We haven’t heard a word about Oludeniz and the beautiful blue lagoon until we started planning a trip to Turkey. As it turned out, this place is mainly popular with British tourists, but we definitely wouldn’t outline this place as a typical tourist resort with coastline filled with concrete all-inclusive hotels. What to see in Oludeniz?
The blue lagoon of Oludeniz, the lush green mountains entering the Aegean Sea, the sky full of paragliders and the relaxed beach atmosphere – that’s how we would describe Oludeniz in a nutshell! Below you can find a little bit more!
Oludeniz is located on the Aegean Sea near the larger and more famous town of Fethiye. Oludeniz consists of two parts, the seaside, where hotels and gastronomy predominate, and the upper part, more local one, where a lot of karaoke bars are located. The coolest thing about Oludeniz is that there are no giant all-inclusive hotels, and holidays are spent there rather in smaller, boutique accommodation, the base of which is so good that it’s hard to decide. We recommend the Sertil hotel, which is located in the “upper” Oludeniz, has a great view, and is an adult only hotel.
If you’re planning to stay in Turkey a bit longer we really reccomend you reading our post about Tuz Golu lake!
The Blue Lagoon – What to see in Oludeniz?
Oludeniz is famous for its blue lagoon and it really is beautiful! Being the end of October, it was still warm enough to bathe in it. On one side, we have a sandy beach, azure water and beautiful views – on this side, however, you have to be careful where you pitch, because paragliders land on the beach and there are zones intended only for them.
On the other side, we have a lake kind of vibe, shallow water, tall grass and a beach club like from the 1960s. The only option to camp by the water in this part is to use the mentioned beach club, we visited the Sugar Beach Club and we liked it very much. From this side, the lagoon is not that spectacular, but we were captivated by the atmosphere.
Babadag – What to see in Oludeniz?
Babadag is a peak rising to 1969m above sea level. and towering over Oludeniz. From its top, paragliders take off, dozens, if not hundreds, flying in the sky. You can probably get to the top of Babadag on foot, by car (almost to the very top, unfortunately there is no parking lot there and we bet that if you can do it at sunrise, it may be a problem during the day) or by cable car. The cable car has several inter-stations and you can get off along the way to enjoy the views at different levels. The view from the top is captivating, we recommend especially at sunrise or sunset!
Abandoned Greek villages – What to see in Oludeniz?
Greeks have settled and lived in this area since ancient times, so there are a lot of abandoned Greek villages there. We saw a few that could be reached on foot, but we chose Kayakoy, which was right on the road and was a really big one. Why are they abandoned? For thousands of years, Greeks lived in this area, after the schism of the church in 1054 – Greek Orthodox, lived peacefully in the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Everything changed during World War I when mass massacres of Greeks began, followed by the Greco-Turkish war. The final evacuation of Kayakoy residents who managed to survive took place in 1923, and the village is standing and decaying to this day.
Montana Seyir Tepesi viewpoint – What to see in Oludeniz?
Beautiful places to admire the sunset, which requires about 30 minutes of walking. From the hill of Seyir Tapesi there is a view of the Blue Lagoon in Oludeniz. Going for a walk there, you should watch out for wild boars, which there are plenty of in the surrounding forests (you have to be careful in Oludeniz itself as well!), we met huge individuals both going there and back and these were moments of horror that we do not recommend to anyone on holiday!
Oludeniz for the active – What to see in Oludeniz?
Oludeniz is a wonderful place for everyone who likes to combine relaxing on the beach with activities. The Oludeniz area is mountainous, and there are plenty of trekking routes, you could probably hike in the mountains for several weeks following a different route every day. As we mentioned, watch out for wild animals. From Babadag towering over Oludeniz, you can try a tandem paragliding flight, the town is full of agencies where you can easily book a flight.
Where to eat in Oludeniz?
We wouldn’t be ourselves if, apart from what to see in Oludeniz, we wouldn’t give you hints where to eat!
Gözde Restorant – a place whose value for money was so good that we ate there practically throughout the whole stay. We found this place by accident looking for something quick on the first day, it is located in the “upper” Oludeniz. The portions are huge, the Adana kebab is amazing, the grilled chicken wings are superb! What you must try is gozleme, a stuffed pancake fried in front of the guests.
Gözlemeci Sema & Ev yemekleri – a simple family restaurant near the beach. The food was tasty and
well-seasoned, the prices were affordable, but the portions were small for what Turkey has accustomed us to. On the other hand, it was a plus, because we didn’t leave like most restaurants stuffed to the cork.
