Salda Lake
Alkaline Crater Basin Lake With Hydromagnesite Shores, Protected As A Nature Park With Access Restricted Since 2019; Studied By NASA As An Analogue For Jezero Crater On Mars · Yesilova, Burdur
Salda is a deep alkaline lake in a basin in the hills of Burdur, and what made it famous is the shoreline: white hydromagnesite, formed by microbes in the water, that looks exactly like tropical sand against water that runs from pale turquoise to deep blue. NASA took an interest because the mineralogy resembles Jezero Crater on Mars, where Perseverance landed, and the Turkish press ran with the comparison until the lake became one of the most photographed places in the country. What followed is the other half of the story. Visitor numbers overwhelmed a fragile shore, people carried the white mineral away by the bagful, and since 2019 the authorities have fenced sections, restricted access and built managed facilities - a process that has itself been controversial. It remains beautiful and it is no longer a secret beach you wander onto. The water is also extremely cold, in every month, which the photographs never show.
Salda Golu Tabiat Parki, Yesilova, Burdur, Yesilova, Burdur, Turkiye
A Nature Park with daytime opening and charged parking; access to parts of the white shoreline has been closed or fenced since 2019 to let the hydromagnesite recover, and the restrictions have tightened more than once. Camping is limited to designated areas. Busiest on summer weekends. Check what is currently open before planning a trip around a particular beach.