From Adana
This day tour from Adana combines birdwatching at Akyatan Lake, the largest lagoon in the province, with a visit to the ancient city of Magarsus on the Mediterranean shore near Karatas. Starting with an 08:30 hotel pickup, the guided trip includes an English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport and entrance fees, and it is ideal for nature lovers, photographers and history fans who want to see a side of Adana few visitors know.
Akyatan Lake and the surrounding Akyatan Wildlife Development Area form a wetland protected under the international Ramsar Convention. The lagoon is a haven for waterbirds and a rich habitat for species such as the black francolin, purple swamphen, marbled teal, snowy plover, spur-winged lapwing, little tern, flamingo, shelduck, wigeon, white-headed duck and coot, so keep your camera and binoculars ready as your guide points out the wildlife.
The tour then moves to Magarsus, about 49 km from the city centre and 4 km west of Karatas, a settlement founded in the 7th century BC that flourished in the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods. Inside its walls and grid-plan streets you will see the city ramparts, a medieval castle, the Temple of Athena Magarsia, a stadium, a cistern, Byzantine and Ottoman baths and the recently excavated ancient theatre, the highlight of the site. On the return drive you stop at a regional leather production centre for relaxed shopping at factory prices, arriving back at your hotel between 17:00 and 18:00.
Your full day programme — click to see every stop.
Adana Programme Your guide picks you up from your hotel in Adana at around 08:30, and you drive south across the Cukurova plain to Akyatan Lake, the largest lagoon in the province. Protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands and part of the Akyatan Wildlife Development Area, the lagoon is a vital home for waterbirds. With a little patience you may spot black francolins, purple swamphens, marbled teals, snowy plovers, spur-winged lapwings, little terns, flamingos, shelducks, wigeons, white-headed ducks and coots. Next you head to the ancient city of Magarsus in the Dort Direkli area, 4 km west of Karatas and around 49 km from central Adana. Founded in the 7th century BC, it was an important settlement in the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras. Walking through the site, laid out on a grid plan and enclosed by walls, you see the city ramparts, a medieval castle, the Temple of Athena Magarsia, the stadium, a cistern and Byzantine and Ottoman baths, as well as the newly unearthed ancient theatre, which is the most impressive monument of the site. On the way back you visit one of the region's well-known leather production centres, where you can browse and buy at factory prices without pressure. You arrive back at your hotel between about 17:00 and 18:00.
Adana → Adana Nature → History Akyatan Lagoon → Magarsus
Modern, comfortable and fully-equipped vehicles — the same fleet we use on your tour.
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Ender was our Italian-speaking guide and we felt like family. He took us to local spots tourists never see. The hotel choice in Sultanahmet was perfect for walking everywhere.
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