Off the beaten track

Say what you will about the value of guidebooks but I would never have found Köycegiz if I had one with me in Turkey.

This small Aegean town, near a large, warm, freshwater lake, does get some mention in most Turkish guides — but mostly just a paragraph with words such as “sleepy'', “quiet'' and “nice for lunch''. It's just one of several signposts you'll pass on the route to the Mediterranean beach resorts around Fethiye via the infamous ruins at Ephesus.

But do stop there and you'll find the place as sweet as the sugar in Turkish tea.

Walking through peace

I got the tip about Köycegiz from a New Zealander named Alison, who ran a guesthouse in Selcuk. Since I had no real urgency to be anywhere else, I asked the Selcuk-Fethiye bus driver to let me out on the highway outside the town.

A couple of other travellers looked on with mild curiosity. After walking through the quiet, sleepy, nice-for-lunch town, I was pleased to find one of the best things a backpacker could want — a place called the Tango Inn.

There were large mattresses, rugs and pillows, with a couple of hammocks thrown in, a café and a DJ booth.

There were just a few people then but the owner, Sahin, assured me things would be better when the Fez Bus pulled in. The Fez is a hop-on hop-off tour bus that travels throughout western Turkey.

In anticipation, Sahin had organised a cruise on the lake that evening. Enjoying the calm before the storm, I walked down the lakefront and felt a blast of fresh breeze, heard the gentle lapping of water and got a beautiful view of towering mountains in the distance.

The lake, also called Köycegiz, connects with the Mediterranean through a channel called the Dalyan Delta. Cruising through large bulrushes to the sea is a popular activity for Turkish tourists.

I see a couple of guys playing tavla, which I know as backgammon. I gradually start getting used to the pace of a fishing village where nothing much happens — and where people prefer it that way.

Here is the real Turkey and with it, of course, real Turkish hospitality. People smile, invite you to tea and indulge in friendly interaction — all with genuine sincerity and warmth.

Boat party

The Fez Bus pulls in and it doesn't take long for some Australians to rally the troops and get everyone to the boat to view the sunset. We board a traditional wooden boat that heads out at dusk.

Music plays and inflatable pool toys emerge out of nowhere. Add a party boat to a lake and a full-moon night and before long, people are guaranteed to be swimming among catfish.

The following morning, I wake up to find Tango Inn empty, the Fez Bus gone and another delightful Turkish sunny day waiting for me.

Hopping on board a wooden boat crammed with locals on their way to the beach, I am the only foreigner. I bask in their enthusiastic hospitality — I relish home-made food and answer the polite questions of my newfound friends.

Along the canals, we pass spectacular 2,000-year-old Lyceum rock tombs carved into the cliffs above us. You're never far away from history in Turkey.

Fun and sand

After stopping for a refreshing dip in the lake, we arrive at a long, sandy beach and the crystal-blue Mediterranean Sea. I end up playing Frisbee with my brothers from the boat, eating home-made delicacies and enjoying my off-the-beaten-path adventure.

The boat slowly makes its way back to Köycegiz at sunset, humid wind blowing in my face and notes from the tanbur floating from speakers.

These are the moments in life when you stop, look around and believe that somehow, everything, for everybody, is going to work out just fine. Towns such as Köycegiz prove how off-the-beaten track is sometimes the right bet.

— Robin Esrock is the host of the hit Nat Geo Adventure series Word Travels. You can catch up on his latest adventures at his website: www.moderngonzo.com

Go places in Turkey

Istanbul

Ephesus