Blue Lagoon is the much photographed beach of Turkey’s Southern Coast, famous for its ever varying shades of turquoise and azure, and soft sands.
The beach is why most people visit Ölüdeniz. While the decent strip of pebble shore edging the holiday resort is free, the famed lagoon beach is a protected national park (Ölüdeniz Tabiat Parkı) that you pay to enter. Both the public beach and lagoon get heavily crowded in summer, but, with the mountains soaring above you, it’s still a lovely place to while away a few hours. There are showers, toilets and cafes; sunshades, loungers and paddle boats can be rented.
Oludeniz beach has 2 parts. 1 part is a long sandy beach called Belcekiz. Other part is the dead sea part as we call it. Dead Sea (means Oludeniz) is under protection as a national reserve. Even in the windy days and storms the sea here stays calm as a pool. It is rated among the top 5 best beaches of the world with its fabulous waters and beach.
The weather in Oludeniz is hot. It goes up to 40 C degrees in summers but average is 35-37 C degrees. Winters are cool but not cold, average in January is 13-14 C degrees. From may you can enjoy the sea water until november.
To reach Oludeniz you can take the minibus called “Dolmus” from Fethiye centre which runs in every 5-10 minutes to Hisaronu and Oludeniz. The trip will take 20-25 minutes. If you are coming from Hisaronu or Ovacik, same Dolmus will collect you on the way and after 7-10 minutes of drive you will be in the valley.
There is a shops street in the valley which is full of small local shops and restaurants. Here you can do shopping, have snack or delicious foods in colorful restaurants.
Ölüdeniz Beach; four kms of shingle and sand reach from east to west ending in a sand bar. From the main beach you can swim out just a few meters to survey the surrounding hills and watch the gliders dropping down to land. You can hire a canoe to paddle out watching the sea-bed. The sea shelves down quite fast. If you are looking for shallow warmer seas you should walk along to the lagoon just one kilometre past the dolmus* stop. If you have written your postcards, drop them off at the Post Office en route. The lagoon is a UNESCO world heritage area and so there is a small entrance fee. The sand-bar stretching ahead fringed with pine and shrubs. Paddle, swim and snorkel in the lagoon’s warm waters. Hire a paddle-boat to explore alone or decide on some more strenuous water sports. You may just decide to spend the whole day here especially if you have young children, choosing a snack from the local buffet at lunch-time. Facilites include sunbeds and umbrellas, showers and toilet facilities, paragliding, water-sports, beach cafes and bars. The beach is kept immaculately clean by a polite team of workers.
Kumburunu is the name given to the end of the Oludeniz sandbar, which stands at the mouth of the Blue Lagoon. There is an entrance fee for visitors whose cars can park near the beach itself. A good buffet serves snacks and refreshments. There are sunbeds and umbrellas. The sand is fine and the waters are shallow. Water-sports such as ringo, banana and water-skiing are available most days. Canoes and paddle boats can be hired. There is good snorkelling if you swim across the entrance of the lagoon area to the rocks on the opposite verge.
Separated from the main beach by a sand bar and narrow channel, the lagoon beckons you into its shallow waters. You can immerse yourself, paddle barefoot along the shoreline or swim across to the tiny island at the mouth of the lagoon. Here no boats are allowed in to disrupt the peace? Canoes and paddle-boats can be hired to explore the rocky shores of the inner lagoon and search for mussels or use your snorkel to discover the myriad of tiny fish which start their life in these sheltered waters.
Ölüdeniz is also famous for its paragliding opportunities. It is regarded as one of the best places in the world to paraglide due to its unique panoramic views, stable weather conditions, and Mount Babadağ’s exceptional height. Babadağ (Father Mountain) towering above Ölüdeniz on the Southwest coast of Turkey is a geological marvel that just happens to make for incredible thermals and ideal conditions for paragliding flight. Ölüdeniz is reputedly the best site in Europe, if not the world, to fly paragliders cross-country in both solo and tandem modes.
