The beautiful Turkish peninsula forgotten by time | CNN

CNN — With untouched and natural rugged scenery, forested with pristine bays on both sides, the Datça peninsula feels a world away from the touristy towns of this popular corner of the Med.

The long and narrow headland, stretching between the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas in southwestern Turkey, is mostly uninhabited and wild, very different from nearby Marmaris and Bodrum.

Strict laws about construction have protected Datça from large-scale tourism projects, leaving its eponymous small port town, located around midway on the peninsula, rooted in the past.

Datça port is the epicenter of local life. Fish restaurants with simple wooden tables and chairs line the waterfront, while little shops selling local goods and modern cafes fill the backstreets that run up and down the hilly residential landscape.

On the slopes, flashes of Aegean blue can be seen from between the orange-roofed white houses overlooking the harbor. The carefree rhythm of daily life is undisturbed by mass tourism.

Beyond the port, nine small villages lie scattered around the peninsula. Routes through their narrow streets lead to one of the main local attractions: the ruins of Knidos, once a Greek city in what was the ancient region of Caria.

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