12 Island Boat Tour

Boarding at Fethiye Harbour at 09:30

The gulet leaves Fethiye harbour at 09:30, having already collected guests from city centre hotels earlier that morning for the short transfer down to the water. Boarding takes a few minutes, with the crew directing everyone to seating on deck or in the shaded lounge below before the boat pulls away past the marina and out into the gulf. Fethiye's bay opens gradually into open water dotted with small islands, giving the first sense of the archipelago the day will spend exploring. The crew runs through basic safety points and the shape of the day's stops once the boat is underway. Most of this day happens on deck or in the water, with the boat doing the travelling between each stop.

Yassica Islands, the First Swim Stop

Within the first stretch of the cruise, the boat drops anchor at the Yassica Islands, a cluster of low, flat islets enclosing shallow, sheltered water that warms quickly under the morning sun. This is usually the first real chance to get in the water, and the shallow depth close to the boat makes it an easy stop for children and less confident swimmers. Some guests choose to swim between the small islets themselves rather than staying near the boat, since the water stays calm within the enclosed channel. The crew lowers a ladder and marks out a safe swimming area before anyone enters the water, and after a while the anchor lifts for the next stop.

Tersane Island and its Dockyard Ruins

Tersane Island takes its name from the old shipyard, or tersane, built on its shore during Byzantine and later Ottoman times, and stone remnants of the dockyard still sit half in the water along the edge of the bay. Swimmers can drift close to the ruins from the boat, looking down through clear water at foundations that have sat submerged for centuries. The bay itself is deep enough for a proper swim rather than only paddling, and the surrounding hillside stays quiet compared with busier anchorages further along the route. The crew usually times this stop mid-morning, after the swim at Yassica has warmed everyone up for a longer time in the water.

A BBQ Lunch Swim Stop

Around midday, the boat anchors at a quiet bay for lunch, and the crew grills the meal on board while guests continue swimming or relax in the shade of the lounge deck. The barbecue typically includes grilled meats, fresh salads and bread, served buffet-style once everyone is back on deck and dried off. This stop tends to run longer than the earlier ones, since it combines the main meal of the day with a further period of swimming before the afternoon route continues. Guests who prefer to eat first and swim after, or the other way round, can do either, since nothing about the stop is timed to the minute.

Cleopatra's Bath and Bay

Cleopatra's Bath is named for the local legend that the Egyptian queen once bathed in this bay, and swimmers here can look down through clear water at the outline of a sunken Roman bathhouse resting on the seabed. The ruins are shallow enough to see from the surface without diving equipment, and the crew points out the rough shape of the old structure before anyone gets in the water. The bay sits sheltered between hillsides, keeping the water calm even when a light breeze picks up elsewhere in the gulf. This stop is usually one of the more photographed moments of the day, both for the legend attached to it and for the visibility in the water.

Cruising Past Rabbit Island

Of the twelve islands the tour is named for, only four to six are true anchored stops, and Rabbit Island is typically one the boat cruises slowly past rather than circles at length. Guests on deck get a clear view of its shape and the pine cover along its slopes as the captain narrates a little about the coastline passing by. These sail-past moments give the day its sense of scale, showing just how many small islands and inlets make up this stretch of the gulf beyond the handful chosen for swimming. It also gives everyone on board a chance to rest between the more active swim stops, with the coastline sliding past on either side.

Kizilada and its Lighthouse

Kizilada, or Red Island, takes its name from the reddish tone of its rock, and a small lighthouse standing on its highest point marks it out clearly from the deck as the boat passes. The island is generally seen from the water rather than approached for landing, forming part of the run of sail-past islands that fills the gaps between the day's main swimming stops. From certain angles, the lighthouse and the island's steep, rust-coloured cliffs make one of the more distinctive silhouettes along this stretch of coastline. The captain typically slows the boat here to give guests time for photographs before picking up speed again toward the next anchorage.

Aquarium Bay's Clear Water

Aquarium Bay earns its name from water so clear that fish and the seabed remain visible several metres down, making it one of the better stops on the route for anyone keen to snorkel rather than simply swim. The bay is generally calm, sheltered from open swell by the surrounding coastline, and shallow enough near the edges for less confident swimmers to stay close to the boat. Guests bringing their own mask and snorkel tend to get the most from this stop, though the water is clear enough to appreciate without any equipment at all. This anchorage usually falls later in the afternoon route, giving a calmer close to the day's swimming before the return toward Fethiye.

Gobun Cove Before the Return

Gobun Cove tends to be one of the last stops before the boat turns back toward Fethiye harbour, a smaller and quieter inlet than the busier anchorages earlier in the day. By this point in the afternoon, most guests are content to swim gently or sit on deck watching the coastline rather than pushing for one more active stop. The crew uses this stretch to begin tidying the boat and collecting anything left out from lunch, a sign the day is winding toward its finish. The light in late afternoon tends to soften across the water here, making it a pleasant, low-key point to end the swimming before the final stretch back into the harbour.

Who This Cruise Suits and How to Book

This is a shared group cruise on one gulet with other travellers on board, working best for families, couples and groups comfortable spending a full day moving between swim stops at a shared pace rather than a private one. Non-swimmers are still welcome, since much of the day can be spent on deck watching the coastline and joining for lunch without entering the water. Because the gulet sails daily from Fethiye harbour through the season, slotting this cruise around the rest of a Fethiye stay rarely takes more than a message confirming your hotel and preferred date.