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Route · 14 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Bodrum

Bodrum via Akyaka & Cleopatra Island.

A two-week loop from Bodrum through the Gökova gulf, then north to Güllük and Didim. Mud baths at Kara Ada, Cleopatra's golden sand, quiet pine coves.

The route

Day-by-day route

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Bodrum Marina
Day 1

Bodrum → Kara Ada

A gentle first hop out of the marina to Kara Ada, where a cave spring and orange mud make an easy shakedown afternoon.

Distance

1 NM

Sailing

~0.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – mid-October (peak Jun – Sep)

Duration

14 days

Departure

Bodrum

Sailing area

Bodrum

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 14
Bodrum Marina
1
Day 1

Bodrum → Kara Ada

You won't need an early start for this one. Kara Ada sits barely five miles off Bodrum, a green, pine-topped hump that most crews reach inside an hour under engine. The draw is the cave on the eastern shore, where a sulphur spring runs at body temperature and the mud around it stains an odd orange. People smear it on, bake in the sun, then rinse off in the bay. It's touristy, and by midday the gulet fleet has arrived, so I like to anchor early, do the mud circus before the crowds, then move to a quieter cove on the south side for lunch and a swim. Use the afternoon to sort the boat, check the tender and get provisions squared away. Tomorrow is a proper crossing.

Things to do

Soak in Kara Ada's sulphur cave spring

Coat yourself in the orange healing mud

Swim off the quieter south-side cove

Top up provisions before leaving Bodrum

Mooring tip

Anchor off the cave in 4–8 m over sand and weed; it gets busy with day boats by late morning, so drop the hook early and run a line ashore if swing room is tight.

Çökertme
2
Day 2

Kara Ada → Çökertme

This is the day the trip opens up. Point the bow south across open water and you're looking at fifteen to twenty miles, three to four hours depending on the meltemi. Çökertme is the reward, a horseshoe cove backed by olive groves and a handful of family tavernas built out over the water. It's a classic gulet stop for good reason. The catch is the wind: gusts funnel down off the hills without warning, and the sand-and-weed bottom holds poorly. Most crews skip anchoring altogether and tie to one of the restaurant pontoons, which comes with a laid mooring line and an unspoken agreement to eat ashore. Captain İbrahim's has been feeding sailors here for years. Order the meze, watch the light go pink on the ridge, and turn in early.

Things to do

Dine on the pontoon at Captain İbrahim's

Order a full spread of Aegean meze

Watch sunset colour the ridge behind the cove

Swim before the afternoon gusts build

Mooring tip

Forget the anchor here unless you enjoy re-setting it. Grab a taverna pontoon with a laid line instead; arrive by mid-afternoon in July as the three jetties fill fast, and expect sudden katabatic gusts overnight.

Ören
3
Day 3

Çökertme → Ören

After the drama of Çökertme, Ören feels calm. It's a modest coastal village on the south side of the gulf, set on the plain where the ancient city of Keramos once stood. The run east is easy, a couple of hours in flat morning water before the wind fills in. There's a small municipal marina and a long grey-pebble beach that stays quiet even in August, which is precisely the point. Walk into the old quarter and you'll find stone houses, bougainvillea and the scattered remains of Keramos on the slopes above town. It's not a place with much to prove. We usually take a slow lunch, hire bikes or walk up to the ruins in the cooler evening, and let the crew catch their breath before the head of the gulf tomorrow.

Things to do

Walk up to the ruins of ancient Keramos

Stroll Ören's stone-house old quarter

Unwind on the long grey-pebble beach

Tie up at the small municipal marina

Mooring tip

Ören's little marina takes yachts on lazy lines and is rarely full; call ahead in peak weeks. If you prefer to anchor, the bay off the beach holds well in sand but is open to the afternoon westerly, so tuck as far in as depth allows.

Akyaka
4
Day 4

Ören → Akyaka

Akyaka sits right at the top of the gulf, where the mountains close in and the water turns glassy green. The sail up is often a beat into the afternoon thermal, so we tend to leave Ören by nine and motor-sail the calmer early hours. The village itself is a delight of timber balconies and Ottoman-Greek architecture, all built under strict local rules that have kept the chain hotels out. Its signature is the Azmak, a short karst-fed river so clear you can count the fish; take the tender or a rented kayak up through the reeds to the springs and the riverside cafés. Out on the bay, the same steady wind that makes the climb hard turns Akyaka into one of Turkey's better kitesurfing spots. Eat grilled fish by the water and let the day slow down.

Things to do

Kayak the clear Azmak river to its springs

Lunch on grilled fish by the waterfront

Watch kitesurfers work the afternoon thermal

Wander Akyaka's timber-balconied old streets

Mooring tip

The bay at the head of the gulf is deep and the afternoon wind sends in chop, so anchor close under the northern shore and take a line ashore. A few pontoon berths off the village restaurants let you dine and stay put if you'd rather.

Cleopatra Island
5
Day 5

Akyaka → Cleopatra Island

Sedir Island, better known as Cleopatra Island, is the one everyone wants to see, and for once the hype holds up. The beach is made of tiny golden oolite grains found almost nowhere else nearby, which is where the legend of Cleopatra shipping sand from Egypt comes from. Today the sand is fiercely protected: you walk a boardwalk, swim off the beach, but you cannot lie on it or carry a single grain away. Behind the shore lie the walls, theatre and agora of ancient Kedreai, worth the short wander in the morning cool. Come early. Day-tripper boats from Marmaris and Bodrum pour in from mid-morning, so we like to be anchored and ashore by eight, then gone by lunch to a quieter overnight cove nearby. The water here is a startling pale turquoise over sand.

Things to do

Walk the boardwalk along Cleopatra's golden beach

Explore the ruins and theatre of Kedreai

Snorkel the pale turquoise shallows off Sedir

Arrive early to beat the day-tripper fleet

Mooring tip

There's no overnighting alongside the beach; anchor off the north or east of the island in sand, or better, visit at anchor by day and move to a sheltered cove for the night. Holding is good but the spot catches wash from constant tour-boat traffic.

Karaca
6
Day 6

Cleopatra Island → Karaca

Karaca, or Karacasöğüt, is one of the gulf's great all-weather holes. It sits on the southern shore, a deep inlet below Karaca Ada, wrapped in pine forest and so well protected that local boats winter here. After the exposure of Sedir, the calm is welcome. The bay splits into several arms, each with its own scatter of jetties and simple family restaurants where you tie up bows-to and eat under the trees. The sail across is gentle, maybe two to three hours, with the ridge feeding you a steady breeze on the beam. This is a day to do very little. Swim, read, dinghy into the reed-lined creek at the head of the bay, and settle in for a still night. If the forecast shows a big meltemi, there's nowhere better in the gulf to sit it out.

Things to do

Tie bows-to at a pine-shaded taverna jetty

Dinghy into the reed-lined creek at the head

Swim in the sheltered inner arms

Ride out a meltemi in calm water

Mooring tip

Pick a restaurant pontoon and tie stern- or bows-to for a laid line and a guaranteed calm night; the water is deep close in, so approach slowly. Free-anchoring works in the arms too, in 6–10 m over mud that holds well.

Mersincik
7
Day 7

Karaca → Mersincik

Mersincik is where the gulf starts to feel remote. Tucked on the north shore near the western mouth, it's part of the Gökova special protection zone, so there's no development, no road in, just pine, rock and clear water. The passage west takes you along the exposed northern side, and with a fresh meltemi you can carry good speed on a reach for much of it. The main bay is beautiful but catches the north wind; if it's blowing hard, duck into the smaller cove to the northwest, though swing room is tight and you'll want an anchor ashore. Wild goats pick along the shoreline in the evening. There's nothing to buy and nothing to do but swim, walk the empty headlands, and enjoy a night without a single light on shore. Fill water and provisions before you leave Karaca.

Things to do

Swim off the empty, undeveloped shoreline

Walk the pine headlands for gulf views

Spot wild goats along the shore at dusk

Stargaze with no shore lights around

Mooring tip

Anchor in the main bay in 5–8 m over sand and take a line to the rocks; it's open to the north, so if the meltemi is up, use the tighter northwest cove and set a shore anchor as there's little room to swing. Arrive self-sufficient, as there are no facilities.

Çökertme
8
Day 8

Mersincik → Çökertme

The loop turns for home today. From Mersincik you cross the mouth of the gulf back to the familiar horseshoe of Çökertme, a passage of a few hours that can be a fast, rolling reach if the meltemi cooperates. Second time around, you already know the cove's tricks. The same gusts pour off the hills, the same jetties wait, but you know the drill now. Slot onto a different pontoon than last week and try a new taverna; Rosemary and the other family kitchens along the shore each have their regulars. This is a good evening to sort laundry, refuel the crew on a long dinner ashore, and swap notes on the best swims of the trip so far. Watch the anchor light of late arrivals bob in as the wind gusts through after dark.

Things to do

Try a different taverna such as Rosemary

Swim the horseshoe cove one more time

Refuel the crew on a long shore dinner

Compare the trip's best swims over meze

Mooring tip

As before, take a pontoon line rather than anchoring, and pick a different jetty from your first visit to keep things fresh. Rig a good snubber and extra fenders; the overnight gusts here nudge boats around on the laid moorings.

Cokertme
9
Day 9

Çökertme → Kara Ada

Back across the water to Kara Ada, closing the Gökova part of the trip. It's the same long open crossing as day two, run in reverse, so watch the forecast and leave early if the meltemi is set to build. By now the crew are proper sailors and the miles pass easily. Kara Ada makes a fitting last stop in the gulf, close enough to Bodrum that you're within reach of the marina but still a green island with that odd, restorative cave. Give the mud baths a second try if the first was too crowded, or just find a clean cove on the south side and swim. Rinse the salt, tidy the boat, and enjoy a quiet anchorage before the trip changes character. Tomorrow you round the peninsula and the whole feel of the coast shifts.

Things to do

Return to the mud cave for a quieter soak

Find a clean south-side cove to swim

Rinse and tidy the boat after the gulf

Toast the end of the Gökova loop

Mooring tip

Same as day one: anchor over sand and weed near the cave, or move round to the south coves for cleaner holding and fewer boats by evening. Being so close to Bodrum, it fills with returning charter boats, so claim your spot before sundown.

Yalikavak Golturkbuku
10
Day 10

Kara Ada → Göl Türkbükü

Today the coast changes entirely. You round the western tip of the Bodrum peninsula, past Gümüşlük and Yalıkavak, onto the glamorous north shore and into Göltürkbükü. The channel outside can see the meltemi at a solid thirty knots, so time the rounding for the morning and reef early if in doubt. Inside, it's another world: a long, sheltered bay lined with wooden platforms built out over the sea, chic beach clubs and the famous Maçakızı hotel where Istanbul's smart set summers. This is the trip's dose of polish. Book a lounger, have a cocktail sent out to the boat, or simply people-watch from the cockpit as tenders ferry guests between yachts. It's a long way, in feel, from the empty headlands of Mersincik, and that contrast is part of the fun.

Things to do

Grab a lounger at a Türkbükü beach club

Dine on a jetty platform over the water

People-watch the tender traffic from the cockpit

See the Maçakızı hotel scene up close

Mooring tip

Most of Göltürkbükü's waterfront is run by beach clubs that lay moorings and expect you to book a table or loungers; call ahead in season and they'll send a tender to take your lines. Free-anchoring room is limited and holding patchy, so a laid mooring is the easier call.

Güllük
11
Day 11

Göl Türkbükü → Güllük

Güllük is the antidote to Türkbükü. A working fishing town on its own gulf north of the peninsula, it trades the celebrity gloss for trawlers, tea houses and some of the best-value seafood on this coast. The sail up is straightforward, out of Türkbükü and north into the wide, sheltered Gulf of Güllük, often a comfortable reach. There's a proper marina here with a few hundred berths if you want power and water, but the town quay is where the character sits. Wander the front in the evening, pick your fish off the ice at a lokanta, and eat it grilled with rakı and a gulf sunset. History buffs can take a taxi or a long walk to the ruins of ancient Iasos on the next headland, a Carian city that grew rich on exactly the fish you're eating. Quiet, honest, and a good re-provisioning stop.

Things to do

Pick fresh fish off the ice at a lokanta

Visit the Carian ruins of ancient Iasos

Stroll the working fishing-town waterfront

Re-provision at the market before Didim

Mooring tip

Take a berth at Güllük's marina for full services, or go stern-to on the town quay for the livelier scene and easy reach of the fish restaurants. The gulf is well sheltered, so a night at anchor off the town in 4–6 m over mud is comfortable in settled weather.

Didim
12
Day 12

Güllük → Didim

Didim marks the top of the loop and the most built-up stop of the fortnight, but it earns its place. The passage up from Güllük is the longest of these northern days, so plan for an early departure and keep an eye on the meltemi, which can pick up across the open approaches. D-Marin Didim is a large, well-run marina with everything you might need to set the boat right for the run home. The real reason to come is inland: the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, one of the ancient world's great oracle sanctuaries, its huge columns still standing after more than two thousand years. It's a short, cheap taxi from the marina and worth an unhurried morning. Afterwards, cool off on the long golden sweep of Altınkum beach or grab lunch in town before turning south again.

Things to do

Tour the oracle Temple of Apollo at Didyma

Swim the long golden sands of Altınkum

Refit and refuel at D-Marin Didim

Lunch in Didim town after the ruins

Mooring tip

D-Marin Didim is a full-service marina; radio ahead on VHF for a berth assignment, especially in high summer when catamaran and superyacht traffic is heavy. It's the easiest place on the route to take on fuel, water and fresh provisions before the two-day run back to Bodrum.

Didim
13
Day 13

Didim → Göl Türkbükü

The bow points home. From Didim you retrace the water south, back around into the lee of the Bodrum peninsula and into Göltürkbükü for a second, more relaxed night. Knowing the bay now, you can skip the scramble for a mooring and settle straight in. This is the last real evening of the trip, so it's worth making it count. If the first Türkbükü night was for the scene, use this one for a good dinner and an early, calm swim off the boat. The northern approaches can be breezy in the afternoon, so we usually leave Didim mid-morning to arrive with the light still high and the wind not yet at its peak. Pack in a final lazy afternoon on a jetty platform, sort gear and settle the last of the boat admin. Bodrum is only a short hop away tomorrow.

Things to do

Book a return table at a Türkbükü jetty club

Take a calm early swim off the boat

Enjoy a final lazy afternoon on a platform

Settle boat admin before the last leg

Mooring tip

As on day ten, arrange a beach-club mooring ahead of arrival; being a return visit, you'll know which platform suited you. Aim to be secured by mid-afternoon before the northerly funnels into the bay and the tender queue builds.

Bodrum
14
Day 14

Göl Türkbükü → Bodrum

The last morning is an easy one. Bodrum lies just around the eastern shoulder of the peninsula, a couple of hours from Göltürkbükü, so there's no need to rush the lines. Most charter bases want the boat back by late morning or midday, so we tend to slip out early, take one final swim at anchor somewhere along the way, then make our approach to the marina under the shadow of the great Castle of St Peter. Coming into Bodrum by sea is the right way to arrive: the fortress, the white town climbing the hills, the forest of masts in the harbour. Have fenders and lines ready well before you enter, follow the marineros' directions to your berth, and let the fortnight sink in. Two weeks, two gulfs, a mud cave and an oracle. Not a bad loop.

Things to do

Take a last swim at anchor en route

Approach under Bodrum's Castle of St Peter

Photograph the harbour's forest of masts

Hand the boat back before midday

Mooring tip

Confirm your return time and berth with the charter base the evening before, and have fenders and mooring lines rigged on both sides before you enter Bodrum's busy harbour. Follow the marina staff in for a stern-to berth; the approach can be crowded with day boats at midday.

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