Oludeniz and the Blue Lagoon

Oludeniz Nature Park (Tabiat Parki), A Protected Area With Paid Entry; The Lagoon Is Closed To Motorised Craft · Fethiye, Mugla

The Blue Lagoon at Oludeniz is the postcard Turkey sells abroad - a sheltered horseshoe of still water the colour of glass, cut off from the open sea by a shingle spit and protected as a nature park with a small entrance fee, which is why it has stayed free of jet skis and beach bars. The open beach beside it, Belcekiz, is free, busier, and where the town's cafes and sunbed rows are. What lifts the place beyond a good beach is what happens above it: Babadag rises to nearly two thousand metres immediately behind, and tandem paragliders launch from its ramps all day in season and land on the sand in front of the promenade, which makes this one of the most flown sites on earth. Boats leave for Butterfly Valley and the coves beyond, the Lycian Way footpath passes just above the village, and the abandoned Greek town of Kayakoy sits over the ridge. Almost all of it closes from November to March, which catches people out.

Oludeniz Mahallesi, Oludeniz Tabiat Parki, Fethiye, Fethiye, Mugla, Turkiye

The nature park charges entry and keeps daylight hours, longer in summer. The public Belcekiz beach next to it is open and free at all times. Paragliding runs from first light until the wind turns, usually early afternoon, and is cancelled outright in strong wind. Boats to Butterfly Valley run to a seasonal timetable, roughly April to October.

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