Boğazkent: the quietest, most natural end of Belek

Boğazkent is the eastern end of the Belek resort strip, close to the mouth of the Köprüçay (the Köprü river), roughly 40 km from Antalya Airport. The resorts here are newer and set further apart than in Belek centre, and the beach — sand mixed with fine shingle, with dunes and pine woods behind it — looks wilder than the hotel strips further west. It is also a loggerhead turtle nesting shore. One thing to be honest with yourself about: outside your hotel there is almost nowhere to walk to. If that suits you, this is one of the calmest corners of the coast.

Where to stay in and around Boğazkent

Boğazkent itself is a short line of resorts between the beach and the farmland, with a small village inland. If you want shops, cafés and a bit of life in the evening, look at the places west of it instead.

Times shown are daytime drives from Antalya Airport (AYT). Boğazkent is a little further east than Belek centre, so add roughly five to ten minutes to the Belek figures: count on about 40–45 minutes (Antalya Airport to Belek). Give your driver the hotel name, not just "Belek".

The beach and the sea

Sand, fine shingle and dunes

The beach is wide and open, and the surface changes as you walk along it: stretches of sand, stretches of coarse sand mixed with fine shingle, low dunes and pine woods behind. It has far fewer sunbeds and buildings than Belek centre or Kadriye, which is exactly why people like it — and why it feels bare at midday, with little natural shade outside the hotel sections.

Entry into the water is usually gentle but not the same everywhere, and in the afternoon an onshore breeze often brings small waves. Beach shoes are worth packing for the shingly parts. If you are travelling with small children, look at photographs of your own hotel's beach section before booking rather than trusting the phrase "sandy beach".

Turtle nests: a few simple rules

This coast is one of the nesting beaches of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and the Belek–Boğazkent stretch is among the most important of them. From roughly May to September you will see marked and caged nests on the sand, usually in the strip closest to the dunes.

What is asked of visitors is straightforward: stay out of the marked areas, do not dig deep holes or hammer anything into the sand, keep sunbeds and umbrellas in the zone your hotel is allowed to use rather than up against the dunes, and take your rubbish with you. Avoid the beach after dark and keep torches and phone lights off there — light draws hatchlings away from the sea and they do not survive the detour. Follow the signs and anything the wardens tell you; they are the ones who know where this year's nests are.

The river mouth

At the eastern edge of the resorts the Köprüçay reaches the sea, which is where the name Boğazkent ("mouth village") comes from. The river water is noticeably colder than the sea, and where the two meet there can be currents and a changing bottom, so it is not a place to swim; stay in front of your hotel instead.

It is worth the walk for its own sake, though. The mouth is quiet, good for birds early in the morning and in autumn, and it marks the end of the walkable beach in that direction.

What is nearby

Rafting in Köprülü Canyon

The same river that reaches the sea here comes down through Köprülü Canyon, about an hour inland. Rafting there is the standard day out from this part of the coast: a mostly gentle, family-grade stretch of water, with lunch and a long bus ride either side. Operators pick up from Boğazkent hotels. Check the minimum age and whether life jackets and helmets are included, and take shoes you do not mind soaking. More in our things to do guide.

Aspendos and Perge

Aspendos, the best preserved Roman theatre in the country, stands on the same river a short way inland and is one of the closest sights to Boğazkent — far closer than it is to most Belek hotels. Perge, a large ruined Roman city with a stadium and colonnaded street, is further west, past the airport turning. Both work as half-day trips by taxi, hire car or organised tour; go early or late in the day, because there is no shade on either site. See our day trips page.

Golf

The Belek golf courses are west of here, around Belek centre and Kadriye, so from Boğazkent you have a 15–25 minute drive to the first tee rather than a walk. Many hotels arrange a shuttle or a package; if golf is the main point of your holiday, staying closer to the courses makes more sense. Courses, seasons and what green fees roughly run to are in our Belek golf guide.

Side, Manavgat and Antalya

Side, with its temple columns on the headland, old streets and plenty of restaurants, is about half an hour east and is the obvious evening or day trip from here — see the Side guide. Manavgat and its waterfall, and boat trips on the Manavgat river, are a little beyond it. In the other direction, Antalya's old town Kaleiçi and its museum are about 45–60 minutes away (Antalya city guide).

Food and evenings

Be realistic about this: nearly everyone here is on all-inclusive board and eats in the hotel, and the hotels know it. There is no promenade, no row of bars, no shopping street. The village behind the main road has a handful of simple restaurants, a bakery and small supermarkets, and that is roughly the extent of it.

For an evening out you drive: Belek centre is about 10 minutes west and has shops, cafés and a few bars; Side, half an hour east, has far more. A taxi back late at night is easy enough to arrange through reception but is not cheap, so agree the price or ask for the meter before setting off.

The weekly market that serves the Belek resorts is held in Kadriye on Tuesdays (market days) and is worth the trip for fruit, spices, cheese and cheaper textiles; haggling is expected. If you are self-catering or just want fresh fruit, the village shops are enough for basics.

Getting there and around

Antalya Airport is roughly 40 km away on the D400 dual carriageway, about 40–45 minutes in normal daytime traffic — a few minutes more than Belek centre, because Boğazkent is further east. Use the Antalya Airport to Belek transfer guide for prices and options, and all airport transfers for the rest of the coast. Book your hotel by name rather than by resort: several transfer drivers stop in "Belek" well before they reach Boğazkent.

Once you are here, a hire car or taxis are the practical options. Dolmuş minibuses do run through to Serik and Belek, but they are far less frequent than on the Side or Alanya coast and they stop in the evening, so do not plan an evening out around them. Ask reception for the current times. Our getting around guide explains dolmuş, buses and taxis, and the wider resort area is covered in the Belek guide.

When to go

The swimming season runs from May to October. July and August are very hot, the hotels are full and prices peak; May, June, September and October give you warm sea water, bearable afternoons and a much emptier beach, which is the main reason to choose this end of Belek in the first place. Turtle nesting season overlaps with the summer months, so expect marked nests and some roped-off sand from May onwards.

In winter most of the resorts here close, and with no centre to walk to there is little reason to come out of season unless you are visiting the ancient sites. See weather by month and work out what a week might cost with the holiday budget calculator.

Nearby and related guides

Kadriye

Belek

Lara & Kundu

Side

Golf

All-inclusive