In addition to its beauty and tranquil natural surroundings, Kayakoy village – Turkey has also historical sites that will take you to a journey through time. You have on one side the ancient Lycian tombs that I described in an article from December 29th 2016, and a hidden old greek, orthodox, monastery on ther other side. This particular, almost mystical place is Afkule Monastery and will offer you a memorable, authentic experience due to its location and impressive architecture. Now I invite you to be part of this small adventure …
Getting there from Eden Villas
Make sure to where the right shoes before (Avoid Flip-Flops) and do not forget to bring water with you.
When leaving Eden Villas, just follow the village road leading you to the main street. As soon as you reach the grave yard area and the small mosque turn to your left in direction of Gemiler Beach. After 10 minute drive, you will see a sign showing “Afkule Monastery.” Just turn to your right as the sign indicates and follow the beaten track you’re about to enter.
Continue driving until the end of the earth-road that will lead you to a small clearing. You will have to park your vehicle and get ready for a 20 to 25 minutes walk up-hill. However, the car ride on the beaten track, in the mediterranean pine forest, is very pleasant. You will be amazingly surprised when you reach your goal.
Historical hidden spots is a well known characteristic of Turkey.
Here is where the real trip begins …
After parking your vehicle you will see 2 paths entering the woods. Take the one on your right and just follow it. There are red/Yellow marks along the trail going up-hill. You will walk about a kilometer and half to reach a small plateau. However, it is a very rewarding and interesting walk through a welcoming, majestic woodland with relatively tall Mediterranen pine trees.
The last 50 meters before reaching the top the path steepens a bit and the surrounding vegetation changes slowly from pine forest to bushes. After reaching the top, you will see an old greek cistern.
First acquaintance with the monastery …
From this area you will be rewarded with a magnificent bird’s eye view of the monastery and a breathtaking sea view. Nonetheless, this is not the final goal yet; just keep walking toward the monastery and follow the red and yellow signs that are painted on rocks at the side of the trail going down-hill; they will lead you to the monastery. However, you should be careful bacause the last part of the path is going down steep.
Once you enter the monastery’s yard through the old stone gate, a feeling of enchantement will cover you in this very pitoresque place. From this moment on, enjoy, explore the area and absorb what you see.
Caution is required if you want to enter the first floor of Afkule monastery due to the narrow stairs leading to the upper part. However, If you have a fear of heights, avoid to take the stairs because they have no railings.
If you do not have problems with heights, I recommend you to go up Afkule Monastry. The view is really really rewarding; just breathtaking! Inside the monastery, you can climb a second floor up, with even more impressive view to the sea; this will just make your moment perfect. In any case, experiencing Afkule monastery from inside will be an very special exciting phase of your trip.
Another surprise waiting for you
On the East side of the monastery, you will see a small path going in direction of the huge rock wall. This path is can be a little bit challenging to walk. Anyway, if you follow this trail it will lead you to a water reservoir with some impressive stalactites located above it. During the rainy season, water drops dripping in the reservoir can be observed.
Once again caution is required here as well on the way.
Travelling toTurkey, or other parts of the world is not about just seeing all those big, croweded touristic attractions, though they are also nice and interesting. Travelling should enable you to discover extraordinary places and people. It should even help to re-deiscover yourself, or re-define your life. Turkey’s hidden treasures like here, in Kayakoy for example, will enchant you and make your travelling experience memorable.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the video. In the near future, I will come up with another interesting post.
Wish all of you a nice day!
oliver
