Koycegiz Lake
Where the river comes from, and the part of the water most day trips only glance at.
Koycegiz is the lake at the top of the system. The river that runs past Dalyan leaves it, threads through a long maze of reed channels, and eventually reaches the sea at Iztuzu.
Most day boats turn back before they properly get out onto it. If you came for quiet water and birds rather than for beaches, that turn is the wrong one, and there are trips that do not make it.
The channels are the good part
The stretch between the town and the open lake is a maze of reeds taller than the boat, and the skipper is steering by memory as much as by sight.
It is the quietest part of any day on this water. Herons and egrets on most mornings, kingfishers often, harriers over the reed tops if you remember to look up. Nobody can promise you a particular bird on a particular morning.
The channels also fill with low light early and late, which is the practical argument for the first boat or an evening departure rather than the middle of the day.
What the lake itself is like
Open, flat, and considerably larger than the river leads you to expect, with mountains standing behind the far shore and the town of Koycegiz on the north side.
Warm springs feed it at the southern end, which is why the thermal water is where it is, and it drains to the sea through Dalyan. That connection is why the water is brackish rather than fresh, and why sea fish come all the way up it.
How people actually see it
| Way of seeing it | What it suits | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Day boat, upriver leg | A short run into the channels before the boat turns for the tombs | The open lake, almost entirely |
| Lake and thermal trip | Crossing to the far shore and the springs | Iztuzu, usually |
| Evening or sunset cruise | Light, birds and quiet water | The swimming stops |
| Private boat | Setting the route and the hours yourself | Nothing, if you have the whole day |
Which of these a given boat is doing is worth establishing before you step onto it. The routes are set out trip by trip on our sister site.
Wildlife, honestly
The delta is a protected wetland and it holds a great deal. Birds are the reliable part: something long-legged and patient is almost always standing in the shallows.
There are soft-shelled turtles in the river as well as the loggerheads down at the mouth, and blue crabs in the channels, and none of it runs to a timetable.
Anyone who promises you a sighting is selling rather than telling. What can be promised is quiet water and a good chance.
When it is not worth doing
In the middle of a July afternoon the channels are hot, airless and busy with other boats, and the open lake is a long flat glare with nowhere to hide from it.
In deep winter the boats thin out and some do not run at all. The reeds turn brown, the light is superb and you will be arranging things by telephone rather than turning up at the quay.
Frequently asked questions
Can you swim in the lake?
People do, from the shore and off boats. It is brackish, slower to warm up than the sea, and weedy in places.
Is Koycegiz town worth the trip?
It is a working lakeside town with a long waterfront and a weekly market rather than a resort. Pleasant for a morning. Do not expect Dalyan's evening.
How long does a lake trip take?
Longer than people assume, because it is a slow crossing in both directions. Ask for the return time rather than the departure time.
Do you see turtles on the lake?
The loggerheads are at the sea end, not up here. In the river you may see a soft-shelled turtle instead, and may is the operative word.
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