Tarzan Bay

Tarzan Bay is a small cove on the coast near Fethiye, in Turkey's Mugla province, reached almost entirely by boat and known above all for a single tree that leans out over the water with a rope tied to one of its branches. It lies roughly 25 to 30 kilometres from the centre of Fethiye and appears on the itineraries of both the standard day cruises that leave the harbour each morning and the multi-day gulet voyages working their way along this stretch of coast.

The Tree That Gave the Bay Its Name

The rope swing is the reason most people know the place at all. The lone tree grows out of the rock above the shoreline, and the swing carries anyone brave enough clear of the rocks and into deep water — the Tarzan reference is obvious enough that the name attached itself to the whole cove. Jumping from the surrounding rocks is the other draw, and on busy summer days a short queue forms at the swing while the rest of the group swims below. Because many charter guests anchor here for the afternoon, the bay tends to be quietest early in the morning or late in the day, once the day boats have moved on to their next stop.

Below the Surface

Tarzan Bay also works as a dive site. It is rated to around 25 metres, with straightforward entries and exits that suit beginners as well as more experienced divers, while snorkellers can stay over the shallower rock and reef closer to shore. The wider Fethiye area, built over the ancient city of Telmessos, has something in the order of twenty charted dive sites, so the bay is usually one stop among several for anyone diving this coast seriously. Groupers, eels, octopus and shoals of smaller reef fish are the common sightings.

Where It Sits on the Fethiye Coast

The cove is enclosed by forested slopes and low mountains, and short walking trails lead up from the water for anyone who wants a view back down over the anchorage. It falls within the same cruising ground as the Gulf of Fethiye's better-known stops: Kizilada, the red island whose rust-coloured rock and old lighthouse make it the longest halt on most day trips; the flat, closely spaced Yassica Islands; Tersane Island, the largest in the gulf and the site of an Ottoman-era shipyard; and the sheltered cove known as Cleopatra's Bath. Between the swing, the diving and the setting, Tarzan Bay remains one of the more active stops on this part of the coast, popular with day-trip boats and multi-day gulet itineraries alike out of Fethiye.