Last Updated on: 5th January 2024, 08:12 am

#1 top pick water activity from Oludeniz

The Blue Lagoon - Oludeniz, Turkey

Fethiye & Butterfly Valley Boat Trip with Lunch

  • -> Discover the beauty of the coastline near Fethiye on a traditional boat
  • -> Admire the stunning cliffs and sheltered beach at Butterfly Valley
  • -> Visit the Blue Cave, Butterfly Valley, Camel Beach, and Soguksu Bay with several stops for swimming
  • -> Duration: 8 hours
  • -> Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (40 reviews)

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#1 top pick adventure Oludeniz

Paragliding over Oludeniz

Tandem Paragliding over Oludeniz from Babadag Mountain

  • -> Fethiye Oludeniz has breathtaking views you’ll experience during the activity
  • -> The flight is around 30 minutes, depending on the weather, the soft landing is on the beach
  • -> Transfer to mountain top by air-conditioned vehicle
  • -> Duration: 2 hours; photos and video footage available for an extra fee
  • -> Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (82 reviews)

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It’s strange how we get attached to things in our lives. We also get attached to places we visit. This happened to me with the Blue Lagoon Turkey, Mount Olympus, and Milan, among other unforgettable destinations.

Turkey is one of those countries you’ll fall in love with at first sight. I know I did. That’s why I always wanted to learn how to say thank you in Turkish to be able to build rapport with locals.


Choosing where to go and what to see in Turkey is a tough thing to do. Visiting a country that spreads across two continents isn’t a two-week endeavor. You’ll surely want to visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Antalya, but that would be only a small fraction of what Turkey has to offer to tourists. Let me introduce to you Oludeniz and the beautiful Southern Turkey coast. Although a bit more difficult to reach, it is definitely worth the pain.

Before we begin, let’s see how you can save when exchanging your money for Turkish Lira.

How To Best Exchange Your Money for Turkish Lira Before Getting to Oludeniz

Long time ago, I used to bring US dollars that I exchanged in Istanbul, not in the airport, but at banks or at currency exchange houses. Today, I know better. I’m WISE.

One of the best things you can do before going to Turkey is to get a Wise account with debit card. Wise is a financial service that allows you to hold 50 currencies in one single account. It enables you to spend your money abroad without hidden fees. Sending money with Wise is cheaper than old-school banks. Also, you can use your Wise debit card to spend your money directly in local currency, at a very good exchange rate.

I already had my Wise account, so I made sure I loaded it with dollars. Then I opened a Turkish Lira account and exchanged my dollars at a very good rate, much better than bank rates. I withdrew YTL from ATM machines in Turkyie using my Wise debit card. Click here to see if you are eligible for a Wise account and to get it right away.

Oludeniz beach - View from the nearby mountain

Oludeniz beach – View of the Blue Lagoon Turkey from the nearby mountain

How To Get to Oludeniz & The Blue Lagoon Turkey

Oludeniz is a relatively new Turkish resort on the Aegean Sea, nearby Fethiye Saklikent, Dalaman, Kas and Kalkan. I’m still not sure whether the correct spelling is Oludeniz or Olu Deniz.

This resort is a 90-minute drive from Dalaman airport. If you are already in Turkey, you should know that you can reach Oludeniz with ease from Fethyie, as there are lots of dolmus mini-buses going back and forth.

If you come from the UK, you can fly directly into Dalaman. If you come from the US, the easiest way to get to Oludeniz is to book a local flight from Istanbul to Dalaman, and then take a bus or a taxi, or rent a car to use it for the entire duration of your stay in Turkey.

What Is Oludeniz and How Does It Connect to the Blue Lagoon Turkey?

Oludeniz is a small beach village renowned for its breathtaking natural scenery and idyllic Mediterranean climate.

Translating to ‘Dead Sea’ in Turkish, Olu Deniz got its name from the calm, flat turquoise lagoon that spills out into the sea through a narrow strait. This beautifully serene blue lagoon surrounded by lush green forests and soaring mountains is the main highlight that draws visitors from around the world.

The village’s laidback atmosphere, lovely walking paths, boutique hotels and beachfront cafes that serve locally-caught seafood make it an ideal destination for relaxation. With its privileged location along the acclaimed Turquoise Coast and wealth of natural beauty, Oludeniz provides the perfect setting for an idyllic Mediterranean holiday. The striking lagoon landscape that can’t be found anywhere else is reason enough to add this Turkish gem to your bucket list.

Oludeniz Beach itself is a protected national park lauded for having one of the most photographed beaches in the world. The lagoon’s clear waters with shades of blue and green provide excellent swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities.

Paragliding off the 1960 meter-high Babadag Mountain is also a popular activity with panoramic views over Oludeniz. I almost did the paragliding tour myself, but I chanced my mind the last minute and chose a self-driven boat trip instead.

oludeniz turkey & the blue lagoon

Oludeniz is anything but a typical Turkish resort. In fact, it is a resort built entirely to cater to British tourists. The overall atmosphere is pleasant (although I would have happily switched for more of the local taste), in restaurants they play Dire Straits and The Beatles music, all coffee shops advertise for English Breakfasts (which I didn’t quite understand at that time) and the percentage of British versus Turkish people on the streets is perhaps 9:1.

Street in Oludeniz

Street with tourist shops in Oludeniz

Awesome red flowers

Awesome red flowers

There was nothing to remind of Turkish values and traditions. There were no fish restaurants on the beach, no Turkish women diving into the sea wearing their long and colorful skirts, nothing of all those little things that make Turkey such an awesome destination. The village was full of hotels and villas for rent. Although not very spectacular, they were surrounded by beautiful gardens. This is where I stayed:

Tourist villas in Oludeniz

Tourist villas in Olu DenizTurkey

I usually like booking the hotels without any meals (maybe breakfast is OK) because I like to taste local foods, so I’d rather not eat in a tourist facility. In Oludeniz, though, we had accommodation with two meals per day included. It proved to be wise, because restaurants were not only overpriced, but they had mainly British specific. Nothing wrong with it, but it was not what I expected from a Turkish vacation experience, so I might as well have eaten at the hotel’s restaurant.

Cool Things To Do in Oludeniz – the Blue Lagoon Turkey Is Only One of Them

Take a Full Day Boat Trip

Oludeniz was an unbelievable experience in many ways: the resort is in a very picturesque part of Turkey, so if you have a car, there are heaps of places to explore in the region. The Blue Lagoon Turkey comes to mind, but it is far from being the only thing worth visiting in this region. In fact, a boat trip like this one is the best way to explore this wonderful area. You’ll swim in the Blue Cave, you’ll visit the Butterfly Valley, and you’ll have lunch on the boat. This is your only chance to get to Butterfly Valley, as it is a secluded beach, accessible only by water. There are water taxis you can take from Oludeniz. However, a full-day boat trip is more enjoyable, so I’d recommend that if you are for the first time in Olu Deniz.

Try Paragliding

Paragliding over Oludeniz

Paragliding over the Blue Lagoon and Beach

Adventure lovers have their share of fun, too, as the place is well-known for paragliding. The Babadag mountain is almost 2000 m high and it is only 5km from the beach. Paragliders are all over the sky, most part of the day. Sometimes they descend in groups of three-four, just like those birds flying together in close formation without bumping into each other. Watching them is addictive. I almost booked a paragliding tour myself, but gave up the last moment in favor of a boat ride.

If you want to try it, here’s where you can read some reviews and buy your ticket. You won’t have to worry about anything. These guys will pick you up in a 4×4 and take you to the top of Babadag mountain. You’ll land on the beach, so you’ll be close to your hotel.

Relax on the Blue Lagoon Beach

I read that the Oludeniz beach is frequently rated among the top 5 beaches in the world by touristic guides and travelers. I can understand why: the Blue Lagoon, where the beach is, is truly spectacular. The water is very calm and it has awesome shades of blue and green. You can’t have enough of watching it.

The Blue Lagoon - Oludeniz, Turkey

The Blue Lagoon – Oludeniz, Turkey

Beautiful ship in the Blue Lagoon

Beautiful ship in the Blue Lagoon

However, the ‘organized beach’ concept which has become so popular these days, spoils the charm, at least for me. I don’t like it when a beach is full of rows of sunbeds and umbrellas, at barely one meter distance to each other. It looks like a concert hall rather than a beach, however, if you are the kind of tourist who appreciates this setup, you’ll love it.

Nonetheless, you may want to consider visiting Oludeniz outside the full season months (July and August). June and October are probably the best. I’ve been there in the beginning of June and, as you can see from the photo below, there weren’t too many sunbeds taken.

This is an "organized beach" - Oludeniz, Turkey

This is an “organized beach” – Oludeniz, Turkey

The beach is pebbly, so you might want to use your rubber shoes. The people who maintain the beach do a great job: everything is squeaky clean, despite the big number of tourists they have each day.

Some entertaining is also provided: there’s a guy who feeds some ducks right there, on the beach. It’s hilarious to see 15-20 ducks walking in a row, making loud noises, following a muscly guy wearing only shorts and a bucket full of orange slices. When he stops, the ducks surround him waiting for the feast. Then they hurry to grab as much food as they can. There’s plenty, so I guess they all end up satisfied.

If you rent a kayak, you may be able to see some starfish. I saw some, but I didn’t have my camera with me, so I can’t show you any proof. Anyway, starfish are among the cutest sea creatures I’ve ever seen.

There is an entrance fee for the Blue Lagoon Turkey beach. As far as I remember, it was about 7-8 Turkish Lira per person, which is about 4 USD. There are other beaches in the area, all of them free, so there isn’t much point in going to the Blue Lagoon more than once. Once is good, because the landscape is very beautiful. If the beach gets too busy, you can hire a kayak or a pedaloo and have some good exercise. Make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen, as it can get very harsh on your skin.

Blue Lagoon Oludeniz Turkey

Visit Fethyie and Hike the Saklikent Gorge

Fethyie is a stylish resort with a lovely beachfront promenade. Surrounded by marvelous landscapes, it is the perfect place to enjoy a beach vacation. If you’ve already chosen Oludeniz as your base camp, try to find time to take a one-day trip to Fethyie. You can also visit Saklikent Gorge, a beautiful canyon where you can walk through water for miles. Make sure you wear some water shoes, as the water runs fast.Here are a few ideas of shoes you may like.

The water cold even in the summer, but you’ll get used to it after a few minutes. If you don’t, you can grab a seat at one of the restaurants by the Saklikent Gorge entry and wait for your friends there.

Violeta Matei
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