Secluded Anchorages in Fethiye: Quiet Bays for a Blue Voyage
Updated: 1 day ago
The Gulf of Fethiye is one of the most visited cruising grounds on the Turkish Riviera, and it still holds quiet water. The secluded anchorages in Fethiye are rarely the famous ones. They are creeks with a single family restaurant, inlets lined with oleanders, and island coves that belong to the day boats until late afternoon and to you after that.
This guide follows the way we plan a Blue Voyage at TurQVoya: choose fewer places, arrive at the right hour, and let the evening do the work.
Reading the gulf before you choose a bay
Göcek and Fethiye sit at opposite ends of one large gulf. Between them, wooded islands and pine-covered shores break the water into short passages. Distances are small, which is why the Göcek and Fethiye anchorages suit an unhurried week. You can change your mind after breakfast and still reach a good bay by lunch.
Seclusion here is less about distance and more about timing. Excursion boats enter the best-known coves from late morning and leave in the late afternoon. A yacht or gulet that arrives after four or five o'clock, and leaves before ten, often finds a different place from the one in the photographs.
The second factor is exposure. In summer a northwesterly wind builds through the day. Inlets that are sheltered from most directions, or open only to the northwest, are the ones worth planning around.
Secluded anchorages in Fethiye Gulf and Göcek, one by one
Tersane Creek, on Tersane Island
On the northwestern tip of Tersane Island, the creek marks the northern gateway into Skopea Bay. Cruising guides describe it as sheltered from every direction except the northwest. The shore is olive groves and the remains of an old shipyard of Byzantine or Ottoman origin, and a restaurant pier takes around fifteen yachts.
Tersane Island is one of the coves listed in the DERİA buoy system, so plan to reserve before you arrive (see the note on buoys below). Tersane gives you shade, a short walk among the ruins, and silence once the day boats have gone.
Kapı Creek, the quiet door to Skopea Bay
Kapı Creek is the first bay south of the passage between Domuz Island and the mainland when you enter Skopea Bay from the east. It is a narrow inlet with a restaurant marina of about twenty berths, where the staff help with your lines. Cruisers describe it as safe in any wind.
It is also shallow. Only the middle berths on the south side are deeper than about 2.5 metres, and the east side is closer to 2. Confirm your draught before you commit. Sitting at the entrance to Skopea Bay, Kapı Creek is a natural first or last stop of a Göcek week. Check the DERİA site for the current rules around it.
Boynuz Bükü, the fjord-like cove
Roughly two miles northeast of Tomb Bay, Boynuz Bükü is a cove where pines reach the water and springs feed reeds and oleanders along the shore. A restaurant pier takes up to eighteen yachts, and the family-run restaurant is part of the reason cruisers stop here. The cove is listed in the DERİA system, so reserve ahead.
Cruisers report a cluster of rocks and shoals about 500 metres east of the entrance. Approach with care and with current charts.
Bedri Rahmi Bay, at the edges of the day
Bedri Rahmi Bay, historically Taş Yaka, takes its name from the painter Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, who painted a fish on a rock here in the 1970s. Part of the bay lies within the DERİA buoy system. Excursion boats usually arrive between 11:30 and 16:00.
The hours that matter are early morning, from about 07:30 to 10:00, when the water is still enough for a paddleboard along the Lycian tombs on the northern cliff, and the evening after five. We wrote about it in more detail in Mooring in Bedri Rahmi Bay.
Yassıca Islands, after the day boats
A cluster of small islands lies south of Göcek, between Göcek Island and Tersane Island. Mooring buoys line part of the shore. By day the bays are busy with tourist boats. After about six in the evening they settle. Shelter is best in the northern part of the group, and passing between the islands calls for a careful look at the chart. There are no restaurants or other facilities on the islands, so arrive provisioned.
Yassıca is the most visited place in this guide. We include it as a lesson in timing: the same water is a different place at seven in the evening.
Toward the south: Gemiler and Cold Water Bay
Leaving the gulf toward Ölüdeniz means open water and a closer eye on the forecast. The reward is a handful of anchorages with real character.
Gemiler Island
The anchorage lies in the channel between Gemiler Island and the mainland. The island carries the ruins of Byzantine churches and a long covered walkway, dating from roughly the fourth to the seventh centuries. Depths in the channel vary widely and the bottom mixes sand, rock and weed, so take time to set the anchor. Boats commonly go stern-to with long lines to the island rocks. The channel is sheltered from the prevailing northwesterly, although wind can funnel through it.
Facilities are limited. Day boats fill the channel at midday. Arriving after five and walking the ruins in the morning light is a quieter way to know it. The island is protected, so we leave the stones as we find them.
Cold Water Bay
Fresh water from the hills runs into the sea here, which is why the swimming is cold. A restaurant on the shore helps with shore lines, and cruisers advise reserving ahead. Day boats come and go through the day and generally leave in the evening. The bay is reported to be uncomfortable in wind from the south to the east, so check the forecast before you commit.
Butterfly Valley, for a morning only
Butterfly Valley faces west-northwest with almost no protection from southerly or westerly swell, so it is a daytime stop in calm conditions and not an overnight anchorage. Tour boats arrive between about 11:00 and 15:30. Early morning, from 08:00 to 10:30, is when the sea is smooth and the walk toward the waterfall is cool. Then continue to a sheltered bay such as Gemiler for the night. Our note on Butterfly Valley by sea covers the arrival hours.
The northern shore: Katrancı Bay
On the northern side of the gulf, Katrancı Bay is set in a nature park. Cruising guides give anchoring depths between roughly 5 and 12 metres, so check your chart. Part of the bay is buoyed off as a swimming beach, and a campground brings people to the shore in season. We mention it for completeness. It is more visited than the creeks above.
A note on buoys and local rules
Since the 2026 season, the bays of Göcek use DERİA, the official mooring buoy system. Reservations are made through deria.gov.tr or the DERİA app. Where buoys are in place, anchoring is not permitted, and several of the places in this guide, including Tersane, Boynuz Bükü, Bedri Rahmi and Yassıca, appear on the DERİA list of coves. The system does not cover the entire gulf. Tariffs, reservation windows and the list of coves can change, so confirm the current rules on the DERİA site before you plan a night in any Göcek bay.
When to go
May, June, September and October bring settled weather and more room in every cove. The sea is warm from June to October. July and August are the hottest and the busiest, with the northwesterly at its strongest. If your dates are fixed in high season, the early and late hours described above matter even more.
Plan a quieter voyage with TurQVoya
Choosing the right bay is half of it. The other half is the order of the days, the hour of arrival, and a crew that knows where the evening goes still. If you would like a Fethiye gulet cruise built around calm water rather than a checklist of names, start with our Curated Itineraries or talk it through with us. We arrange bespoke Blue Voyages with trusted charter partners and shape each route to your pace.
From the guide
If you plan your own route along this coast, the TurQVoya Turkish Riviera Travel Guide is written for that. It covers Marmaris, Selimiye, Bozburun, Göcek, Fethiye, Ölüdeniz and Ekincik, with anchorage coordinates, waterfront restaurants and boutique hotels reachable by boat, beaches, coastal walks and marinas. It is available in paperback and on Kindle.
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Skippers: conditions change. Please confirm depths, holding, wind exposure and mooring rules against current pilot books, up-to-date charts and the local harbour authority before you anchor.
Frequently asked questions
Which anchorages in Fethiye are quiet?
Tersane Creek, Boynuz Bükü and Kapı Creek are quieter settings, and busier coves such as Bedri Rahmi Bay and Gemiler become calm after the day boats leave in the late afternoon.
When is the best time for a Fethiye yacht charter?
May, June, September and October offer settled weather and more space in the bays. July and August are warmer and busier, with a stronger northwesterly wind.
What time should I arrive to avoid the day boats?
Arrive after about four or five in the afternoon and plan your swim for the early morning, before about ten. Excursion boats commonly enter popular bays from late morning.
Can I anchor freely in the Göcek bays?
Not where mooring buoys are in place. Since the 2026 season, buoys in the listed Göcek coves are reserved through DERİA, the official mooring system. Confirm the current rules for each bay before you sail.
Is a gulet or a yacht better for these bays?
Both work. The gulf is sheltered and distances are short. A crewed gulet suits a hands-off Blue Voyage in Fethiye, and a smaller yacht can suit shallow creeks such as Kapı Creek.
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