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Non Active Member
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Izmir, Holidays with a difference
For holidays in Turkey with a difference, this info from the daily papers usually get buried and forgotten. I have copied this from the Turkish Daily News so it is readily available.
Quote:
Exploring alternatives in İzmir: camping, windsurfing, diving and bird watching
Friday, August 19, 2005
İZMİR - Turkish Daily News
For those with a taste for something different, Izmir and the surrounding area are filled with sports possibilities. For example, if you are interested in going camping, the following forests and youth camps provide economical holiday opportunities for young adventurers.
Youth camps:
- Çeşme Büyükliman Youth Camp
This facility comprises 48 large rooms, each with six beds and a bathroom. There are basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton courts. Sailing and underwater activities are also available.
Telephone: (232 area code for all) 717-1244
- Selçuk Tourism Education Center
Address: Selçuk Belediye Binası Karşısı, near the Otogar, Selçuk.
Telephone: 892-2651
- İzmir Özer Turk Tourism Education Center
Address: Sakarya Caddesi No. 147, near the Teleferik Tesisleri, Balçova
Telephone: 259 04 25
Forest camps:
- Teos Emeksiz Forest Camp
The facility can accommodate up to 1,500 guests. A section has been set aside where 150 tents can be erected. An outdoor café, changing rooms, parking lot, picnic tables, drinking water, electricity and shower stalls are available at this site. Recreational vehicles and caravans are permitted. This site is 52 kilometers from İzmir and seven from Seferihisar.
Sığacık, Seferihisar
Telephone: 369-4701
Beaches, windsurfing and diving:
If camping doesn't excite you, İzmir has a 629-kilometer-long coastline on the Aegean Sea, of which 101 kilometers are natural, sandy beaches. Due to the area's geography -- made up of small inlets and a peninsula -- all types of water sports can be engaged in here.
If you like to do underwater exploration, İzmir's underwater world is very rich, with many wonderful diving spots. The Çeşme, Gümüldür, Foca and Urla inlets and islands are just a few of İzmir's diving spots.
The Russian-flagged vessel Yeustafiy, which was sunk by an armament explosion in the Çeşme-Damlasuyu area during a 1770 Ottoman�Russian sea battle, is Çeşme's most important underwater treasure. The remains of this ship are located between Sakızada Island and Damlasuyu, 400 meters from shore and at a depth of 42-51 meters under the surface. Following a 1996 underwater salvage expedition, some of the materials recovered from the sunken ship were put on exhibit at the Çeşme Museum, where they can still be viewed today.
İzmir provides unique opportunities for professional divers. It also caters to amateur divers who wish to explore the mysteries of the underwater world with its many diving schools, which are located near major diving spots. İzmir is ready to present the beauties of the underwater world to you.
İzmir is also a paradise for wind surfers. The water in the Alaçatı area is quite calm in spite of the strong winds in the region, making it one of the three best windsurfing centers in the world. Windsurfing, which first began in 1970 in California, has rapidly spread in popularity around the world. Turkey's windsurfing center of Alaçatı hosts an annual race for the Turkey Windsurfing Cup, which brings some of the best windsurfers in the world to Alaçatı every year. Breathtaking performances can be seen during this competition on the baby blue waters of the Aegean Sea.
İzmir�s beaches include Selçuk-Pamucak, Urla, Gülbahçe, Çeşme-Ilıca, Altınkum, Gümüldür and Özdere. In the north are Dikili, Çandarlı, and Foça-Yeni Foça, which are all sandy beaches.
These beaches and diving spots are easily accessible from the İzmir Central Bus Terminal and the Üçkuyular Bus Terminal. Buses to all of İzmir's surrounding districts depart every hour.
Izmir's yacht harbors:
İzmir, and in particular the Çeşme peninsula, is one of the most popular stops on the Aegean yachting route. The Çeşme�Kuşadası route has one of the most developed infrastructures for yacht tourism.
Facilities within İzmir:
Alaçatı: The inlets lined up along the Alaçatı coastline are a paradise for yachts. The harbor can accommodate 80 boats and has many possibilities for hosting yachting activities.
Urla: Çeşmealtı Harbor can accommodate 20 boats, Balıkçı harbor can accommodate 175 and Özbekköy can accommodate 80. You can view the beautiful and unbelievable scenery of the area from the top of Güvendik Hill.
Çeşme: In addition to the Altınyunus Marina, the expansion of the anglers' port to a capacity of 600 yachts and the marina at Dalyanköy have made Çeşme an important center for yachting. It is a peninsula town about 80 kilometers south of Izmir at Turkey's westernmost point.
This district gets its name from the many fountains in the area, whose numbers have increased over time and from which ice-cold water flows. It is also famous for its natural thermal facilities, endless beautiful beaches, yacht tours and serene inlets. With many comfortable hotels and lively festivals, Çeşme is a holiday and entertainment center.
Çeşme is also an important windsurfing center. Here you will find a 700-year-old castle built by the Genoese that is now the Weapons Museum, where Ottoman weapons, guns and ship cannons are on exhibit. You will also see Süleyman the Magnificent's Caravansary, historical fountains on almost every street, century-old mosques and the Ayios Haralambos and Ayios Constantinos churches.
Bird watching:
Tuzla Sasalı Bird Paradise:
İzmir is situated in a geographical area that is abundant in bird species. The Tuzla Sasalı Bird Paradise in Çiğli is a popular year-round destination for many birds. This 8,000-hectare sanctuary near İzmir is an enormous, protected natural park containing islands, bulrushes, deltas and plains extending as far as the eye can see. It is a habitat for several million birds of more than 190 different species.
Additionally, the Gediz Delta, Foça Islands, islands of the Çeşme Ilıdır Gulf, Efes-Pamucak Beach and the Küçük Menderes delta are natural habitats for many birds. These areas provide perfect opportunities for bird lovers who want to see these lovely creatures in their natural environment.
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Last edited by lorraine : 19th August 2005 at 13:26.
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