Dalyan and Datca with kids: mud baths, sea turtles, and exploring the Turkish peninsula

Thermal pools and mud baths in Dalyan, a natural infinity pool.

August in Turkey: where the turtles get fed crabs and the tourists get fed high prices. 🐢💸🌞

We went in early August, this is peak season in Turkey. The heat is high and the crowds are higher. The beaches are bustlin’, the water’s perfect, and the towns are buzzin’. To minimize the crowds, we hit Dalyan and Datca midweek and aimed to visit the major attractions early in the morning — before the tour buses rolled in and the sun hit full blast.

Dalyan: riverboats, sea turtles, and mud baths

Dalyan is about a 1.5-hour drive from Kayaköy. It’s a small riverside town known for its scenic waterways, thermal mud baths, and protected sea turtle beaches. Dalyan is one of those places that feels chill the second you get there.

We booked a private boat (4,000 TL or ~$100), and cruised the river to Turtle Beach. The ride was really nice — calm waters, birds overhead, reed-lined banks, with mountains and ancient tombs in the backdrop, and barely any other boats in sight.

At Turtle Beach, the waves were a bit rough, but the kids loved body-surfing and playing in the sand. The beach is a nesting ground for loggerhead turtles, so you’ll spot baby turtle tracks and marked-off nests. Around 1 pm, the bigger tour boats started tossing crabs into the water, drawing in big loggerhead turtles and fish to feed. It was really cool to watch the turtles feed up close.

The next morning, we went to the Sultaniye mud baths and thermal pools. Entry is 50 TL per adult ($1), kids free. We drove and used the car ferry to cross the river (150 TL / $3), which shaved off an hour of drive time. The ferry is here.

The mud baths were a hit! A big mud pit, multiple warm pools, and one cold pool to cool off. The place sits right on the lake, with mountains in the background. There are showers and changing rooms too, so you’re not driving home muddy. It was a unique experience and we loved it. Go early and you’ll be soaking with locals before the tourist boats start rolling in around noon.

Datca: cobblestones, chill vibes, and hidden beach nooks

Datca is a longer haul, about 3.5 hours from Fethiye and 2.5 hours from Dalyan, but the final stretch winds along the peninsula with jaw-dropping sea views. You even spot a few Greek islands off the coast.

It’s not as flashy or crowded as Bodrum or Marmaris. Datca feels like a throwback Turkey: cobblestone streets, shady promenades, and mostly Turkish families on vacation. The town has a slow, relaxed energy that’s hard to describe but easy to enjoy.

We spent our days walking the promenade, jumping in at random beach access points, and letting the kids play while we sipped cold drinks or shared fresh fish right by the water. The beaches are rocky (smooth stones, not sand), but shaded and clean.

Shops and restaurants line the walk, but it doesn’t feel tourist-trappy. The shade from trees and that Mediterranean breeze saved us in the heat. 

This is a really unique part of Turkey,  a beachy town vibe with stunning views that naturally slows life down.

Fine tuning our lifestyle

About 3 months into full-time travel, we’re starting to dial in what we really need in a location. This trip helped us refine what works best for our family at this stage of life:

• We want to be closer to the action: Ideally, just a short walk to beaches, shops, parks, and restaurants.

• We’re willing to pay more for better housing: We’re bumping up our housing budget by $1k/month to get nicer amenities, more space, better views, and prime locations.

• We’ll trade money for convenience: Spending more on lodging helps us save time, reduce friction, and add some creature comforts to daily life. We think we can offset some of this cost by reducing the need for daily transport (rental cars, Uber, taxi, etc.)

This ability to test and tweak our lifestyle month by month is one of the most unexpected gifts of FI. Traditionally, families buy a house and settle down for 30 years. And that house — and the lifestyle that comes with it — stays mostly fixed, even as their family’s needs change dramatically. Toddlers turn into teens, but the home or neighborhood might not grow with them.

With long-term slow travel, we get to experiment:

• Last month: a budget rental in a quiet village that required a car.

• This month: a pricier rental in a beach town where everything is walkable.

• Next month: a campervan through Europe.

Each setup teaches us something. And as our family’s needs evolve, our lifestyle can evolve right alongside it. When we eventually settle down again, we’ll have real-world experience to pull from and a much clearer sense of what actually makes life great for us.

Experimentation made possible by FI, and that all started with finding our 'why'.

This post is part of our 'finding our why' series, sharing real-world stories of why families choose financial independence and early retirement with kids.