İztuzu Beach

İztuzu is a long spit of sand separating the Dalyan river delta from the sea, and it is a nesting beach for Caretta caretta, the loggerhead turtle - one of the more significant in the Mediterranean. That governs everything about visiting. From May to September the beach is closed between eight in the evening and eight in the morning, when the females come ashore to lay and the hatchlings emerge; umbrellas and loungers are restricted to a marked zone and must be kept behind a line; digging, driving stakes and lights facing the sea are prohibited; and nests are marked with cages by conservation staff. The rules exist because the beach was nearly lost to a hotel development in the 1980s, and the campaign that stopped it - led by June Haimoff, who lived here in a beach hut and is remembered on the beach - is the reason there is still sand rather than concrete. A turtle rehabilitation centre sits at the river end.

Highlights

• The sand spit - four and a half kilometres between delta and open sea.
• The marked nests - cages protecting clutches in season.
• The rehabilitation centre - the turtle hospital at the river end.
• The delta behind - reed beds and the Dalyan channels.

When to go

May to June and September to October. The beach is closed nightly from eight in the evening through the nesting season, and the rules are enforced.

What to expect

Night access is prohibited in season and there are no exceptions. Loungers are confined to a marked strip; the rest of the sand is nesting habitat. Do not approach, light or photograph turtles with flash.

Nearby

The Kaunos rock tombs are up the river; Dalyan's mud baths and Köyceğiz lake are beyond.

Key facts