Population: 300
From Köyceğiz a road winds up into the hills and down the western shore of Lake Köyceğiz for about 26km to arrive eventually at the pretty little bay at Ekincik. Here a few fishing boats are still tied up and there are a couple of restaurants-cum-hotels at the back of the dark sand beach.
Most development, such as it is, has been kept back from the shore to protect it. The sad exception is a half-built structure that has been standing abandoned on the sand for the last 25 years (2023) amid a familiar story involving a building company, the courts, the banks and a new, even bigger development proposal.
A military base blocks the road that should continue round the coast to Marmaris, making Ekincik a dead end.
Excursion boats from Dalyan offer trips to sea caves along the coast at Ekincik. These are not visible from the bay itself.
It’s almost worth coming here for the journey alone since the road offers spectacular views over Lake Köyceğiz and towards Dalyan. You pass through the hamlet of Hamitköy where locals once lived in houses made from the reeds harvested from the lakeside. Today they use them to make baskets instead.
Eating
The My Marina restaurant garners rave reviews for its fish suppers. I haven’t been there myself. Tel: 0252-266 0276
Sleeping
On the beach itself the Ekincik Hotel & Restaurant looks fairly inviting if all you’re after is somewhere quiet to relax and do nothing. A few pensions are tucked away in the Ova Mahallesi about 1.5km inland.
Transport info
There’s no bus service from Köyceğiz to Ekincik and a taxi will set you back a fair sum. On the other hand you could make a day of it, stopping off at Sultaniye to bathe in the mudbaths and at Kaunos to explore the ruins on the way there or back.
Excursion boats from Dalyan cruise round the caves near Ekincik. Except in peak season they depart less frequently than the standard daily boat tours so you might have to gather a group together to get a reasonable price.
