Why the caves are there at all
Alanya sits on limestone, and limestone is what the sea eats. Centuries of swell working at the base of the headland have hollowed the cliff into a run of caves and overhangs along the western shore — which is also why the water immediately below them is deep, clear and good for swimming.
They are close together. From the harbour it is a short run west before the first opening appears, and the three are passed within the same stretch.
The three, in the order the boats pass them
- Pirates' Cave (Korsanlar Mağarası) — the largest of the openings, and the one the legend attaches to: the story is that corsairs used it to hide ships and cargo out of sight of the castle above.
- The Lovers' Grotto (Âşıklar Mağarası) — smaller, with its own legend about a couple who sheltered there. It is the one people miss if they are looking the wrong way.
- The Phosphorus Cave (Fosforlu Mağara) — named for the glow the rock gives off in the right light, which is the reason it is the one everybody wants a photograph of.
The part the listings gloss over
The big galleons and the Starcraft pass the caves from the water. They slow down, they get close, and you get a proper look — but they do not enter. A forty-metre boat does not go into a sea cave, and no honest operator would sail one in.
We would rather tell you that here than have you spend the day waiting for a moment that was never on the itinerary. If getting inside matters to you, that is a small private boat, and it is a different trip from the one this site sells.
Which boat gives you the best look
Any of the coastal days will show you all three. The difference is pace. The pirate galleon and the Starcraft run a fixed line, so you see them when the boat gets there.
On a private charter you can ask the captain to hold position, which is the only way to sit with a cave rather than pass it. That is worth knowing if photography is the point of your day rather than a side effect.
When the light is right
Late afternoon does the most for the western cliffs, because the sun is coming in from the sea rather than from over the hill behind them. The evening sailing runs this stretch at exactly that hour, which is most of its argument as a trip.
Middle of the day is the worst light and the busiest water. It is also when most boats are there.