Oludeniz, Turkey

There are direct flights from the UK to Dalaman, The closest airport to Oludeniz.

We have previously stayed in this area of the Turkish Aegean, in Yankilar and Sarigerme both quieter areas but perfect for a family holiday in the sun.

This time we traveled as a group of 10 and stayed in a villa in Hisaronu at the top of the hill which rolls down to the Blue Lagoon of Oludeniz. This area is quite lively and full of British Holiday makers and a tourist hub of bars and restaurants. Our villa was far enough away from the maddening crowds and close to a Dolmus stop (small buses which connect the local areas) for easy escaping to other areas nearby.

Every day we could see the paraglider’s jumping from Badabag mountains which is one of the lures of Oludeniz.

The beach at Oludeniz was well organised and crowded with sun worshippers. There are other beaches reachable by Dolmus which we did but it a beautiful beach to visit. The water is shallow but with pebbles so water shoes are helpful and useful for helping not to burn the soles of your feet in the hot July temperatures.

We caught a Dolmus to Fethiye and then a Water taxis from Fethiye to Calis beach. The beach was less crowded and we spent the day there and took in a sunset. The water taxi now costs 7 Turkish lira per person each way. The water taxi from Calis Beach to Fethiye starts at 9.30am, the last water taxi is at 23.00. The water taxi from Fethiye to Calis Beach starts at 10am and last water taxi leaves Fethiye at 23.30.

We hired a boat from Fethiye for the day. The Ekinim 1 skippered by Gokhan and his wife. They took us round the bay for swimming and snorkelling and cooked a BBQ on board. A fantastic way to spend the day.

At the start of my trip, I refused to indulge in conversations about paragliding and somehow managed to get roped into jumping off the Badabag mountains. The launch point is 1960 meters above sea level and bloody terrifying. You literally stepped off a bus into a harness and ran off the edge of the mountain!! Don’t get me wrong there were some breathtaking views of the scenery and the paragliding here is easily one of the top few in the world, but not something I will be rushing to do again!

We also booked a jeep safari, unfortunately we bought images from the tour company but someone in our party misplaced them. It was the best trip on the holiday. Evergreen jeep safari’s was the company and I would thoroughly recommend for fun for all the family.

We visited Tlos, one of the oldest cities of the Lycian state. Its foundation dates back to about 2000 BC. Yakapark was the next stop for refuelling the water buckets. Saklikent gorge was the lunch stop with a opportunity to walk through the gorge and go tubing along the river. Saklikent Canyon was recognized as the longest and deepest canyon in Saklikent Turkey and the second largest canyon in Europe. Its length is 18 kilometers and the height at different sites is up to 1000 meters.