Historical Ölüdeniz
A favorite excursion out of Ölüdeniz is a boat trip to the surrounding bays ... Five stones ... Camel Beach ... The cold Springs and St. Nicholas Island, with its Paleochristian churches. From the summit of the island there is a marvellous view over the crenelating local coastline, which provides fine anchorages for smaller boats. And indeed, in early Christian times, this part of the coast was a trading stop-off for pilgrims, eager to visit St. Nicholas on their way to the Holy land. Remains of small settlemets and cisterns cover the surrounding hills.

Ölüdeniz bay itself possesed five churches, Gidrak beach had a fine mosaic churc-floor till 10 years ago. From Gemile Bay's Monastery, an open water-channel ran six kilometres down to the sea, to carry water to passing ships. The locals may even elaborate and mistakenly place Cleopatra in a Byzantine Bath! They might have their dates wrong but a beautiful woman is always admired in Turkey.

Early Christianity hugged the coastline of Asia Minor (Turkey), but when raiding Arab pirates plundered their sanctuaries, the Christians moved inland... today you can visit one such settlement 5 km. from Ölüdeniz, Kaya village, the Lycian "Karmylasson", later re-inhabited by their Christian descendants as Byzantines, and called "Levisii". Here Greek and Turk lived side by side in hormany, each practicing his own religon, until 1922, when the exchange of peoples between the two countries brought Thracian Turks here and transported the local Greeks to Thessalonika.

Hopefully the old understanding will return and Greek and Turk will again be seen side by side in Kaya... A Peace Village

Ecological Ölüdeniz
Due the topography of the area, this south-west corner of Turkey escaped the rigours of the last Ice Age. Trees and plants indigenous only to this area are still coming to light. Oleg Polunin discovered new species up Babadağ i 1976. Just recently a German Botanist has discovered a Lily, restricted to just 1000 square metres of rock-filled terrain. There is at present a movement to give the area "Word Heritage" status. This would also protect the area's fauna such as the Cameleon, Capra Eagagrus Deer, Badger, Tiger-moth , Vipera Lebentina Snake, Lizards, Birds of Prey and many others.

Fethiye has a protection plan for the Loggerhead Turtles and volunteers come from far and wide to help protect their nesting areas.

THE ÖLÜDENİZ TRIANGLE
The resort used to be three separate villages. Ovacık, Hisarönü and Belcekız, and covers an extensive and varied terrain, separated by hills and woods, thus catering for all tstes.

OVACIK RESORT AREA
Nestling below the Babadağ Mountain, Ovacık mean "little plain". It's hotels and holiday villages are caressed by cool sea-breezes and command fine mountain and forest views.

HİSARÖNÜ RESORT AREA
Set round the base of a once fortified hill, Hisarönü means "in front of the fortress". It has a centrally orientated main-street area, where colourful boutiques, busy restaurants and bars, boast the best of Europe and Turkey. Quieter outlying hotels and holiday villages commune silently with the surrounding pines.


BELCEKIZ BEACH AREA
Colourful holiday complexes with lush gardens give onto a beach promenade which leads to the Lagoon of Ölüdeniz. Though now a protected area, several campsites and a hotel run along one of it's shores.Intricate paths through myrtle and pine lead to the end of the sandbank, which separate the open sea from the Lagoon.
Motor powered boats are no longer allowed through the Lagoon channel, so you can snorkel in peace, finding star-fish, sea cucumbers or even an oyster with a pearl...

BUTTERFLY VALLEY
It's a place very difficult to reach, but, once you are there , the sight of millions and millions of butterflies all over the rocks, tree trunks and laves is so spectacular as to leave anyone appalled. At first, you are unaware of this phenomenon, you may come to think that this is part of the natural flora; but then, a slight movement or a flickering sound would cover the sky in a second, the whole valley would fall temporarily under a dark shadow.

In order to get to Valley of the Butterflies , you have to go to Ölüdeniz first. From there, you either rent a vessel or get on a Dolmuş boat which would also take you back Part of the beach is a nudist camp.

Climbing up to the first waterfall should be fairly satisfying. If those who have self-confidence or those who cannot resist the call of the valley, continue to climb. They will witness the scene we have described above. They valley has been closed and then re-opened again to the public a few times .