BODRUM & ISLANDS (SOUTH DODECANESE)

8 Days

The world is really your oyster! Wherever your budgets allows. Gulet charter Bodrum is renown both for weather, fishing and magnificence. Active or leisurely days. You can choose among deep sea fishing, water skiing, scuba diving, swimming or lazing on the beaches.

In the crystal blue waters you can explore the reefs, ruins, dolphins and turtles. If bargains are what you enjoy, then it can be a shopper’s paradise for you in some of the small villages and towns.

Now that Covid-19 is behind us, now is the time to realize your dream of a fabulous vacation on your private floating hotel.

Day 1 Bodrum

Sailing along the Gulf of Hisaronu from Bodrum to Kos is a stunning way to begin your vacation. As you sail over the clear turquoise blue sea, you are following in the footsteps of the ancient world, the world of Greek gods. What was once the garden of Neptune is now yours to explore.

Pine trees come right down to the shores and the shoreline is embellished by date palms. Hisarönü Bay is one of the prettiest bays in the Aegean Sea. Nature has been generous here - blue and green mingle as two pretty birds in one nest.

Day 2 Kos Island

Next destination of your Sigma Yachts is Kos Island. The Dodecanese Island of Kos is known for its glistening sandy beaches. It is also rich with Greek and Roman sites. Its rich history includes the impressive fortress, the Castle of the Knights of Saint John close to the Town harbor, the ancient tree under which Hippocrates taught students. This harbor town is dominated by the 15th-century Neratzia Castle. South of the castle are the Ancient Agora ruins, with a temple, shrine and columns. The 3rd-century Casa Romana villa has lavish mosaics. Kos Town has numerous restaurants, tavernas, cafes and shops and a vibrant night life.

Day 3 Giyali Island, Nisyros Island

Giyali island is to be found nestled just underneath the Greek isle of Kos in the Aegean sea. The island is volcanic and is one of the many Dodecanese islands. The western side of the island is almost totally made of pumice stone while the rest is obsidian lava giving this island a brilliant white appearance and a unique landscape. The only way to get to this 6-kilometre long island is by boat and from an offshore position, you can see the step-like formations of the Pumice stone mines.

Nisyros is not your typical Greek island. This small land mass in the Aegean is also an active volcano. It is the youngest along a rift in the Southern Aegean and has experienced at least three major eruptions in the past 45,000 years. One of these, around 16,000 years ago, was particularly destructive, blanketing a wide area with volcanic ash. Where else can one so easily get such an intimate sense of the geological forces that shape the planet? And then combine that experience with an afternoon swim?

Day 4 Ano Symi (Symi Island)

It is known for its beaches, an annual music festival and for the harbor at Symi Town, surrounded by colorful neoclassical houses. On the southwest coast, the 18th-century Monastery of Archangel Michael Panormitis is a major Greek Orthodox pilgrimage site with a Byzantine museum.

The landscape is lovely and there are bars and tavernas offering delicious cuisine which you should try with the local wine.

Day 5 Rhodes Island

Rhodes, the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, with its 200 kilometer coastline, with a fascinating interior and lively night life, and known for its beach resorts, ancient ruins and remnants of its occupation by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades. The city of Rhodes has an Old Town featuring the medieval Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Masters, captured by the Ottomans and then held by the Italians, The Palace is now a history museum. It has been home to several ‘’civilizations’’ in its history and known for its former Ancient Wonder of the World, the Colossus, though destroyed by an earthquake many centuries ago.

Day 6 Datca, Knidos

Datça is a port town in southwestern Turkey. It's situated on the narrow Datça Peninsula on the Aegean Sea, 75 kms west of Maramis. Eski Datça is an old neighborhood with stone roads and bougainvillea-covered walls. At the western tip of the peninsula are ancient Greek ruins at Knidos, a trading hub during Roman and Byzantine times. The site includes an amphitheater, a temple to the goddess Aphrodite and a 4th-century B.C. sundial.

You can anchor along the coastline and enjoy a swim in the privacy of your own cove. The coast is dotted with small fishing villages and farming towns, and the local tomatoes and olives are famous for their taste. While visiting Datca, enjoy some local produce. Taste the cinnamon breads, honey, almonds, marzipan, wines and olive oils.

Day 7 Papuc Burnu

Pabuc Burnu is a nose-shaped site just a short distance from Bodrum. It is a good place for yachts to anchor in the beautifully colored waters. Yachts can shelter here quite comfortably close to land that is covered by shrub vegetation, and the clear blue waters provide for a tempting dip in the sea, as well as a short visit onshore.

Papuc Burnu is also known for the 6th BC cargo shipwreck excavated in 2003

Day 8 Bodrum

After a wonderful Sigma Yachts journey, you sail back to Bodrum and prepare for your flight home. The city features twin bays with views of Bodrum Castle. This medieval fortress was built partly with stones from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, completed in the 4th century B.C.

Since the 1960s the castle has hosted a fascinating museum dedicated to the underwater finds from ancient, medieval and early modern shipwreck sites around the Turkish Aegean.

The city is also a gateway for nearby beach towns and resorts. Bodrum is a jewel surrounded by golden sunsets and sparkling blue waters. Enjoy all the local cuisine, cultural attractions and visit the waterfront outside the Bodrum Castle.

Farewell to Turkey with wonderful memories to take home!