Hotels near Karaada (Black Island) Day Boat

Karaada, the largest island in Bodrum bay, is uninhabited and accessible only by boat from Bodrum harbour. The day cruise is a peninsula tradition and stops first at the island's mineral mud cave, where a thermal spring tinted ochre by iron oxides flows from a sea-level grotto; visitors smear the mud on their skin (legend claims it lifts ten years off your face), then dive into the sea to rinse. The boat then anchors at three coves for swim breaks: Aquarium Bay (clear water and snorkelling), Camel Beach (sandy shallow), and Ortakent Bay for lunch (included in most fares). Departures leave Bodrum harbour daily at 11:00 between April and October and return by 17:30. Tickets cost EUR 35 to 50 in 2026; smaller wooden gulets seating 30 to 40 are more pleasant than the larger glass-sided catamarans.

Pro Tip: Book a small gulet directly at the Bodrum quay the evening before for the best price. Skip the booth touts on Cumhuriyet Caddesi who add 30 percent commission.