The undiscovered village Gülbahçe (Urla)
Gülbahçe, a small Turkish village in the municipality of Urla, is located at an hour’s drive from the airport of Izmir. The village has a little more than 2,000 inhabitants.The municipality of Urla is known for its olive trees, vineyards, beaches and good wind.
Gülbahçe has everything to become a popular kitesurf destination but until now it is never extremely busy. Exactly the reason to go there quickly!
The kitespot
The spot is shallow and the wind is usually sideshore. The shallow part is more than 1 kilometer wide and it remains shallow till about 250 – 500 meters from the coast, depending on the location. Then it is deep down to the other side of the bay, which is more than 5 kilometers wide. When the wind is blowing you can find nice little kickers and waves (up to about 1 meter high). The spot also has a few sliders and kickers for the real freestyle / wakestyle fanatics!
In the middle of the bay you’ll find a small island where, if you feel like it, you can also sail around. Please note that you keep sufficient distance from the island because the wind can drop behind the island.
Looking for an accommodation? Go for the Urla Surf House!
The secret spot
Across the bay, about a 20 minute upwind ride, you will find a beautiful sandbank. Also called the ‘secret spot’. The water here is incredibly flat and perfect for a small number of kiters. The wind is often offshore here so take a rescue boat with you.
The wind conditions
Normally you have thermal winds at warm and sunny destinations, this is not the case in Gülbahçe. In Gülbahçe the Meltemi wind blows, this wind arises in the summer above the Aegean sea. It is the same wind as in Greece and the rest of Turkey, with one big difference: the wind is usually softer and less gusty than on other spots. This is because the wind comes directly from the sea instead of over land. Usually it blows 20-25 knots in the morning and in the afternoon the wind slowly decreases.
The windy season runs from May to October with July and August as the best months. Generally you have an 80% chance of wind in these months.
No wind days
No wind? No worries, there are plenty of other options. For example, go for a day to the authentic village of Alaçati. Grab a skateboard and practise your skills in the halfpipe or go wakeboarding or supping. The municipality of Urla is also known for its vineyards, so wine tasting is also recommended!
You can read more about attractions along the Aegean coast in the blog:
Holiday to the Aegean coast? These are the gems!
