Ölüdeniz
A still blue lagoon near Fethiye, with paragliders drifting down from Babadağ.
The Turkish name
Ölüdeniz
At a glance
- Province
- Muğla
- District
- Fethiye
- Landform
- Lagoon
- Known for
- Paragliding from Babadağ, Butterfly Valley
Read more
The story
Ölüdeniz, the 'dead sea', is a lagoon about 12 km from Fethiye. It takes its name from its calm water: when storms throw waves on nearby Belcekız beach, the lagoon only ripples. Springs, currents and tides keep the water moving underneath.
The Kumburnu sandspit and the lagoon form a protected natural site. Paragliders launch from Babadağ, 1,969 metres above, and land on the beach, and boats run to Butterfly Valley and to Gemiler island with its Byzantine ruins, linked to Saint Nicholas.
