Where Are the Yassıca Islands, How to Get There? Göcek

Where Are the Yassıca Islands?

The Yassıca Islands are a small group of islands off the coast of Göcek, in the Fethiye district of Muğla province. They're the best-known and most-photographed member of the archipelago known as "Göcek's 12 Islands." The water around the islands is unusually shallow: in the channels between the islets, the sea drops in places to waist height, and the color layers from pale turquoise to deep blue. There are no settlements, facilities, or road access on the islands — you can only reach them by sea. It's about a half-hour boat ride from Göcek. The short answer: the Yassıca Islands belong to Fethiye, sit within Göcek Bay, and can only be explored by boat.

Which Province and District Do the Yassıca Islands Belong To?

The islands belong to Fethiye district in Muğla province. The nearest settlement is Göcek, a town within Fethiye; the islands lie inside Göcek Bay, just southwest of the town. The nearest airport is Dalaman Airport (DLM) — about 20 kilometers from Göcek, or a 20-25 minute drive. This makes the Yassıca Islands one of the most easily reached boat stops from an airport anywhere in Turkey: a guest who lands on a morning flight can be swimming among the islands by afternoon.

How to Get to the Yassıca Islands

There's no road access — the islands can only be reached by sea. There are three ways to get there:

• On a day boat tour from Göcek: Tours departing from Göcek harbor cruise the 12 Islands route, and Yassıca is usually the longest stop on the itinerary. The trip takes about half an hour.
• With a private day charter: Explore aboard a boat reserved just for your group, outside the busiest hours. The islands look completely different early in the morning and in the late afternoon compared to midday.
• On a week-long Blue Cruise: Routes departing from Göcek and Fethiye usually spend the first day at these islands. The islands' boat guide page covers anchoring conditions from this perspective.

What Are the Yassıca Islands Known For?

Shallow turquoise channels

The islands' fame comes down to a single feature: shallowness. In the channels between the islets, the water is so shallow that the seabed is clearly visible from the boat. In some spots, sandbars form shallow enough to walk from one islet to another. This is the most-shared view of Göcek Bay.

Bare rocky islets

The islands are made up of treeless, low, light-colored rock. That's exactly what gives the water its color: the pale seabed reflects the light back up. For the same reason, there's no shade — anyone who steps ashore has nowhere to escape the sun, and the boat's awning is the only shade around. During the midday hours, staying in the water rather than going ashore is the easiest way to deal with the heat.

Anchoring culture

Yassıca is one of Göcek's busiest anchoring spots. At the height of summer, dozens of boats moor side by side around midday, and the crowd thins out toward evening. For an overnight stay, you need to check the wind conditions in the cove — this isn't a safe harbor in every wind, and it's mostly a daytime stop.

There are no piers on the islands; boats anchor and, when needed, tie a line to the rocks on shore. This is the standard method throughout Göcek Bay, and on a crewed boat, it's a detail the crew takes care of for you. For those skippering their own boat, paying attention to the seabed when anchoring in shallow water — and avoiding dropping anchor on seagrass meadows in particular — matters for both safety and the environment.

Can You Swim at the Yassıca Islands?

Yes, and that's really the whole point of the islands. The water is shallow, warm, and calm, making it one of the most comfortable spots in Göcek Bay for families with children. The seabed is sand and flat rock, and visibility is excellent.

Two practical notes: water shoes come in handy on the rocky patches, and since there's no shade, sun protection is essential. There are no toilets, kiosks, or drinking water on the islands — everything comes from your boat.

The shallow water also makes activities beyond swimming easier. The space between the islets is nearly ideal for paddleboarding and canoeing: no current, no waves, and the seabed stays visible. It's also one of the most reassuring spots in the area for guests who can't swim or feel uneasy in open water.

When Should You Go?

The season runs from late May to early October. At Yassıca, timing matters more than the season itself: the islands get noticeably crowded around midday, especially in July and August. The early morning hours and late afternoon reveal a completely different side of the same place — calm water, fewer boats, and clearer color.

June and September strike the best balance between water temperature and crowd levels. As for wind, Göcek Bay is generally calm, though the afternoon breeze that picks up requires some caution for boats anchored in shallow water.

Shallow Water Shapes the Choice of Boat

Yassıca's shallowness is as much a technical detail as it is a beauty. Boats with a deep draft can't enter the channels between the islets and have to anchor farther out. Boats with a shallow draft, on the other hand, can nose their way right in among the islets.

This is why a catamaran is especially well-suited to the area: its twin-hull design gives it a shallow draft, and its wide deck makes anchoring in shallow water comfortable. Göcek catamaran rental options are built exactly for this need. For those who prefer the classic wooden-boat experience, the Göcek gulet rental page brings together the crewed options.

The Yassıca Islands Within a Route

The islands mark the start of the 12 Islands route. A classic day out of Göcek unfolds like this: a long morning swim stop at Yassıca, an afternoon walk among the ruins on Tersane Island, and an overnight stay in a sheltered cove around Domuz Island in the evening.

For those who'd rather spread this route over a full week, Blue Cruise routes departing from Göcek loop around the entire bay, reaching as far as Fethiye to the east and Ekincik to the west. Göcek's biggest advantage is that you can reach all these stops without ever heading out into open water — it's one of the regions with the lowest risk of seasickness.

That's what makes Yassıca's place in the route special. It's usually the first stop of the first day: a group that flies into Dalaman and settles onto their boat in Göcek finds itself swimming in a turquoise channel just a few hours later. For most guests, this is exactly where that "the holiday has started" feeling kicks in — not even half a day has passed since they walked out of the airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

<strong>Which province are the Yassıca Islands in?</strong> They're in Muğla province, within the district of Fethiye. They sit inside Göcek Bay, just off the town of Göcek.

<strong>Can you get to the Yassıca Islands by road?</strong> No. The islands have no settlements or road access — the only way there is by sea. It takes about half an hour by boat from Göcek.

<strong>What are Göcek's 12 Islands, and are the Yassıca Islands part of them?</strong> The "12 Islands" is the collective name for the scatter of islands and coves across Göcek Bay. The Yassıca Islands are the best-known member of this group; Tersane, Domuz, and Göcek islands belong to the same archipelago.

<strong>Is swimming at the Yassıca Islands suitable for children?</strong> Yes. The water is shallow, warm, and calm, with a sandy and flat-rock seabed. The one thing to watch for is that there's no shade at all, so sun protection is essential.