Kabak Beach in Turkey – reviews and tips for tourists: how to get there, where to stay, who can stay in Kabak, beach features
I would like to tell you about one of the best beaches and places to relax near Oludeniz, a small village called Kabak (Turkish name – pumpkin). We had a rest in Kabak while traveling in Turkey. And then I came here on foot when I was walking along the the Western Lycian Trail.
I really liked the kabak – it’s a completely different Turkey. If the entire coast from Fethiye to Cirali is very different from Antalya and Kemer with all-inclusive hotels. In the Kabak, you get the feeling that you’re in the era of hippies, universal tolerance and love. In fact, hippies favored this bay in the 80s and the atmosphere here has not changed much.
Who will like a vacation in Kabak Bay
Those who are not afraid to walk up and down a lot will like the place. The village is located on a mountain slope, the upper part (dolmush stop) is located at an altitude of 800 meters in relation to the beach. If you live in close proximity to the beach, you will have to walk less.
There are almost no usual hotels in Kabak – there are many private guesthouses, campsites, and even glamping (camping with all the amenities) and bungalows. That’s why the style of recreation is appropriate – more relaxed and without pretensions.
What about food?
But there’s a downside to this kind of vacation – Kabak has a hard time with full-fledged grocery stores. Local residents bring food from supermarkets in Fethiye. If you plan to cook on your own, you need to stock up on food in advance.
If you plan to go to cafes, there are not too many here either. And in those that do, you will find traditional Turkish breakfasts, gezleme and a small selection of hot dishes. It’s best to arrange breakfast and dinner with the hosts of the guesthouse – it’s tasty and inexpensive (we were generally fed for free – meals were included in the price).
There are no sun loungers or umbrellas on the beach in Kabak – you either bring your own umbrellas or rent them at your guesthouse. There is no lifeguard service here – it’s a wild beach, but that’s why it’s valuable. In early summer, loggerhead turtles come to the beach and lay their eggs in the eastern part of the beach. This place is fenced off and everyone is warned that turtles will soon appear here. But vacationers in the Kabak do not touch the turtle masonry. The photo shows the signs.
People of different views and beliefs also come to the Kabak. You can easily meet yogis sleeping under the sky, watch hippies dancing under the moon, nudists swimming without swimsuits, and then, right next to them, Turk women dressed from head to toe playing in the sand with their small children.
Some may not like this eclecticism. And for someone else, on the contrary, it will be a new experience and a discovery of Turkey, which I was delighted with!
Where is Kabak beach and how to get there?
The kabak is 18 km from the village of Oludeniz and 40 km from Fethiye. A dead-end asphalt serpentine road leads here, ending in the upper part of the village of Kabak.
Getting to Kabak by car
If you, like us, are traveling around Turkey by a rented car be prepared for the fact that in the village of Kabak itself, the asphalt is very sad. In some places it simply doesn’t exist, in others there are slabs, in others, there are areas of clay. They are periodically leveled with a grader – this causes dust in the dry season, and after rain, the dirt can become very acidic. You can drive a car with a high ground clearance and a powerful engine all the way to the beach, but not all cars will pull you back up the mountain.
Alternatively, you can leave your car upstairs (many people leave their cars near the dolmus stop) and walk downstairs, or ask the owner of the hotel (campsite) to pick you up with your things.
Be prepared for the fact that after such a parking lot, the car will have to be cleaned from dust.
Another option is to order a taxi from the top point to Kabak Beach (and vice versa).
Getting to Kabak by public transport
From Fethiye (via Oludeniz), there is a municipal public transport – dolmush (Turkish for minibuses).
Bus schedule:
- Fethiye – Kabak: 07:00 / 09:00 / 10:00 / 11:00 / 13:00 / 15:00 / 17:00 / 18:00
- Fethiye tavern: 08:30 / 10:30 / 11:30 / 12:30 / 14:00 / 16:30 / 18:30 / 19:30
By the way, these are the minibuses from Oludeniz with the words Faralia (Kabak) on them that depart from Carrefour. You get on this minibus and in 50-60 minutes you’re at the final stop, the village of Kabak.
How do I know it’s the same bus that’s going to Kabak?
The windshield will read:“Fethie-Oludeniz-Faralia-Kabak“. This is your minibus.
How do I pay for a bus ride?
Since 2020, Fethiye and Oludeniz have had contactless transport cards: they can be refilled at special machines at major hub stops. This card costs 3 Lira, and you deposit the required amount. When paying at a dolmush, you hold the card to a contactless reader, and it takes the money for the fare.
Same here! You can pay with a bank card with a contactless pay-pass. And I paid with a regular Ukrainian card: the amount was withdrawn from it in hryvnias at the current Turkish lira exchange rate. It’s very convenient.
Cash payment in public transport – in 2020, it was accepted reluctantly, as it was believed to be a way of transmitting the virus. You have to ask the locals how it is now.
Kabak Beach and Bay – features and infrastructure
As I mentioned above, the village is located on the mountains, and the beach is located at the bottom. This photo clearly shows the scale of the bay, along which Kabaka’s guesthouses and campsites are scattered. The entire village is overgrown with pine trees, but they are quite far from the beach, so there is no shade for vacationers.
The beach in Kabak, like the rest of the Oludeniz coast, is pebbly, but it is more pleasant to enter the water with special swimming slippers. The entrance to the water is gentle – despite the steep descents to the beach, there are many vacationers with children.
Restaurants and cafe
There is a cafe-bar Chakra Cafe & Bistro on the beach, where you can drink beer, tea and coffee, order salads, chops, fish. But it’s no frills – it’s just a regular beach cafe.
Next to it and with beach parking is a small shop Sultan market. Prices here are higher than in Oludeniz and Fethiye. But beer is cheaper than in a bar. There is another store near the bus stop (on the mountain) – Deniz Market. Here, the selection is better and the prices are more adequate. Next to it is a small cafe that serves gezleme (Turkish unleavened pancakes with filling).
That’s the whole infrastructure – there’s no special entertainment here. Sometimes the beach bar hosts themed parties, which can be found on posters on the beach and in the bar. Alternatively, you can take a boat to a nearby beach The Valley of the Butterflies.
There is no more entertainment. Rest here is practically wild, but that’s a good thing, given that you are in Turkey, a country of all-inclusions.
How we chose accommodation in Kabak
Let me remind you again that the booking systems Booking and AirBnB are banned in Turkey and do not work if you are in the country. But you can use them if you install a VPN on your phone. This information may come as a revelation to many people, even those who have been to Turkey many times.
That’s why it makes sense to book accommodation in advance – everything works well from home. But if you decide to come and something goes wrong, put on a VPN and everything will work fine (but slowly).
We booked accommodation in Kabak in advance – we lived in a guesthouse Kabak Christiania Tattoo. I studied the landscape on Google maps and realized that the cheapest deals were in the upper part of the village. And it is possible to park a car near this house.
But we like to run in the mountains, so walking up and down was not a problem for us. We settled in a cozy house right on the Lycian Way. I had to walk from it to the beach – great exercise in the morning and evening!
Hotels and guesthouses in the upper Kabak:
- Olive Garden Kabak⋙
- Glamping with KABAK FREEDOM⋙ domed tents
- Camping with huts in the form of a wooden barrel Mandala Camping⋙
There is also a large selection of accommodation near the beach – from ordinary tent campsites, where I pitched my tent for 40 Lira (5 Euros), to complexes with bungalows and access to the beach.
Housing in the lower Kabak:
Recommendations for organizing a trip to the Lycian coast of Turkey
Rent a car – I highly recommend it, because without it, you will spend a lot of time waiting or adjusting your plans to public transportation. You can find the best option for a rental company on the aggregator Rentalcars.com – Here you can find a budget option and read reviews about rental companies.
Book your accommodation in advance – remember that in Turkey Booking.com is banned in Turkey, so it’s best to do it at home. Or use a VPN while in Turkey.
Do not neglect health insurance – on the EKTA you can buy insurance without leaving your home.
Useful articles and links:
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- Black Sea beaches in Romania
- Istanbul in transit – 4 routes around the city for several hours
