Description of the attraction
Oludeniz is translated from Turkish as "Dead Sea". This famous resort is so beautiful that many people call it “God's gift to the world”. The beautiful bay, which amazes travelers with its beauty, is surrounded by pine forests. This place is the most comfortable anchorage for yachts and ships. In a quiet harbor, where, due to the presence of a spit, there are no high waves, the water surface is always calm.
Oludeniz Beach is considered the most beautiful and popular beach in Turkey and is now a National Park. That is why there is not a single hotel on the coast of the bay, their construction in this place was prohibited in order to preserve the uniqueness of the local nature. The hotels are located in the depths of a small nearby valley. Almost a third of the water surface of the bay is covered by a sand spit, thus forming an almost closed reservoir, which the Turks called Oludeniz, later the name of the bay spread to the entire region. It is forbidden to ride boats here, so the waters are particularly transparent and crystal clear. Large sheer cliffs surround the bay and create a unique quaint landscape.
You can get to the lagoon by breaking 15 km along the road from Fethiye, along which conifers grow. The road leads up and down, and you will already have some fatigue when suddenly an unusually blue sea opens up in front of you. Its surface will be surprisingly motionless, without a single algae, and the bottom will be covered with white sand. Sunlight, refracted in the water and reflected from the sand, takes on a delightful azure hue. The azure becomes even richer when the shade of the pine trees falls into the waters of the Dead Sea. This heavenly place is called Belcekiz Bay.
On the way to Oludeniz, be sure to visit the small mountain village of Ozhakkoy. There you can spend the night in one of the cozy guest houses, and, if you wish, even make a mountain trek. There are hotels in the town of Hisaronu for every taste and budget. The ghost town of Kayakoy is located four kilometers from Hirasonu, no one has lived in its old houses for a long time, and churches do not open their doors to their parishioners. The Byzantine ruins are worth exploring on Gemiler Island. Oludeniz can also be reached by boats departing daily from Fethiye.
It is worth stopping at Oludeniz in the Belchekiz Beach area. There is a beautiful beach there, and the water temperature allows swimming there for more than ten months a year. The turquoise color of the sea seems incredible, and besides, there are absolutely no waves here. There are a lot of good hotels and bars in this area. The name of the bay Belcekiz is associated with an interesting legend about a great and bright love between a sailor and a local girl. In those distant times, ships sailing past the harbor stopped here to replenish fresh water supplies. The sailors reached the coast from ships that were anchored in the open sea, on boats. Once the young son of the captain himself went to the shore for water and met Beljekiz there. The girl was very beautiful and a nice young man who fell in love with her at first sight, reciprocated. But the captain's son had to return to the ship. The ship sailed away, and the girl looked after her lover for a long time. The lovers could see each other only when the ship passed these places and the young sailor sailed on a boat for water. Once, when the ship sailed past the bay again, a violent storm began. The young man persuaded his father to go into the bay, knowing that there is always calm water and you can wait out the elements. Unfortunately, the old captain thought that his son was ready to crash the ship on the rocks just to see his girlfriend. The storm intensified, the dispute between the son and the father gained momentum. The captain was seriously angry, and, seeing that the ship was carrying in waves directly to the rocks, he threw the young man overboard with a blow. The captain dropped to the helm and took the ship away from the rocks, at the same moment he saw a bay with calm water. But the waves had already swallowed up the young man. Beljekiz never waited for her lover. She could not stand the separation and threw herself into the sea from the cliff. Since then, the bay where the girl drowned is called Beljekiz, and the place where her beloved died is called the Dead Sea. As if grieving about such a tragic end, by the evening the sea changes its color and turns purple.
The forest area surrounding the harbor is called the Kydrak Tabiat Park. It occupies about 950 hectares. This park is a conservation area. The entire beach of the Dead Sea is under protection and the development is very strictly controlled here.
Oludeniz is considered the best destination for paragliding enthusiasts. This is facilitated by wonderful landscapes and mountainous terrain. Parachute descents from the slopes of Mount Babadag, whose height reaches 1975 meters, are especially popular. Everyone can enjoy hang gliding here and appreciate the panorama of the Dead Sea.
Great efforts are being made to preserve the natural wonder called the Dead Sea. At the Belcekiz beach laboratory, water samples are taken daily for analysis. Work has begun on preparing the Kydrak beach to receive an international certificate. It will be the only beach in Turkey to meet high ISO standards.
