Caretta Carettas

Watch Caretta caretta turtles on their journey to the sea.  

Turkish beaches feature some of the world’s most important nesting areas for loggerhead sea turtles, better known across the world as Caretta carettas. For the Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle), 99% of its nesting areas are in Türkiye and Cyprus. In Türkiye, more than 20 nesting beaches have been identified and are currently protected. 

Patara is best known for its 18 km long beach, the longest beach in Türkiye. The beach is the breeding ground for Caretta Caretta turtles and is one of the Special Environmental Protection Zones of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation. Visitors are only allowed with detailed instructions in order to ensure the sustainability of this rare ecological environment for the Caretta Carettas. Witnessing such a unique image and observing the various stages of the breeding process is a unique experience for visitors. 

Patara is full of interesting sand dunes due to the sands brought by the Eşen River. In Patara, where many desert scenes in old Turkish movies were filmed, you can adjust your camera angle and take a selfie as if you were in the desert, and relax your eyes at the sight of the blue sea and forget the fatigue of the day you spent on the vast beach at sunset. 

If you want to witness the adventure of turtles spawning and hatching, visit these beaches between May and August.