If you haven’t seen lake Salda with its pearl white sands on the coast of indigo blue water with an altitude of nearly 1200 meters between the Taurus Mountains, you have missed a lot and unfortunately there is no compensation for what you’ve missed because the White Islands area, which is the most striking place of the lake, is now under protection. Unfortunately, it is closed to human access so you can enjoy the lake only by watching it from 150m afar. Although Salda has other beaches which people can use, they cannot even come close to the White Islands region. However, seeing such a beauty, even from afar, gives you an incredible pleasure.
Lake Salda is located in the Yesilova district of Burdur, which is famous for its ground beef toast. It is very rich in magnesium and one of the deepest lakes in Turkey, at 184 meters. Since the altitude is quite high, you can get cold in Salda even in the summer time especially if you are spending the night, and don’t be fooled by the coolness in the beach areas. Since the sand is white, you can end the day as burnt as you won’t expect, due to the fact that the rays from the sun are reflected almost without being absorbed.
A Matchless Lake
The history of the white sands of Salda lake dates back to really old times, which is formed as a result of the effects of geobiochemical factors, that is, geological, climatic and biological. These unique sands, which are estimated to be 3.5 billion years old, are considered by scientists to be the oldest fossil remains in the world, as they were formed by a bacteria form called Cyanobacteria.
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to protect the Salda lake which is a unique one of its kinds and compared by NASA with an impact crater on Mars in terms of its minerals and geology. Until the closing of the White Islands area, this beautiful environment was heavily polluted and the deterioration of the delicate balance of the lake accelerated even because of peoples’ rubbing their bodies with the mud of the lake. In order to maintain such a delicate balance, of course, the most beautiful and impressive part of the lake is completely closed to human access, and you can only watch it from afar.
If you are not a good swimmer, beware of Salda!
Although you will surely want to swim in the blueness of the lake, it is said that the lake is somewhat dangerous. We had mentioned why that White Islands area was completely closed to swimming and even walking on the beach in order to protect Salda. And it is also said that the lake is generally dangerous for swimming while in some areas swimming is allowed, such as Doğan Baba Beach or Nature Park. It won’t be a big problem if you swim well, but it is still useful to be cautious because some parts of the lake are so slimy that you will have difficulty even walking, and no matter how well you swim, if you sink into the slime, you can get into trouble.
When to go to Salda
Since your trip to Salda will probably be a daily trip, you can go to Salda whenever you want, but seeing Salda lake with the Maldives effect seems to be a bit of luck. It was mid-July, which was the most suitable time when we went, but the lake was choppy like an open sea due to the wind. The extreme wind and the waves in the lake did spoil our enjoyment but however it was beautiful to see the lake. If you can coincide your trip with a windless and sunny day checking the weather conditions before you go, you can spend your day with more pleasant and serene views.
Where to stay
There are hotels, apartments or campsites where you can set up your tent if you prefer, you can’t set up it anywhere as comfortably as in the past. When we were there, we saw a tent camping area near the Nature Park and there were people who set up tents on Doğanbaba beach, but the area where the tents were set up in Doğanbaba did not look like a campsite. But you can find many places to stay around the lake. By the way, Airbnb is another option in Salda.
White Islands Area
After leaving your car in a parking lot in a very remote part of the White Islands region, transportation to the shore is provided by a small train called Gara Train (Traditional saying of black train in Turkish) or by golf carts. It’s a good precaution to prevent the lake from vehicle activities.
Being the most beautiful but most inaccessible region of Salda, the White Islands region, must be the last place to be seen according to us, because after seeing this region, other places do not seem much beautiful.
Albeit wavy when we were there it was a surreal place with its white sands and indigo blue water. The reason why this region is called the White Islands is because of the several small white islands which appear when the waters recede. Since the White Islands area is the most magnificent place of the lake and visited more often by people naturally, it has been very polluted to date and now completely closed to human access as a precaution as we mentioned earlier. People are not allowed to enter the beach, you can only enjoy the White Islands from the observation deck built in a remote part of the beach, but even that is really worth seeing.
Dogan Baba Beach
Although the beach is not very pleasant here it is a lot quieter than the others and it has a few facilities behind the beach. But we think the most beautiful part of this place is the sceneries of Salda Lake that you will see on the way here. The fact that the beach is almost completely muddy causes people to struggle while entering the lake. The danger we just mentioned above.
Natural Park of Salda
Let’s start by reminding that it is not as beautiful as the White Islands, but it is also quite beautiful and cleaner than the Doğan Baba beach. The Nature Park has a wide beach and its sands look cleaner and whiter than Doğan Baba. In this region, it is safer to enter the water as the water does not deepen immediately and there is no mud on the coast. Therefore, the density of people swimming in the sea and sunbathing is quite high here. They charge a small fee at the entrance, but it is well worth the money you pay. Just behind the beach, there are changing cabins, toilets and showers, and picnic tables. It is said that the only problem of the nature park is that water snakes nest on the rocks here, it may be good to stay away from there. Although everyone was on the top of the rocks when we were there, they might be taking selfies with snakes, we don’t know, we didn’t get close…
What About Eating and Drinking?
Although there are many places to eat in the village on your way to Doğanbaba or on the Yeşilova road, never return without eating mincemeat toast and lavender soda in Yesilova. A real legendary flavor. Don’t miss it.
Turkey’s Maldives, Lake Salda , is a beautiful corner of paradise that deserves to take a day of your holiday, both to escape the heat of the Aegean and to see a truly extraordinary place. We strongly recommend that you see it as soon as possible. We do not need to describe how to get there, you can reach this corner of paradise by clicking on the map below. Have a nice trip…
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