Bafa Lake

City: Aydın, Mugla

Provinces: Yenihisar, Soke, Milas

Getting There: Flight to Bodrum, followed by a journey of approximately 1 hour by road.

Accommodation: Accommodation around the lake itself consists of a handful of small guest houses. Information can be found on the Small Hotels of Turkey site. Alternatively, accommodation in the nearby resorts of Bodrum and Didim is in plentiful supply.

Surface Area : 12281

Altitude: 5 m

Protection: Yes

Bafa Lake is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Turkish and foreign tourists. However, strict building regulations mean that the area has remained unspoilt. As well as bird watching, walking is another popular activity to be enjoyed in the Lake's vicinity.

Bird Species: The important breeding species are Dalmatian pelican -Tepeli pelikan (42 pairs), collared pratincole -bataklık kırlangıcı (85 pairs), Kentish plover - akça cılıbıt (150 pairs), Mediterranean gull Akdeniz martısı (800 pairs), Caspian tern Hazar sumrusu (6 pairs) and little tern küçük sumru (300 pairs). During winter, important numbers of water birds can be seen (max. 29.982), including cormorant - karabatak (max. 3005), pygmy cormorant - küçük karabatak (max. 350), Dalmatian pelican tepeli pelikan (max. 434), great white egret - büyük ak balıkçıl (max. 312), flamingo (max. 8650), wigeon -fiyu (max. 5623), avocet, kılıçgaga (max.1000) and slender-billed gull ince gagalı martı (max. 1284).

Main Characteristics: coastal lagoons, salty swamp