Jessie is an avid traveller who visits Turkey every year. She has visited many destinations within the country, but prefers the Mediterranean coast, mainly because she is a fan of beaches. However the problem with a beautiful beach is that it does not stay secluded for long, especially in the height of summer, when the kids are off school and families descended en-mass to enjoy sun, sea and sand.
She says “I haven’t got anything against families but as a solo female traveller, I enjoy my alone time and tend to avoid the crowds.”
Jessie is quite sure that she is not the only one who thinks like this, so she has written this article about 4 beaches in the southwest of Turkey, where you are guaranteed to find your own, large space of sand to roll about in.
4 Secluded Beaches of South-West Turkey
Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley is named after many species of butterflies that breed in it, although this only happens at certain times of the year. Besides chasing after butterflies, trek down deep into the canyon to find a small waterfall.
Butterfly Valley can be reached by road or water taxi but bear in mind that the secluded aspect is probably because this is not a standard beach resort with sunbeds, posh restaurants and water-sports. It is all about rustic living at one with nature so expect basic facilities.
Phaselis : Beaches and Ancient Ruins
Situated within a National Park sitting off the D400 main road, Phaselis has two beaches; one that is full of pebbles and another one that is a sandy beach dream, stretching around the half bay. With a view of the Taurus Mountains and an extensive collection of ancient ruins, nestled in-between, Phaselis has become one of my favourite places to visit.
Çirali and Olympos Beach
Cirali is next to the budget backpacking resort of Olympos and both resorts share a large 3 kilometre beach, of which some parts are pebbly and others are sandy.
Take your own refreshments because the restaurants are a fair distance away, and if you get bored, just pop into the forest to explore the mystical ruins of the ancient city of the same name, said in mythology to be home of the gods. This beach is also important because of their attempts to help the endangered Caretta Caretta turtles.
Patara Beach
Technically, Patara is not a secluded beach and it often appears in most travel guidebooks. However, it is the longest beach in Turkey, stretching for 18 kilometres so it is impossible to arrive and find it completely jam-packed with people.
The resort has also diminished in popularity, tending to attract independent travellers only. If you really want to chill out and be at one with nature, this is the place to do it.
Further Tips from Jesse about the South-west coast of Turkey
Other secluded beaches of southwest Turkey include Kabak, Kapatus, Gunluklu and Gemiler. Use Recharge.com to keep topped up with phone credit so you can use the Internet on all these beaches, but take it one step further by using booking.com to stay overnight. Jessie also uses Lonely Planet Books as her travel guide.