, species of birds and wild animals around.