ساحل اولودنیز و لاگون آبی

Ölüdeniz, about 14 km south of Fethiye by road, is really two places side by side: Belcekız, a long public beach in front of the village, and the Blue Lagoon, a sheltered bay closed off by the Kumburnu sand spit and protected inside a nature park with a paid gate. Above both rises Babadağ, almost 2,000 metres high, where tandem paragliders take off for a flight of about 30 minutes that ends on the beach. That mix of calm water, pine-covered mountains and the sky full of wings is why Ölüdeniz appears on so many Turkey itineraries. Our Ölüdeniz paragliding day trip from Antalya brings you here for the flight and about two hours on the beach.

Key details at a glance

Belcekız beach and the Blue Lagoon

Ölüdeniz means "dead sea" in Turkish, a name usually explained by how still the lagoon stays when the open bay is choppy. Belcekız is the long open beach, with the village, hotels and cafés behind it and the paragliders landing on its sand; Go Türkiye gives Ölüdeniz's beach a length of 3 km. There is no gate.

The Blue Lagoon is the quieter water behind the Kumburnu spit. It belongs to the Ölüdeniz Kıdrak Nature Park, declared on 1 December 1983 and managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's nature conservation directorate. You enter on foot or by car through the park gate and pay a fee: Fethiye Times reported 150 TL on foot and 750 TL for a car under the tariff that took effect in May 2026. Inside, the spit has pine shade and, in summer, rows of sunshades.

The lagoon side has the calmer water, while Belcekız has more space and the view of the paragliders coming in.

Paragliding from Babadağ

Go Türkiye calls Babadağ the most popular paragliding spot in Türkiye. Tandem flights need no experience: a professional pilot flies the wing, you sit in a harness in front, and the descent to the beach takes about 30 minutes, longer when the pilot finds rising air.

There are two ways up. Our day trip, like many flight companies, drives you up the mountain road to the take-off point. The Babadağ cable car, whose main station is on the Ölüdeniz main road at 226 metres, runs eight-person cabins to a station at 1,200 metres, with a restaurant, a terrace café and a concert stage, and on to 1,700 metres, one of the paragliding take-off points. Chairlifts continue to 1,800 and 1,900 metres, where there are more take-offs. A return ticket costs 950 TL for everyone aged 7 and over, or 700 TL for students and guests with special needs, and it is valid only on the day you buy it.

Wind decides everything. The cable car company cancels trips in strong wind or extreme cold, and when the upper stations close, tickets are valid only to 1,200 metres. Pilots make the same call for flights. Each October, Fethiye Municipality holds the International Ölüdeniz Air Games: the 26th edition ran for five days in October 2026, and the 25th, in 2025, drew about 400 paragliders from 33 countries.

How to get there

• From Fethiye. The road climbs over the hill through Ovacık and drops to the beach, about 14 km and 20 minutes by car. Minibuses (dolmuş) run between Fethiye and Ölüdeniz through the day.
• From Dalaman Airport. It is about 68 km, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes by road. Our Dalaman airport transfer guide compares shuttles, taxis and private cars.
• From Antalya. About 205 km, three hours or more each way, which is why a guided day trip with the flight already arranged is the simplest option.
• On a multi-day tour. Our coast packages link Ölüdeniz by road with Bodrum and Antalya.

Best time to visit

July and August bring the most people and the strongest sun, and the small Kumburnu spit fills up first, so arrive early for pine shade. June and September are the sweet spot for most visitors: the sea is warm, the light is softer for photos and the beach has more room. October adds the Air Games, when the sky over the bay fills with competition flights and shows. In winter Ölüdeniz is quiet and green; Go Türkiye notes that many guest houses and restaurants stay open all year, and flights still depend on the weather on the day.

For paragliding, allow a spare day in your plans in case the wind cancels your slot.

Boat trips and nearby places

• Butterfly Valley. Boats from Ölüdeniz run to this steep, narrow cove on the coast to the south. Many gulet cruises from Fethiye stop there and at Ölüdeniz; the 7-day Best of Turkey tour with a Fethiye gulet cruise, from $2,865 per person, is one example.
• The Lycian Way. The Culture Routes Society's 760 km waymarked footpath starts at Ölüdeniz and runs to Geyikbayırı near Antalya, about 35 days on foot.
• Kayaköy. The abandoned stone village, left empty in the 1920s, is about 9 km away by road.
• Saklıkent Gorge. The cold-water canyon is about 54 km from Ölüdeniz, a good contrast to a beach day.
• Further east. The Lycian coast continues towards Kaş and Myra and the St Nicholas Church near Demre.

For hotels, boats and other Fethiye trips, see our Fethiye destination guide and Fethiye tours, and the Istanbul and Fethiye holiday plan if you are combining the coast with the city.

Practical tips

• Carry some Turkish lira for small payments.
• For a flight, wear closed trainers and bring a warm layer; Go Türkiye advises dressing warmly for the cold at the summit.
• Ask what the paragliding price includes: insurance, photos and video and hotel pick-up are often listed separately.
• Keep the cable car ticket until you are back down; it is checked at every turnstile.
• If Ölüdeniz is part of a wider trip, several of our coast tours pair it with Bodrum: see Bodrum Castle.

Tours that visit Ölüdeniz

• Ölüdeniz paragliding day trip from Antalya: a full day from $399 per person, with a tandem flight from Babadağ of 20 to 40 minutes, landing on Ölüdeniz beach, gear and insurance included. Hotel transfer is not included unless you select it when booking.
• Bodrum and Fethiye by air, 2 days: from $845 per person; day two covers the Fethiye Museum, the Ölüdeniz lagoon and Kayaköy.
• Istanbul, Fethiye and Antalya, 3 days: from $1,110 per person, with Ölüdeniz and Kayaköy on the Fethiye day.
• Istanbul, Bodrum and Fethiye, 3 days: from $1,110 per person, ending with the Fethiye Museum, Ölüdeniz and Kayaköy.

Frequently Asked Questions