Best Anchorages in the Gulf of Gokova

Orak Island takes its name — 'orak' meaning sickle in Turkish — from the crescent arc of its rocky ridgeline rising from the Aegean.

Çökertme is a working fishing village rather than a purpose-built resort, and that authenticity is its greatest charm.

Kargı Bay is a pleasant mid-distance stop between Bodrum and the deeper Gokova anchorages.

Named for its extraordinary water clarity — visibility regularly exceeding 30 metres — Akvaryum Bay is one of the premier snorkelling destinations on the Bodrum coast.

Küdür Bay is the hidden gem of the Bodrum anchorages — consistently clear water, reliable sand holding in 5–8m, and a maximum capacity of around 8–10 boats that keeps it quieter than its famous neighbours.

Alakışla Bükü earns the rare designation of a true all-weather anchorage: 360-degree protection from a surrounding hillscape that channels no wind effectively into the bay.

Mersincik sits on the north coast of the Datça Peninsula at the western entrance to the Gulf of Gokova — a stopping point for boats rounding the Bodrum-Knidos-Datça route.

Büyük Çatı is a small, completely enclosed cove on the southern shore of Gokova, lying west of Küçük Çatı.

Küçük Çatı (Small Çatı) is the quieter, slightly larger sibling of Büyük Çatı, lying one bay to the east on the southern Gokova shore.

Yedi Adalar — the Seven Islands — is an archipelago of pine-clad islets scattered across the southern Gokova shore, each with its own anchorage and character.

Bördübet sits in the remote southeast corner of the Gulf of Gokova — the last anchorage before the gulf narrows towards Akyaka.

Longöz is the innermost and most secluded inlet of the Değirmen Bükü complex — a narrow, winding creek through dense Aegean pine forest, where the smell of resin mingles with salt water and the only sounds are birdsong and the creak of the boat.

Hırsız Bay — Thieves' Cove — is the most solitary inlet in the Değirmen Bükü complex.

Değirmen Bükü — historically known as English Harbour — is the largest anchorage complex in the Gulf of Gokova: a 3km-long, 800m-wide inlet carved into the southern shore.

Okluk Koyu is the main service sub-cove within the Değirmen Bükü complex and the first choice for boats wanting facilities in this part of Gokova.

Karacasöğüt is the best-equipped natural anchorage in the Gulf of Gokova — a deep, completely enclosed harbour offering the rare combination of all-round shelter and full shore facilities in one location.

Sedir Adası — known internationally as Cleopatra Island — is one of the most striking anchorages in the entire Aegean.

Tuzla Koyu is one of the larger anchorages on the southern shore of the Gulf of Gokova — a wide bay nearly 2 nautical miles across with excellent mud holding at 7–9m.