Southwest Turkey is gulet country. Between Bodrum and Fethiye the coast breaks into deep gulfs and peninsulas, with pine forest running to the water and quiet bays where a gulet can anchor for the night. Harbour villages lie a short sail apart. A day here means a few unhurried hours under way and long stops for swimming. The gulet was built for exactly this coast, and the tradition of cruising it by the week has a name of its own: the Blue Voyage.
Bodrum, long a centre of gulet building, sits at the tip of its peninsula. The Gulf of Gökova runs east from it for the length of a week’s cruising.
The northern shore has Orak Island and the village of Çökertme. The southern shore has the Seven Islands (Yedi Adalar), English Harbour (İngiliz Limanı) and, near the head of the gulf, Sedir Island.
West of Marmaris, the Bozburun peninsula folds into small, sheltered gulfs with harbour villages at their heads: Bozburun, Selimiye, Söğüt, and Bozukkale near the tip.
The Hisarönü Gulf lies on its western side, with Orhaniye and Keçi Bükü inside it. Datça and ancient Knidos lie further west.
East of Marmaris, past the river mouth at Ekincik for Dalyan and Kaunos, the Gulf of Fethiye opens out. Göcek’s islands are scattered across it.
Weeks here usually start from Göcek or Fethiye. Tell us if this is your coast, and we will look for a gulet based there.
The season runs from May to October.
May and June: warm days, green hillsides and quieter anchorages.
July and August: the hottest weeks and the busiest. The summer northerly, the meltem, fills in during the afternoons.
September and October: the sea stays warm and the bays empty again.
Weekly rates follow the same calendar: the lower figure in each range applies in the quieter months, the higher in the summer peak.
Every gulet we show sails from a Turkish port. Beyond these, we can source from more than 200 yachts in Turkey.
Bodrum, Orak Island, Çökertme, the Seven Islands, English Harbour, Sedir Island, Karaada, and back to Bodrum.
Marmaris, Kumlubük, Bozukkale, Bozburun, Selimiye, Orhaniye and Keçi Bükü in the Hisarönü Gulf, Söğüt, Çiftlik, and back to Marmaris.
Marmaris, Ekincik for Dalyan and Kaunos, then into the Gulf of Fethiye and among Göcek’s islands, ending in Göcek. This runs one way only where the yacht offers it, and we confirm that before you book.
Every route is a starting point. The captain sets the final course with you, around the wind and your group’s pace.
Tell us which coast appeals, when you would like to go and how many of you there are. We reply within six hours, and there is no obligation.
