Muğla has the largest coastline 1124km in Turkey. There is a various coves at the Muğla coasts. Yatching tourism makes marmaris favorite. Blue cruise represents the ultimate vacation as sailing along the beautiful coast of Turkey while getting way from routines and exploring the many coves. Short History of Blue Voyage: Blue voyage tours continuing since middle 1950’s with a growth every year. Name of “ Blue voyage” came from first guests of blue voyage who want strengthen their friendship on the sea.

Everyyear since 1950’s day by day these tours take attention of people who want to explore nature. Mostly special constructed hand-made and wooden gullets with a capacity to carry at least 14-16 people, in every gulet boats there are essential equipments to greet the demands of guest who comes for blue voyage. Usual day of blue voyage begins with early sunlight’s, first of all swimming then nice breakfast on the deck. If you like in day time you can read or sunbathing. For people who want to join extra activates, there is a swimming, pulling, scuba-diving, fishing, jet-ski etc… sport facilities.

Suitable time for blue voyage is between April-Nowember. Shape of the shores make this trip longer, but this is not make guests unhappy. The blue cruise is the ultimate vacation as you sail along the beautiful coast of Turkey while getting away from routines and exploring the many coves. The boats will sail winds permitting or motor along your chosen route.

Hire of Cabin: If you dont create your own group, you can able to hire a cabin. You can have opportunity to meet with foreign people. You can decide your own route and choose your own mwnu. Once on board, staff and later during the voyage the captain will present you daily with the range of possibilities and if you wish make suggestions or leave you decide your own program during the cruise.

Daily Boat Excursions: There is a daily boat tours start from Marmaris center port and Uzunyalı(Long-beach) just 30 min trip you can reach Paradise Island. You can visit hidden cave and you can have swim. This natural cave which is a haunt place for tour vessels to Turunç and Kumlubük enables swimming in green and turquoise water reminding and aquarium to be possible. Turunç and Kumlubük are stop point of daily boat trips. Turunç takes 1 hour from Marmaris by boat. The village known as an old fisher town takes attention of local and foreign tourists with its touristic associations, pensions and restaurants. Kumlubük situated after Turunç.

The town where green and blue is one within the other is one of the most famous beaches of the region with its clean sea and gorgeous sand. Another place specially preferred by daily boat trips is Çiftlik. The village is arrived in 2 hours on sea way and also it can be arrived over Bayır Village. It iy near a bay with its beach and bower restaurants that especially yatchers choose to stay. The village has a small island at the cove and it is preferred by going on safari tour with jeep kind vehicles. There is another bay near Çiftlik bay, name is Gebekse. Especially chosen by who wants to make scuba-diving or swimming at the silent beach. There is a wide range selection for daily boat excursions.

Blue Cruises Departure from Marmaris :

Marmaris-Fethiye: When you go to Ekincik from Marmaris you will see Karaağaç Port at the left side. Enter to the Yılancık Island is not permitted because island is under control of army. Karaağaç port is surrounded by pine and sweet gum trees and has a various small coves.

Köyceğiz Port : It is a port that has the port of Ekincik as well wtihin its lots of coves. On its western part, among the popular stopping or over-nighting coves there are Semizce,Kargı and Karaçay. There are two anchoring points in the port of Ekincik. One of them is Köy Önü (in front of the village), the other is the Maden quay - My Marina Club. The quay in front of the village belongs to the village autonomy. On the quay there is a line of dolmuş (shared) boats that run to the beaches of Dalyan-İztuzu. In Ekincik there are hotels, pensions, shops, buffets, showers-toilets and telephone booths. The beach is hundreds of meters long. From the port you can get to Köyceğiz and the Muğla-Fethiye main road.

The port on the south east of the Maden (Mine) port used to serve ships carrying mined chromium and that was converted to provide services to yachts and is owned by My Marina Club. The restaurant under the trees within the facilities has a well-earned reputation for its range of fish.

Delikada : In front of the Dalyan entrance there is the Delikada opposite of the İztuzu Beach. This is the place where large cruising boats and Blue Cruising boats are mooring. With small dolmuş (shared) boats you can get to İztuzu Beach and into the Dalyan channels and from there to the ancient city of Kaunos and the mud baths.

Between İztuzu and Sarıgerme there are almost no coves you can shelter in, the only one being Aşı Cove. You can get to Aşı Cove from Dalyan or Ortaca by driving 25 kilometres. Those who come to Aşı by sea get into the cove through rocky cliffs on two hills either side of the cove’s mouth. There is a small island of dark or pointed stones in the mouth of the cove. It is available for swimming and shelter. There is a small and clean restaurant on the waterfront.

Once you have passed Karaburun, the height of the mountains fall and you get to the Dalaman Plateau. This is Dalaman Inlet. Just further up is Baba Island, the guardian of the Dalaman Inlet and right after that is Sarıgerme Beach. Sarıgerme has become a popular tourism resort in the recent years, with its five star hotels, holiday resorts and a beach that is kilometers long. Visiting boats anchor in the rocky small cove on the north east of Baba Island. The sea is clean and shiny. A cave close to the northern end of the island crosses the island from one side to the other. On the top of the hill there is the ruin of a tower.

The flat Dalaman Plateau begins to increase in height as you get to the Kapıdağ Peninsula, reaching an altitude of 500 meters before Kurtoğlu Point. By now you are in the calm waters of the Gulf of Fethiye. The 13.5 kilometers opening between Kurtoğlu and İblis (Dökükbaşı) is the mouth of the gulf. This gulf has the most popular coves and islands for the Blue Cruise boats and yachts.

Marmaris-Bodrum: Among the coves after you leave Marmaris are beaches of Turunç and Kumlubük and Çiftlik Cove. There is detailed information on these coves in the Marmaris section of the book. By mooring at the side of the point between Turunç and Kumlubük you can see the ruins of Amos. At the entrance of the cove there is a private island with a mansion on it. When you make a turn from the island, there is another opening to a long and narrow cove. This is Gebekse Cove. The rocky shores are good for those interested in diving. The end of the cove is like a pool with its white sand on the bottom. Those who go ashore may want to see the ruins of a nearby church. The boats heading from Çiftlik to Bozburun stop at Serçe as a place for lunch or swimming. It is also suitable for mooring for the night. There is a small market and a restaurant on the shore.

The path that leads through the flat terrain and then climbs up the hill leads you to the village of Fenaket. The glassware that was salvaged from the 11th century merchant ship that crashed onto the rocky coast here forms one of the most important exhibitions on display in the Bodrum Museum. On the way to Bozukkale you get to another inlet, Korsan (Pirate) Cove, which has water as clear as that in a swimming pool.

Now you are in Bozukkale. To the left of the entrance of the 1.6 kilometer long cove, there are the long and wide walls of the ancient city of Loryma. In the cove area there are restaurants and a quay and buoys to moor. The restaurant owners get customers to the shore and their places by boat. Another port when you travel towards Bozburun is Söğüt Port. The Saranda district of the village of Söğüt is in this cove. The fish restaurants on the waterfront are good and cheap. The distance to Söğüt is four kilometers.

You are now slowly coming to the Gulf of Sömbeki (Yeşilova). In order to be able to watch the sunset over the island of Sömbeki you should anchor in one of the coves of Kiseli Island. While you walk through the undergrowth of the island you come across lots of ruins of old houses and a church. Right opposite there is the Ada Boğazı (Strait Island). Just like the coral waters of the tropical seas, the waters here turn into turquoise from dark blue. Bozburun then opens up in front of you.It is a place where all of your needs after three or four days sailing since you left Marmaris can be met. From here on the most pleasant coves follow each other. Next is the Gulf of Hisarönü. It has coves that are at least as beautiful as those of Gökova.

Turning right to Selimiye after Bozburun, those who wish to anchor in the last coves of the Bozburun Peninsula and the Gulf of Sömbeki can make use of Mercimek, Tavşan Cove, Ayaca and Çanak Port. After that you run down to Atabol Point and enter the Gulf of Hisarönü. You can take a break in the Ağıl Cove. After that you arrive at the cove and the village of Selimiye. You can stay here for the night. (For details on Selimiye see the Marmaris section.) Leaving Selimiye, you get to the Orhaniye Cove. Both are wide and very long. To the left of the entrance to Orhaniye there is the Martı Marina with a capacity of 175 yachts.

Orhaniye Cove is ideal to spend the night, with the sunset beginning early in the evening. Orhaniye is a region that you can spare a day to, with its Kızkumu Beach, its island that has the ruins of a castle on it, the Waterfall on the Bayır road and carpet sellers in the village of Turgut. You can easily get to Marmaris and Datça by road from this area. There are many fish restaurants and pensions. The waterfall is in an area used for picnicking. (More detailed information available in the Marmaris section.) If you climb the hills near Orhaniye there is a beautiful panoramic view.

After this comes Hisarönü Port, in a wide and large cove. The small coves in Hisarönü along the shores of Marmaris-Datça road are good picnic areas with their thick forests and camping areas such İnbükü and Çubucak. It is always crowded on the weekends and every day in summer. Those who came here by boat usually swim a bit in the open.

We are now in Datça Peninsula. In the bosom of the Peninsula lie all the beauties having the gulfs of Hisarönü in one hand and Gökova in the other. Tavşan (Rabbit) Cove, where the Robinson Club Maris is based, opposite Tavşan Island, is the most beautiful port of the region, with Bencik coming right after it along the coast. Bencik is a location much loved by the Blue Cruise boats or yachts, with its small coves that make them feel very special. Even though there is a state-owned camping area on the shore, there has been no construction allowed to disturb you. Those who go as far as the port and go ashore can walk along paths that will lead them to the shores of Gökova. You should choose the cooler morning or evening hours for the stroll. Those who take the trip in the evening can catch the incomparable colours of the sunsets in Gökova.

Now you progress towards Datça. By now you can see the summerhouse complexes on the shores. The oldest and most beautiful summerhouse complex of the region is Aktur on Kurucabük Cove. The cove before this is Günlücek Cove. Both have beautiful beaches and forest camp areas. You can come by road and stay in these camping grounds for a holiday. It is easy to reach the Datça-Marmaris road nearby.

The ports of Çiftlik, Sarı and Karaincir are the last on the western end of the Gulf of Hisarönü. The Perili Köşk (Haunted Mansion) Cove, where the Perili Köşk Hotel is located, has a beach that is very pleasant for swimming. The restaurant of the hotel is recommended. There is also windsurfing opportunities. Now we are in Datça. It is a beautiful town where the evenings are greeted in a bar in the port and where many Turkish people dream of settling after retirement. There are many dolmuş (shared) minibuses and buses to the town. By land you can get up to the end of the peninsula where the ancient city of Knidos is. Between Datça and Knidos there many small coves and bays. Some of them are only reachable by sea and some both from sea and land.

Right after Datça, comes Kargı Cove. Next to it is the small Armutlu Cove, which is just like a pool for those who want a swim. Then you pass İnce Point and Domuzçukuru and enter the Kızıl Inlet and Hayıt Inlet. Now you are getting closer to Knidos. However, prior to visit the ancient city, you should have a feast of seafood and fish. For that you should enter Palamut Cove. Palamut is beautiful, with barren hills smoothly meeting the sea, very long beach, village houses surrounded with trees by the waterside, lines of small pensions and summerhouses and where fisherman boats and yachts moored at the port. You should try the fish restaurants right above the port. You should get to Knidos before the sunset.

Marinas-Porst and Shipyards :

Netsel Marina : The Netsel Marina is to the northern end of the cove and located on a green hillside. The marina has a capacity to moor 750 yachts. The services provided in Netsel are not only the best in the southern Mediterranean but throughout in the whole Mediterranean region and the facility is of a rare quality among marinas. You can acquire all types of information, such as entry and departure documentation, sailing and travel agencies from the bureau. There are telephones and faxes available. The daily weather forecast is ready everyday at 09:00 am in the morning.

The fuel bunkering station is on the outer quay. There are two winches of 120 and 20 tones, a wide pulling out section and land services available. All forms of maintenance, painting, engine, power and electronics work can be done in the marina or by other workshops and agents in Marmaris. Inside in the marina there is a large shopping centre. There is a shop that sells yachting equipment, a market, clothing shops, high quality restaurants and bars such as the Pineapple, all serving in a special atmosphere.

Marmaris Netsel Marina Marmaris Muğla Tel: (0252) 412 27 08- 412 1939 THE MUNICIPALITY QUAY

This run by the Marmaris Municipality and it is cheaper to moor here. The shores below the Marmaris Castle on the peninsula are surrounded by quays. All gulets and some foreign and domestic yachts moor along this quay area. At the quay, which has a water depth of three to four meters, you can get water and power connections. The fuel for bunkering is brought by tankers. The region of the quay, being on the strolling street, gets very busy in the evening. Behind it there are all types of bars and restaurants. Tel: (0252) 412 28 68, e-mail: info@marmaris.bel.tr

ALBATROS MARINA On the way to the Yalancı Strait, once you pass Günlük Park, you come to the Albatros Marina to the east of the cove. It is a small size marina where generally the charter boats are moored in the summer and which has a capacity for 60 yachts. With the 20 tonnes mobile winch and slipway for winter it has land capacity of 240 yachts. It has a restaurant, bar and small market. Albatros Marina, Adaköy Kirlik Mevkii, Tel:(0252) 412 24 56

AKDENİZ MARTI MARINA: The Akdeniz Martı Marina is located to the east of the entrance of the cove. It has the capacity to pull 100 boats out of the water and store them on land, as well as a 300 yacht mooring quay. The marina also has a restaurant, bar, market, swimming pool, and maintenance-repair services. Orhaniye Koyu, Tel: (0252) 487 10 63 KARACASOGUT MARTI MARINA: This marina has the capacity 25 yacht mooring capacity.