Kaputaş Beach

Kaputaş is a pocket of pale sand and shingle wedged at the mouth of a canyon where it meets the sea, and its colour is the reason it appears on every poster of the Turkish coast - cold fresh water from the gorge mixes with the sea and the shallow limestone bed throws the light back, so the water runs an improbable turquoise. The beach is small, perhaps a few hundred metres, backed by the gorge walls with the road bridge high above. Getting down means a stairway of 170 steps from the roadside, seven kilometres from Kalkan and twenty from Kaş, which is the whole difficulty: it is a hard climb back up in heat, and there is no other access except by boat. Facilities are simple - toilets, showers, a café bar and changing huts - and the sea deepens close to the shore. Because it is small and famous, it fills completely by mid-morning in summer. The gorge behind, across the road and reached under the bridge when no water is flowing, can be walked about two hundred metres in, for a small fee, and the water is noticeably colder than the open sea because of the spring flow.

What's there

• The turquoise water - the colour from spring water and limestone.
• The gorge mouth - canyon walls closing behind the sand.
• The stairway - the steep descent from the road.
• The road bridge - the span high above the beach.

When to go

May to June and September to October. Early morning or late afternoon - by mid-morning in summer the beach is full and the steps are baking.

Practical notes

170 steps each way, and the climb back is hard in heat - not suitable for anyone with mobility problems. The beach is small and crowds quickly. Water is cold from the spring, and there is undertow on windy days.

Nearby

Kalkan is seven kilometres west; Kaş and its old town are twenty kilometres east.

Key facts