DISCOVER AMAZING IZTUZU BEACH, ALSO KNOWN AS TURTLE BEACH, TURKEY

Even though we’ve already written a piece about Turkey’s top beaches, some of those beaches are worthy of a whole new post. This is the situation with Turkey’s Turtle Beach, Iztuzu. Although you can view Kaunos from the shore, it lacks the ancient location of Patara shore. However, it has something equally striking: a distinctive environment in a protected region, serving as a breeding site for the critically endangered Loggerhead turtle, also known as the Caretta Caretta.

Check out this post for information on how to get to Iztuzu Beach, what to do there, and how it got designated as a protected area.

A Truly Stunning Panorama Of Turtle Beach Turkey And The Dalyan Delta With Koycegiz In The Far Distance.

TURTLE BEACH, TURKEY: UNIQUE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Iztuzu Beach is one of a kind. It is much more than just a beach. It is a 4 km long sandy strip at the end of a river delta, encircled by mountains covered in pine trees. The beach appears to be nearly like a long peninsula surrounded only by nature when viewed from above. In summary, it is a location of breathtaking, unspoiled natural beauty and a significant sea turtle nesting site for the critically endangered Caretta Caretta. A nesting site that, had conservationists not taken action against it somewhere in the late 1980s, would have been destroyed by the development of a massive vacation resort.

This info is covered in more detail later in this piece. In addition to its distinctive environment, Iztuzu Beach gives guests the option of lounging on one of the many loungers at either end of the beach or spending a peaceful day in the centre of the beach. You can be sure that most people stay in the areas with beach amenities like cafes, picnic tables, and sunbeds, even on busy summer days. Thus, following a leisurely stroll in the beach, you will locate that location if you are like us and enjoy peace and quiet.

FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN TOURISM AND PROTECTING NATURE AT IZTUZU BEACH

Strangely enough, the reason Iztuzu beach became well-known worldwide might have been because of the preservation work done there. That’s how Turtle Beach, Turkey earned its name, and it quickly gained popularity as a travel destination. On a typical summer day, thousands of people visit the beach these days. Nevertheless, at night, nature takes over, and between May and August, the Loggerhead turtles come to the shore to deposit their eggs—a behaviour that has likely been practiced there for thousands of years.

An average nest has seventy eggs, each about the size of a ping-pong ball, buried around 50 centimetres below the surface. The tiny little Loggerhead babies hatch and attempt to make their way to the sea between July and September. They remain there until they reach sexual maturity, which occurs around age 25–30. At that point, they return to their birthplace to mate.

 A marked zone protects the nests during the daily tourist invasion. In this zone, the use of umbrellas, digging or even lying on the sand is forbidden. All over the beach, students from the University of Pamukkale put specially designed metal cages over the located nests to prevent the eggs from being dug up by dogs are foxes. Please note that bringing dogs to the beach is forbidden. All infrastructure on Iztuzu beach has been designed with a minimal environmental impact in mind.

Protective Turtle Nest Cage On Iztuzu Beach

KAPTAN JUNE: THE FORCE BEHIND THE SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Sometimes it only takes a few passionate people to raise awareness about a harmful development project. We have June Haimoff (1922-2022) to thank for the untouched beauty of turtle beach today. This English lady had lived in a wooden hut at the beach for several summers and fell in love with the turtles. She saved Iztuzu beach from development together with European and Turkish conservationists after writing to the WWF about the possible devastating results of the construction of a holiday village for the already declining turtle population. The building works stopped, an environmental study was carried out, and the whole area became a Special Environmental Protection Area.

But Kaptan June, as June Haimoff is also called, didn’t stop there, she kept dedicating her life to turtle protection, which led to the foundation of the June Haimoff Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation as well as the creation of the Turtle Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER) run by the Pamukkale University in Denizli. Kaptan June still has a hut next to the beach where she raises awareness on turtle habitat safety and protection, amongst other things. We had the honor of meeting the then 95-year-old June Haimoff in person and witnessed her love and determination for this project.

If your visiting turtle beach, Turkey, make sure not to miss this valuable piece of the puzzle and pop-in to learn more about the turtles and how we can protect them. The Loggerhead turtles live to get 100 to 150 years old, and since Kaptan June started her campaign, the number of nests on the beach has more than doubled.

HOW TO GET TO TURTLE BEACH, TURKEY?

Apart from very eco-friendly options like hiking or biking from Dalyan, the two most popular means of transport are by boat, or by car or dolmuş (minibus). Driving to Iztuzu beach from Dalyan means you park your car at the designated carpark at the far southern end of the beach. That is also where you will find the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. The boats stop at the northern end of the beach after a pleasant trip past the reedbeds of the Dalyan River.

If you ask us, your best option is to take the public boat or dolmuş tekne, as they are called in Turkey. The fee in 2019 is 20 TL per person both ways. The public boats start running at 9:30 am from Dalyan and return rides from the beach depart from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm. You can check the most recent timetables and price information on the boat cooperative’s website (only in Turkish). Remember that regardless of your means of transport, Iztuzu beach is closed from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am.

POSTS NEARBY

• Kaunos: So much more than Lycian Rock Tombs52 km
• The history of the basket houses: hidden gems in Turkey36 km
• Lake Köyceğiz, the non-touristy gate to Kaunos10 km
• A day at the secret valley, Dalaman’s hinterland94 km
• Toparlar waterfall: a 15-minute walk to paradise42 km