The Oludeniz beaches are diverse and splendid. Since Oludeniz is located on the Aegean Sea coast, most of its beaches are of bright turquoise color, which tourists love so much. Most of the the beaches are very clean with nice clear water. It’s a pleasure to swim at any of them. Of course, the Oludeniz beaches do differ. So, let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Belcekiz
Belcekiz is the main public beach of Oludeniz. Admission is free. You can easily relax for free at any of its parts. The beach isn’t divided and doesn’t belong to any of the Turkish hotels. The coastline has everything tourists may need for a comfortable stay. You can rent sun beds and umbrellas for additional fee. 1 sun bed costs 15 liras, so does an umbrella. Thus, for renting 2 sunbeds and 1 umbrella, you will pay 45 liras.
Belcekiz is a very long beach – it is about 1 kilometer long. You’ll be able to find a place with few other tourists nearby. There are many paragliders flying in the air above Belcekiz beach. They jump from the nearby mount Babadag and circle slowly over the beach, where they’ll later land. Quite often, they land right on the beach, so be careful and be sure to look around. Belcekiz beach is mostly covered by medium-sized pebbles. However, from above and from afar it seems that the beach is covered with light sand. There is sand as well, but it’s closer to the promenade. The beach has everything tourists need for a comfortable rest – sun beds and umbrellas (for additional fee), changing stalls, toilets, and showers.
The water in the sea is very clear, blue, and transparent. This magnificent color of the water takes your thoughts far away and you feel like at one of the Dominican beaches. The beach is surrounded by mountains that form picturesque views.
Good hotels at Belcekiz public beach on Booking:
Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is a beach located in Oludeniz as well. It’s a continuation of Belcekiz beach. A paid continuation of Belcekiz beach. You are to pay for admission to the Blue Lagoon, which is 7 liras per person. The Blue Lagoon is famous for being located in a preserved area. As you may think, the water in the Blue Lagoon should be blue and turquoise if judging by its name. But it’s only part of the truth. Indeed, there’s a beach in the lagoon, but the local water can hardly be called blue. It’s more of a green color and merges with the surrounding vegetation.
But there is also a second beach in the Blue Lagoon. It’s located outside the lagoon, but in a preserved area as well. This beach continues the coastline of Belcekiz beach. And it is here that you can swim and enjoy turquoise water.
A drawback of the Blue Lagoon is that it is always crowded here. Sun beds stand too close to each other almost all over the beach. However, there’s a little space for those who want to lie on pebbles with their own umbrellas and towels. The beach’s another disadvantage is that sun beds stand so close to the water that it’s almost impossible to walk along the water’s edge. There’re people lying everywhere, and you don’t feel comfortable walking right next to them.
An advantage of the Blue Lagoon is that there’re no waves here because of the terrain – the waves just can’t reach here. So, this beach is very comfortable for families with children. At the beach, you can go kayaking, rent a mini boat and SUP board for 30 liras per hour only. There are also a couple of cafes where you can eat without leaving the beach. The food is delicious, and the price is affordable – the same as in other cafes on the main street. I liked the Blue Lagoon. However, I’d only go here a couple of times during vacation, since free Belcekiz beach is on par.
Good hotels at the Blue Lagoon on Booking:
Kidrak
Kidrak is another beach at Oludeniz, whereto you can drive or walk on your own. It is located next to Belcekiz beach, on the other side of the Blue Lagoon and is separated from it by a mountain. You can get here by a dolmush or a taxi or take a 40-minutes’ walk. You are to pay for admission to Kidrak beach. Just like the Blue Lagoon, it is located in a preserved area. Admission fee to Kidrak beach is 6 liras per person.
There are often waves on this beach. In times, the water here is 2-3 degrees cooler than at other beaches. This is due to cold springs bursting under the water. Frankly speaking, I didn’t notice that the water at Kidrak Beach was cooler. Wedding ceremonies are held here because the beach is small, cozy, and surrounded by mountains on both sides. On the beach, there is a cafe, as well as sun beds, a toilet, a shower, a changing stall. We went to Kidrak beach by a rented car. Almost the whole beach is covered by pebbles, which hurt your feet when walking. So, you should take special aquashoes or wear flipflops to get to the water and leave them on the shore. A drop to the water is quite abrupt – you’ll disappear underwater in a couple of meters. You won’t feel comfortable with small children here.
Good hotels at Kidrak on Booking:
Butterfly Valley
The Butterfly Valley is another beach that you can reach from Oludeniz. But it’s harder to get there than to the previous 3 beaches, because you can reach the Butterfly Valley by water only. Indeed, you can try going down the mountain to get to this beach, but this is a challenge for experienced climbers but not common tourists. Thus, I didn’t even think about this opportunity. By water you can get to the Butterfly Valley beach with a tour around 6 islands or by sea taxi. It will bring you to the beach at a scheduled time and take back after a certain time.
We used the second option and got to the Butterfly Valley beach by sea taxi. A small boat for 25-30 people takes tourists to the beach in 30 minutes. The way is picturesque, and these 30 minutes spin away. The two-way ticket costs 30 liras per 1 person. The main thing is to save the ticket from the trip, so that you can show it when you go back. The best time to come to the beach is early in the morning or in the afternoon.
The rush hour on the beach, when it’s most crowded, is around 11-12 o’clock. It’s the time when all the tours are here. We also arrived there by 11.30 since we had no other free time but wanted to visit the beach. Most of those who come with a tour go deep into the beach. There they can pay 5 liras to walk between the rocks and see a small waterfall. In fact, it can’t be even called a waterfall – it’s a small stream. The rest stay to relax on the beach and swim.
If you look at the beach from the sea, the right side isn’t well suitable for swimming. There, the bottom is covered with flat but rather large stones, which are slippery and unpleasant to walk on. I highly recommend buying or bringing special aquashoes if you have any. If you look to the left where all ships are moored, you’ll see a cafe in the rock slightly rising above the water with a staircase leading to it. It’s the most beautiful and comfortable place for swimming. I liked it much more there. To cut it short, you should visit the Butterfly Valley beach at least once to see if you like it and whether it’s worth coming here again.
Good hotels at the Butterfly Valley on Booking:
So, I’ve reviewed the main beaches of Oludeniz. There are 4 in total – Belcekiz (city beach), the Blue Lagoon, Kidrak, and the Butterfly Valley. I liked the city beach of Oludeniz – Belcekiz the most. But I think you definitely should visit the rest to make your vacations more diverse, since all the beaches are very good.
In this article, I reviewed the beaches around Oludeniz that you can reach on foot or by taxi. But if you have time and opportunity, you can visit 2 more great Turkish beaches – Kaputas and Patara. Tourists often visit them on the same day since they are located close to each other. You can join a guided tour to them or go there on your own by a rented car as we did. These are splendid beaches, and you’ll definitely like them. Turkey is a very interesting and diverse country.