In a world where people are in a race to leave at a place untouched and with an unspoiled beauty, Gazipasa shines out with its unpolluted nature, pure historical heritage and friendly hospitality of its people.

In Gazipasa the Toros Mountains run parallel to the infinite azure of the Mediterranean Sea with their snow capped peaks in the winter and their emerald green in the summer.

It is a place where the land and the people embrace nature and their guests with love that is hard to measure. That’s why avocados came here from Central America made Gazipasa their home. Just like the kiwis from New Zealand. Likewise Coffee plants from Yemen joined them and became a part of indigenous vegetation. The soil here is so hospitable for the fruits of exotic lands that pineapples, papayas, mangos and a myriad of other tropical plants found themselves a welcoming environment in Gazipasa. So that each one of them grew here bigger and juicier than they did in their motherlands! Not to mention the bananas that away from their origins became a fully staple produce of Gazipasa. If you ever eat a banana with an irresistible scent and a succulent taste, you must know that it surely comes from Gazipasa. Like the fruits that came from faraway lands and made Gazipasa their home, there are also people who left their birthplaces to join us here, becoming one of us. Paul, an Englishman who settled here years ago, sits with his Turkish friends at the coffee house and laughs at the jokes told in Turkish. A Dutchman goes out to the sea at dawn with his friends, the fishermen of Gazipasa. Gerhard from Germany has started a business with his Turkish wife and they are doing quite well. Dieter, a settler from Germany works with his Turkish partner Seref.

The relics of past civilizations in Gazipasa also tell us the same story. This land has always embraced settlers and elements of foreign cultures. For example, how else can we explain the granite columns at the Nohutyeri ruins that stand there as die marks of the Egyptian civilization thousands of years ago? Or the remains of Roman and Byzantine civilizations? Was it not the bronze embodiment of the myth of Pegasus fished out of the sea just off Gazipasa coast? So many people and civilizations passed through here. Some left a castle, others a church or a tomb and yet some others only their secrets on this land for the contemporary people to decipher. We wished to share some instances of Gazipasa’s life and history with you. Perhaps you are the person to explain the secret of what the local people simply call the Snake Rock. Maybe you will discover that this rock is the altar of an ancient temple. Who knows? The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk gave one of his bynames, Gazipasa to this town because of the valiant struggle its people gave on his side during the War of Independence. To deserve the name, the people of Gazipasa made culture and education a vital element in their lives. They are proud of high rate of literacy and the large number of their doctors, engineers and teachers.

We said that words are not enough to describe Gazipasa; you have to live it.

Nevertheless, this is an attempt to describe it. Maybe you will choose to live it, too.

Turkey’s share in the world tourism market is continuously growing. Vacationers once they come to Turkey, they want to come again. There are even people who buy houses and settle here after spending their vacations in Turkey. In this way, Turkey attracts new tourists every year. And the heart of Turkey’s tourism beats in Antalya. The region has become a trademark in world tourism, At one end of this favorite tourism center, there is a place called Gazipasa. This town is a neighbor of Alanya, a tourism resort in the Antalya province with the largest tourist accommodation capacity in the area. Alanya is only 40 kilometers to Gazipasa and it is 180 kilometers from Antalya’s city center. But, while Alanya, one of these two neighboring towns is recognized as a great tourism center, Gazipasa is known by the name “Serene Paradise,” Its natural environment, way of life, villages and human relationships have made this area rightfully deserve the description.

The Selinus Beach that stretches fur 2.5 kilometers and widens up to 150 meters at some places is the location where tourism facilities of the town are concentrated. This large sand beach is an ideal spot for taking a dip in the sea and for sunbathing 300 days of the year. But if you prefer to take your book with you and read it at a quieter beach, you can do it just by walking few paces. A little further up, there is a small cove where you and your companion can swim and relax alone most of the time. The antique port and the ruins of a castle that used to defend it ages ago, will tell you that this special cove has a very long history. If you look up at the slopes descending towards the sea, you will realize that banana groves have intermingled with the remnants of the antique town that spreads along a large area. It is a bit difficult to leave this blue sea and the bright sun and move along. But in order to get acquainted with the centuries-old tradition of the Mediterranean people who go up to mountain pastures on high plateaus every summer you have to leave this beautiful beach. Short trips towards the hills covered with pine groves make the vacation more rewarding. On these short trips, one gets to know antique ruins, castles, rock tombs hewn thousands of years ago and the traditional rural life in the villages. You will come across healthy children with rosy cheeks, growing up in clean air and eating natural food, on the high plateaus, still playing the children’s games of their granddads and grandmothers. You will see idyllic sceneries of goat and sheep spreading out on wide and green pastures, deep valleys, rivers and steep rocks rising up into the sky.