Gunluklu Bay

Gunluklu Bay lies roughly 10 kilometres from Gocek on Turkey's southwest coast, tucked into a stretch of pine- and sweetgum-covered coastline that falls within a protected nature park. The bay takes its name from the gunluk trees that grow along the shore, and its beach of fine sand mixed with light shingle is one of the longer stretches of open shore in an area otherwise dominated by rocky coves, making it a popular stop for both boats and visitors arriving by road.

The Tree That Gave the Bay Its Name

The gunluk, or sığla, is the oriental sweetgum, Liquidambar orientalis, a relict species of the witch-hazel family and one of the oldest surviving tree types on earth. Substantial natural stands of it exist almost nowhere else: the species survives in southwestern Turkey, and above all in the Muğla region, with only limited populations elsewhere in the world. The resin tapped from its bark, known as storax or sığla oil, has been used since antiquity in medicine, perfume and cosmetics, and it is still harvested commercially today.

That rarity is the reason the bay is protected rather than built on. The sweetgum forest running down to the waterline shades the whole back of the beach, and the mix of resinous pine and sweetgum gives the cove its distinctive smell on a hot afternoon — one of the more memorable sensory details on this part of the coast.

Inside Küçük Kargı Nature Park

The bay is also known as Küçük Kargı, and the surrounding forest was first placed under protection in 1970, when a reserve of 125 hectares of natural sweetgum woodland was established. The protected boundaries were substantially enlarged in 2008, and the area was formally registered as a nature park in 2011; it is classified as a third-degree natural site and falls within the wider Fethiye-Göcek Special Environmental Protection Area.

Facilities on shore are modest but real: an entrance gate, a café and field kitchen, toilets and showers, picnic tables and shaded seating under the trees, plus a car park at the entrance. Sunbeds and umbrellas can be rented on the beach. The park is a day-use area, open daily from roughly 07:00 to 20:00, and a small entrance fee applies per person and per vehicle, which is what keeps the site maintained and the forest intact.

Anchoring and Arriving

For anyone travelling by road, Gunluklu sits about 17 kilometres west of Fethiye town centre in the Çamköy area, directly off the D400 highway towards Dalaman, roughly a twenty-minute drive. Coming from Gocek in the other direction the distance is shorter still, which is why the bay draws a mixed crowd of day-trippers and crews.

From the water it is a calm daytime anchorage rather than an overnight harbour, with depths of 20 to 25 metres and shelter from most directions except south and southwest winds, where the swell rolls straight in. The holding is good and the surrounding slopes are thickly wooded, so boats tuck in close to the shore for lunch and a swim before moving on. For sailors, one of the anchorages you'll visit on a private gulet charter from Gocek is exactly what Gunluklu offers, a quieter stop than the marina itself while remaining close enough for an easy day trip.