Turkey
Lake Salda
White mineral shores around water so turquoise that NASA studied it as a Mars crater analogue.
The shoreline is wrong; that is the first thought. White mineral deposits crunch underfoot like sand made of chalk, and the water beyond glows an impossible turquoise that deepens to cobalt within a few metres. Lake Salda looks more like a rendered image than a real place, and even NASA thought it looked familiar.
Lake Salda sits in a volcanic basin in Burdur Province, its pale shores built of hydromagnesite, the same mineral found around Jezero Crater on Mars. NASA studied the lake's deposits in 2020 as an analogue for the Perseverance rover's landing site, making this a rare spot on Earth with a direct geological twin on another planet. The water is nearly 200 metres deep and startlingly clear. The shore is a Special Environmental Protection Area: the White Islands are closed to walking, sitting and swimming, bathing is confined to the designated beaches, and camping and fires are prohibited, which is why the crescent stays white.
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Couple
White mineral shores, otherworldly water and no resort development: a beach day on another planet. Pack a picnic from a village bakery and claim a stretch of designated shoreline.
Family
Shallow entries at the designated beaches suit younger swimmers, and the space-science connection gives children a real reason to care about geology.
Friends
A day at the beaches, swimming in water NASA uses as a Mars analogue, and grilled lamb from village stalls at dusk. Low-key, high-impact, nearly free.
- The white shores are composed of hydromagnesite, the same mineral found around Jezero Crater on Mars.
- NASA studied Salda's deposits in 2020 as part of research for the Perseverance rover landing site.
- The lake is nearly 200 metres deep, with startling clarity.
- Access is regulated to protect the mineral shore: day visits, with swimming at designated beaches away from the White Islands.
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