By Johnny Hogue

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As perhaps the premier Mediterranean destination for diving, Kaş, located on the south coast of Turkey, frequently mesmerises first-time visitors. It seems to have a magical quality that people return to again and again. This is particularly true for scuba divers and snorkelers, who discover in Kaş’s waters its unusual shore formations, ancient and modern wrecks, reefs, canyons and large caves.

Around Kaş, Turkey, the crystal-clear turquoise Mediterranean Sea, purified by local currents, offers excellent diving conditions

In fact, the Turkish diver community has declared the nearby rocky reefs to be the country’s best. In the waters of Kaş, lucky divers can thrill to a swim alongside a gentle giant sea turtle or the rare Mediterranean monk seal, both carefully protected. Schools of dolphins sometimes race a dive boat out of the Kaş marina. Groupers appear on almost every dive, along with schools of calamari and small barracuda.
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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

Image/text by Gerard Oude Hergelink, whl.travel local connection
in Marmaris-Datça, Turkey

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This picture was shot in Belenkeuy, Datça, in August 2007. I think it captures a stereotypical moment of a peasant community in the Middle East. We see only men, most of them seated at tables. Some seem to play a game, while others look on or may be about to fall sleep.

Now, some of you may look at this picture and see nothing more than a bunch of lazy blokes who have probably been sitting all day in this public house and letting others do all the work. There is, however, much more than meets the eye.

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Posted under General, Photo of the Week, Turkey, countries

By Luke Ford

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Chez Galip at his wheel in his pottery workshop in Avanos, Turkey

A traditional wood stove in the corner of the sitting room heats the cool stone walls of this large cave-house turned workshop and gallery quarried into the hills of the town of Avanos in central Turkey. Homemade wine adds to the warmth as the ever-steady hands of Chez Galip, a local artist, hover over a spinning traditional potter’s kick wheel and mold masterpieces of times past from wet clumps of terracotta-red and mineral-rich clay taken fresh from the nearby Kızılırmak, or ‘Red River’.

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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

By Ethan Gelber

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The Muğla Province of southwest of Turkey is much beloved for many reasons – its scenic beauty, historic sites and archaeological ruins, and the many, many attractions of its Turquoise Coast. The area including Köycegiz, Sarigerme, Marmaris, Göcek and Dalyan is particularly well reputed for its natural glory. Unfortunately, the pristine sanctity of this magnificent green cathedral is no longer sacrosanct, as on 13 December 2009, Akfen Energy, a Turkish company, began preparations to dam – some would say destroy – the Yuvarlakçay River, as a major step toward construction of a hydroelectric dam.

Locals visit the scene of logging along Turkey's Yuvarlakçay River to protest the destruction paving the way for a new hydroelectric power plant

However, this plan now faces strong opposition from the ‘Platform for the Protection of Yuvarlakçay,’ a growing consortium of local residents, businesses, organisations and municipalities calling for a stop to the project and new long-term safeguards for the riverbed.

(If you don’t care to read any further, but are willing to show support for the Platform for the Protection of Yuvarlakçay, please sign this online petition and/or donate to their cause and help spread the word.)
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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, opinion, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

After the successful launch of Urban Adventures on October 1, 2009, the business has been moving from strength to strength. The month of November, in particular, was very productive in network growth and technological improvements. Now just 71 days after officially opening our days, there are 28 destinations and 94 adventures live, with new product being added each week. Destinations already operating include major centres like New York, London, Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Sydney, Bangkok, Vancouver, Nairobi, Kathmandu, Lima and Auckland.

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Posted under Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, General, Greece, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Latvia, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA, United Kingdom, Zambia, responsible travel news, whl.travel news

By Ethan Gelber

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At the July 2009 whl.travel Asia-Pacific Regional conference, Teamworkz Consulting was officially recognised as the whl.travel Franchisee of the Year 2008-2009 for its work in Vientiane, Laos. Teamworkz, which also owns and operates five other sites in Laos and seven in Thailand, could just as easily have earned its laurels for its labours in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, both also in Laos.

Teamworkz Consulting accepting its accolades as Franchisee of the Year 2008-2009 at the whl.travel Asia Pacific regional conference. Left to right are: Rob Shortland, whl.travel Asia Pacific Regional Director; Anne Done, Lee Sheridan and Mouk of Teamworkz; Len Cordiner, CEO of WHL Group

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Posted under General, Laos, Thailand, Turkey, Vanuatu, awards, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel news, whl.travel news, whl.travel newsletter

On 1 October 2009, Urban Adventures opened a whole new world to travellers yearning to unlock the secrets of some of their favourite urban centres. A global range of city-based tours, Urban Adventures is a franchise-based network of local tour operators specialising in high-quality experiential tour and activity services.

Urban Adventures drop the barriers between visitors and hosts, bringing you in direct contact with the people who give a place its character. Kids in Cambodia are especially expert at making you feel right at home.

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Posted under Brazil, Brunei, General, Greece, Jamaica, Latvia, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Samoa, Turkey, Zambia, local tips, new local connections, responsible travel, responsible travel news, whl.travel news, whl.travel newsletter

The Bodrum Peninsula has been drawing travellers from around the world for a very long time. With white sandy beaches, quaint village restaurants dishing up fresh seafood and impressive archaeological sites to explore, there’s little wonder why so many people choose to visit Bodrum time and time again!

Blooms of bougainvillea stand out against the white-washed walls of a typical Bodrum home

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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, new local connections, whl.travel news

MESAJIN TÜRKÇESİ İÇİN AŞAĞIYA BAKINIZ / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN TURKISH

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By Tijen Suveren (written and translated)

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For many, it came as no surprise that Istanbul, Turkey, was designated a European Capital of Culture for 2010. Literally straddling the busy waterway dividing East and West and the continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a city as storied as they come, shaped by great legends, both fictional and factual, and, as some would say, ‘a strangely harmonious clash of cultures’.

A view of the Bosphorus as seen from above Rumeli Castle, a 15th-century Ottoman fortification on the European side of the divide

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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

By Ashley Hiemenz

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The port city of Marmaris, set in southwest Turkey, is one of many of the country’s summer hotspots. Although little remains of the quiet fishing village that survived until a building boom in the 1980s, further down the Datça Peninsula is a place that has little to do with the hubbub of the resort city, a place where the community has come together in opposition to mass-tourism gigantism and instead opted to take a more holistic approach.

A traditional Turkish-village bread oven is the unlikely but excellent focus of a community-led responsible-tourism project on the Datça Peninsula to preserve the master crafts of both oven-building and bread-baking.

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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, responsible travel