Kalabantia - pirate bay or Lycian port?

✍ Kostiantyn Klynov

Kalabantia - Καλαβαντία - Kalabantia (Kalabatia, Kalabanita)

Kalabantia or Kalabatia is a former Greek village, and in the past an ancient city. Sometimes this place is called a pirate's bay, but it is not clear whether there is any reason for this. The village of Kalabantia was part of the league of Lycian cities and had one vote in the Senate. It is believed that it was the port of the larger neighboring Lycian city of Sidima, from which Calabantia is about 10 km.

The ruins of Kalabantia are located in two bays on both sides of Cape Idzhi Burun. The alternative branch Lycian Way passes through the northern bay called Igesu.

The bay was used as a port until the beginning of the 20th century. This was facilitated by the pack trail-road laid upward back in Lycia times. Fish, coal, and other goods were delivered along the trail.

Unfortunately, several years ago, during the construction of another road, this path was covered with debris and now it looks quite neglected. But it is still easily passable and is actively used by hikers.

The bay has a small, no more than 25 meters wide, but very cozy pebble beach. The place is picturesque and secluded. The water is clean with transparency of several tens of meters. It’s interesting to snorkel; opposite the beach there are the remains of a pier.

Considering that the village was abandoned only 100 years ago, we can say that not much remains of the stone buildings located around the bay - a few facades and stone “boxes” without traces of plaster. Plus hacked vaulted cellars/cisterns a little higher up the slope. All this was overgrown with thorny bushes and turned into a difficult labyrinth. If you don’t know the history of the place, then these ruins can easily be confused with Lycian buildings of two thousand years ago. By the way, the classic Lycian sarcophagus (or rather its lid) is also here.

Where is Kalabatia?

Türkiye, Mugla district, Fethiye district, village Bakacak
GPS coordinates 36.42911041° 29.13406753°
Calabantia on Google map

How to get to Calabantia?

On foot from the east. First you need to get to the start of the descent trail. You need to focus on the old rainwater storage tank, which is located 2 km west of the village of Bogazici. A cistern with a domed roof is not only a good landmark, but also an example of architecture from the Ottoman period, i.e. she is at least 2-3 centuries old. This is one of the well-preserved tanks; there were 27 of them in the area.

So, from the cistern to the west we cross a field (usually wheat) and on the edge of a cliff we find the exit of an old pack trail-road. It will go down to the left. The descent to the sea is about 450 meters, there is only one fork in the path. At one of the turns the path forks, previously there was a sign there, now there is no sign. Directly to the ruins in Asarardi Bay (36.41535157° 29.13205051°), right to Igesu Bay.

On foot from the north. From Paradise Beach there is only one trail heading south. Navigating through it is not difficult. It is quite picturesque, the trail goes through the forest, there are two small climbs, there are no forks. Travel time is from an hour to an hour and a half, the distance is approximately 1.5 km.

By sea. In Tavern you can hire a boat and sail on it to Calabantia.

Where to put the tent?

Directly on the beach there are no normal flat areas - solid rocks and uneven areas. The picture is similar in most of the destroyed village. But in the thalweg of the ravine, on the roofs of stone tanks (for storing water), there are several convenient flat areas for tent camps. Among the shortcomings is the complete absence of fresh water in Calabantia. It is also not found in ancient cisterns (they are destroyed). A modern cistern at an altitude of 360 m, marked on some maps (36.42802159° 29.14146588°), was also destroyed. Therefore, the nearest source of drinking water is a farmhouse (36.43092891° 29.14741371°) on a plateau 400 meters above the bay.