Turkey Episodes #1: Fethiye, Muğla

Photo episodes from a family trip through Turkey's Muğla region - Fethiye, Butterfly Valley, Babadağ and the abandoned village of Kayaköy.

Welcome to take a look into our small family trip we made to Muğla region of Turkey. There's a lot to share, so here may begin a series of posts from these places. Buckle up, there's a lot for me to show to you ✈️

This first episode follows the trip in fragments rather than as a guide: cliffs above Butterfly Valley, the launch ramps of Babadağ, slow mornings around Fethiye and, finally, the stone shells of Kayaköy. The places change quickly, but warm light and steep landscapes hold the sequence together.

Rocky Mediterranean cliff descending into calm blue water near Butterfly Valley

Dried thistles in warm light with a rocky coastal cliff beyond

Butterfly Valley (Kelebekler Vadisi)

The opening photographs look down into the cove from the cliffs above. Dry grasses and pale limestone fill the foreground while the sea sits far below, giving the valley a sense of scale that a simple viewpoint photograph usually misses.

Steep limestone walls enclosing the blue cove at Butterfly Valley — Butterfly Valley viewpoint (Kelebekler Vadisi), Muğla 2023

Memorial notice and stickers on a weathered, bullet-marked sign — The bullet holes caught my attention - they somehow made a heart out of this billboard. Neil Cooper found dead in the summer '23, supposedly by falling off the cliff of Butterfly Valley. It is very steep and dangerous indeed there.

Bullet holes clustered in a heart-like shape on a metal sign — The bullet holes caught my attention - they somehow made a heart out of this billboard. Neil Cooper found dead in the summer '23, supposedly by falling off the cliff of Butterfly Valley. It is very steep and dangerous indeed there.

Babadağ Mountain

Babadağ towers over Ölüdeniz and is one of the most popular tandem paragliding spots in the world - my first flight started right here.

From the mountain, the coast breaks into coves, islands and long blue distances. The sequence moves from the viewing platform to the launch ramps, where tandem pairs run down the slope and disappear into open air. That contrast — solid rock underfoot, then almost nothing — became one of the clearest visual memories from this part of the trip.

Sunlight through a pine tree above the mountain valley at Babadağ

Rocky pine-covered footpath on Babadağ Mountain

Child lying face-down on a glass viewing platform with a reflected face

Child in sunglasses looking across a small mountain pond

Black-and-white view through the geometric beams of a mountain terrace

Turquoise coves and rugged islands seen from high on Babadağ

Paraglider above the sea and rocky islands off the Turkish coast

Person reflected in the glass floor of a mountain viewing platform

Boots and reflections on the glass viewing platform at Babadağ

Tandem paraglider running from a sloped launch ramp on Babadağ — Paragliders usually either start on their own, or have a helping hand of colleagues. But usually those are people who will drive their cars back to the lower ground :D

Tandem paraglider airborne beside Babadağ with mountains behind — Paragliders usually either start on their own, or have a helping hand of colleagues. But usually those are people who will drive their cars back to the lower ground :D

Paraglider suspended in front of a large white cloud — Babadağ rises to about 1,960 meters - its climate and topography make it one of the most popular tandem paragliding launches in the world.

My first paragliding experience

This year was special as I was gifted an opportunity to meet my Birthday high in the skies, literally ❤️‍🔥

Take a look yourself 👀

Around Fethiye

Back at lower ground, the story slows down: coffee, cats, flowers, old vehicles, boats and the small details found between the main destinations. These quieter frames are part of the same trip for me — not landmarks, but the textures that make a place easier to remember.

Latte in a handmade brown cup beside a small potted cactus — Morning coffee aesthetics & random Turkish cat

Orange-and-white cat resting among silvery leaves — Morning coffee aesthetics & random Turkish cat

Pink heather flowers growing beside a path

Pine tree leaning over the blue sea near Fethiye

Child lying on a pebbled beach in a black-and-white photograph

White classic Volkswagen Beetle parked beneath trees

Toy vehicles lined across the dashboard behind a car windscreen

Sailboat anchored in a sheltered turquoise bay near Fethiye

Kayaköy

Kayaköy changes the mood again. Roofless rooms, worn arches and empty windows cover the hillside, with plants growing through paths and doorways. I kept the photographs restrained here — stone, shadow and a few human figures for scale — because the abandoned village already carries enough atmosphere of its own.