ECO TOURISM
Nowadays, most travelers are opting for a vacation that goes beyond the traditional sun, sea, and beach, making "eco-travel" and outdoor activities like nature tourism or camping more in demand. Eco travel, known as ecotourism, is a form of responsible travel that allows vacationers to improve their wellbeing sustainably.
Here are some of the top ecotourism destinations in turkey:
Pastoral Vadi Ecological Farm
Fethiye
Located in Yanıklar Village, 15 km from Fethiye, the Pastoral Vadi Ecological Farm features stone, wood, and mud-brick houses surrounded by a pine forest. Farmers there are dedicated to growing organic food around an ecological lifestyle, offering healthy Mediterranean dishes. Occupies 42,000 square meters of land and offers visitors an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of city life in a natural and calm place. All the farm animals are raised on natural feed. Everyone who has never visited a farm before is welcomed to enjoy guided tours for a hands-on experience with various agricultural practices.
Open all year round, farms regularly host retreats, training programs, camps, yoga halls, and seminars for guests. The property also offers houses with different styles of architecture. July to August, a children's camp is offered with a variety of workshops on storytelling, creative drama, music, and games. The special Art and Play Camp will be held from June to Aug for children ages four to ten.
Narköy
Kocaeli
Narköy is an educational facility founded in the province of Kocaeli, combining the beauty of modernity and the charm of nature, operates a hotel and a farm. Narköy is in the Kandıra district that has group residential units, nomadic tents, and a restaurant that offers organic menu options. In addition, the facility includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, organic agricultural food, and a forest filled with charm. The property offers visitors the opportunity to be part of training sessions, activities, and workshops. It can be either a simple holiday spent with friends in the heart of nature and chances for colleagues to get ahead on work-related projects in a peaceful environment far from the loud city. There, visitors can attend diverse classes.
Hızır Ecological Camp
Kirislik Valley
Hızır Ecological Camp is a perfect destination for wild-camping enthusiasts, located in the Kirişlik Valley belonging to Mount Ida in Edremit/Balıkesir. The camp offers a unique wooden house composed of 100% natural materials for visitors, there they have the option to pick from a variety of activities, take a yoga class, go swimming in the lake, or take a long trekking trip through the national park, or even take a rest in
TaTuTa
Turkey
TaTuTa, short for "Eco-Agro Tourism and Voluntary Knowledge and Skills Exchange on Organic Farms". An association for Supporting Ecological Living. The project features roughly 87 Tatuta farms spanning seven regions of Turkey from Balıkesir to Artvin. With the help of volunteers from around the world to fund this area, Tatuta farms organize unique activities such as natural breathing methods, workshops, fairytale nights, and botany school. These farms offer their guests a first-hand opportunity to see daily food production. Most guests hail from the United States of America, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, with strong representation from Canada, Australia, Holland, Austria, China, the Czech Republic, and Brazil among others. Holiday-seekers who look for beyond the fun-in-the-sun vacations this summer may consider visiting one of the Tatuta farms in Turkey.
Akdeniz Bahçesi
Antalya
Surrounded by organic fruit orchards, the Akdeniz Bahçesi (Mediterranean Garden) eco-resort offers self-catering holiday cottages situated inside an organic fruit orchard, just 100 meters from the Çıralı beach in Antalya. A peaceful and family-friendly destination with plenty of space for children to play and adults to unwind. The eco-resort also offers a traditional weaving workshop and eco-friendly craft activities. The fruit orchard features 200 fruit trees, including pomegranates, apples, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, mulberries, plums, walnuts, pecans, and dates. Visitors can also enjoy the distinct Mediterranean scents of jasmine, begonias, mimosas, magnolias, Chinese wisteria, and lilies. Children can paint stones and make necklaces from natural materials such as seashells and beads. Many boats run from Çıralı to the neighboring bays and caves, even taking visitors to the sunken city of Kekova.
Wetlands
Turkey
Turkey is one of the richest countries in Wetlands. Consisting of lands with over 300 wetlands, 14 sites, 184,487 hectares all functioning as a home for 25,000 species of waterbirds.
During the migration process, Turkey has worked on a project titled “The Bird Sanctuary Project”, with the purpose of protecting and developing wetlands areas. Those lands are found in Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central and Eastern Anatolia.
