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Reports reach the Captain of Golden Sand in the Karpaz area of North Cyprus. My contributors met a middle-aged English couple who were enjoying the sun in the buff at the end of this wonderful beach. They told my reporters that the main reason they choose to come to North Cyprus is this fantastic beach with clear waters, which is miles long. Another report from spring 2007 describes a similar experience.
A May 2007 report confirms that the local authorities have put up signs saying that nude sunbathers could be encountered, though it's unlikely that the local authorities will make this an official nudist beach.
Editor
2014:
July Update: This nudist-friendly beach was deserted and we didn’t run into nudists or other couples during our stay. Comparing with last year, there were few people around. However, we enjoyed our time there. Like I reported above, locals tolerate the presence of nudist people, no problems here.
Rumour has it that a Turkish company will build a massive five-star hotel somewhere between Teko’s and Burhan’s places. According to what local people say, next year they could start building this hotel, which means we might not find the same beach. Plus to this, we noticed that Teko added new bungalows and there is no space left for cars.
We went to Golden beach last September and camped on the beach. There is a large free car park to the east of the restaurant, near the beach and a wooden walkway to the beach. There is no charge for pitching a tent on the beach and you can either pay a daily charge of about 10 Lira to use the restaurant’s toilets or pay per visit, about 2 or 3 Lira. There were two other nude couples on the beach, one had a tent and the other were day trippers. We spent two full days on the beach nude. There were quite a few people strolling along the beach and people viewing the beach from the restaurant and from a viewpoint at the top of the hill. There are so few people in Northern Cyprus even at the height of the holiday season that this beach is almost completely empty all the time. If you want to camp on this beach go to the east end and away from the restaurant and walkways because locals do come to the beach for daytrips and use the walkways but they don’t go much further. There were no concerns at all about nude sunbathing and no gawkers. I have seen people nude near a town beach in Kyrenia and no one was at all concerned. I have also taken long walks in the mountains in the nude. There are no other people if you stay even a little way away from houses and dog walkers, the views are spectacular and the scent of pine trees is fabulous. While there are no official nudist beaches here, I have heard that the main turtle beach to the east of Kyrenia is frequented by naturists as well.
Editor
2013:
July Update: Since May 2007 I am regular on this beach. I must say that it was my best visit: no beach strollers, no peeping tommies, but just a perfect beach and nudist people all around. This year, I ran into more nudist families and couples. Everyone is happy, free and peaceful. Because I was the only single guy on this beach, I tried not to disturb or offend anyone. Like I said, due to the warning sign, textiles did not walk towards the zone where we were all tanning in nude.
I and my wife will again visit this beach by the end of August. Well, I do strongly offer everyone to come down here and enjoy the nature and freedom.
Editor
2012:
I was there between May 17th-19th. Words are not enough to describe the beauty of this place. I was like in Heaven; free, peaceful and happy. All day long, I walked along the beach naked, I read book, got socialized with other nudists. It was fantastic. Well, by the last week of June or the first week of July, I am planning to visit this place again.
Two small notes on this place:
1. since locals might also come on weekends, please be careful. These people might not tolerate nudity and your privacy.
2. If you are single gentleman, when a gay fella comes or locates his umbrella around your place, it will be enough to tell him kindly that you want to be alone.
June Update: Spent two days on the beach. It was amazing. Total peace, freedom and happiness. This time I didn’t run into any nudists. Just a few guys checking out gay activity.
What bothers me about this beach are
1. The presence of beach strollers. It could be bit annoying. It is continuous: One goes, another comes. After 16:30, groups of people or single gentlemen start taking a walk along the beach. So, under these circumstances you couldn’t feel free — I was always tense and alerted due to these strollers.
2. Gays. I am not against these fellas. However, if you are tanning alone, no matter what, these gentlemen put their stuff somewhere around and start bugging you. It’s also annoying. I had to warn some fellas. (Next time I will put “I am straight. Please proceed. I want to be alone” sign on my umbrella.)
August Update: Third visit to this beach and I must say that the number of clothes-optional people in this beach are growing every year. This year there were also nudists bathing at the main entrance of the beach which is commonly used by the families. No-one seemed to be bothered and everyone was in harmony. Most nudists still prefer the far right side of the beach which is more secluded. Me and my wife always prefer this part of the beach as it is 100% textile-free.
We didn’t encounter any gay activity at all and this year there were so many nude sunbathers present at the far right side of the beach that it was like an official nude beach. Sometimes textile man/woman/couples would take a walk to this side of the beach and many of them felt comfortable to undress and try the experience. No-one bothered to cover up as there were too many naked people and it was like an official nude beach.
Overall another 2 fantastic beach days au naturel and happy to report that nude sunbathing is getting widely practised in this beach. If visiting Cyprus and looking for a nude beach to catch some sun this is the beach to visit.
Editor
2011
June Update: I have been visiting this beach since 2007. Up to now, I have no problems or difficulties. If you mind people strolling around the beach and don’t get them offended there will be no problem. As cited above, since locals also know the fact that it’s an official nudist beach they can tolerate your existence.
One little rule works out for everyone (nudes and textiles): mutual respect.
Needless to repeat that this beach is breath-taking and clean.
Now, the report:
– Road to Dipkarpaz was completed.
– At the entrance to the Karpaz National Park, there is a check-point and you are requested to pay 1 TL for each person.
– Beach was – as always – clean, silent and peaceful.
– We came across some nudists, gay couples and swingers, all enjoying the freedom.
– No Peeping Toms and few beach strollers.
– Since people know that they might encounter nude sunbathers on the secluded part of the beach, they usually don’t walk so far. People are tolerant.
Therefore, we really had a great time on Karpaz Beach. We will again get there by July or August.
August Update: I must say that this beach is a corner of heaven. I am not exaggerating: crystal-clear sea (a little bit wavy), peace and absolute freedom. What on earth a human being with free spirit could want? Having time on the beach was so relaxing and amazing.
I also met some nudist (mature) couples. However, since they wanted to stay alone and need some privacy, I decided not to disturb them.
Everything was fine… Not fine, perfect.
Only thing I can criticize is not the way the beach is, but people running the facilities on the beach. Last June, the daily price for renting a parasol was 5 TRL. Now, it is 10 TRL! The kurdish guy who is in charge of stuff on the beach told me that this is their new price policy. Well, please bring your parasol, water and food. No need to get cheated.
P.S. [one important note]: when you spot someone walking towards you, please put some towel on you. Otherwise some people staying at Burhan’s Place might get offended (since there is no “nudist people” warning in the entrance at Burhan’s place).
August: Spent two fantastic days in Golden Sands with my wife au naturel. Few beach walkers but apart from them just pure solitude. Amazingly clear waters, make sure you bring proper umbrellas as the sun and the heat gets unbearable midday. Encountered another nudist couple at the far end of the beach while we took a stroll with our towels in hand just to make sure we didn’t offend anyone. I guess they understood that we were nudists too as they removed their towels by the time we reached their location. They gave us a very friendly greeting and we had a small chat.. Overall fantastic place for skinny dipping and nude sunbathing as long as you take simple precautions as explained above not to offend anyone or any beach walkers.
Editor
We visited this beach at the last leg of our holiday and I must admit that this is the best place for some skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing. Water is crystal clear and the beach is local-free during the week and there are no peeping toms at all around this area. You are welcomed by a sign saying that you may encounter nude sunbathers around the beach. Nevertheless the main beach area near the cafe is textile and the nudist zone is on the far right end of the beach about 300 metres away from the main entry to the beach where there is a huge sand dune. We shed our clothes there comfortably where we were soon joined by a young Italian couple who also went naked when they understood that we weren’t wearing swimming suits under our towels that we covered in case we didn’t wanna offend them. We also had a chit-chat where they explained to us that they were there to observe Caretta caretta turtles which visit the beach to lay eggs. Later on during the afternoon we were joined by a middle-aged couple who went naked at the moment they saw us two couples sunbathing in the nude. Overall this place is heaven for some naked swimming and strolling: just make sure that you cover up when you spot someone in the distance in case they are just there for a stroll rather than sunbathe in the nude. However we have been told that Turkish people and locals are quite tolerant about nudity especially when they know you are a tourist. We give this beach 10 out of 10 as there is huge place to spread around and it is known fact around that beach that people walk at the far right side of the beach mainly for nude sunbathing. Although it’s not an official nude beach, the far end of the beach is treated like that. I reckon this place is your best bet compared to all other beaches stated above.
August Report: Last week, I was in Golden Beach (Altin Kum Plaji), Dipkarpaz. What I can say is that this beach is a perfect place to enjoy yourself naked: deserted, people are tolerant and beach is clean. Wife and I are regular on this beach.
However, this year, I noticed some negative points:
Due to road construction between Yeni Erenkoy and Dipkarpaz, it might be hard to drive. Be very careful.
– I noticed that there are guys strolling continuously along the beach, so you couldn’t stay alone and go nude. That’s why I strongly advise you to get there before 10:00 or 11:00 while the beach is still empty.
– With my wife, we also noticed that this beach becomes some kind of hunting area for gays. We don’t judge people. However, if you are a single man having sunbath naked, gays might be urgent about seducing you. On Thursday, I was alone, waiting for my wife. A middle-aged gentleman showed up and he left his t-shirt and shorts next to me. After that, he tried to talk to me and asked me to… You know. I kindly refused him. It happened three times. You shouldn’t be alone.
– There are two kurdish guys (one wearing red, other wearing yellow swimming suit). They usually come to the beach on Monday and Sunday. These guys are Peeping Toms and could be dangerous. When they came, my wife was topless. They suddenly decided to settle a few metres away from us. I had to warn them to go away. One of them cursed at me in kurdish… I was surprised… and we complained at Tekos about these guys. But no action was taken against them. Tomorrow, we will go ahead and inform the Police. They might become regular and disturb people.
– Even you are behind the huge sand dune, after 5:00 p.m., please be careful about families or single men walking over the dunes.
Btw, we also met a nudist friend, David, a fat and lonely guy from USA, hanging around naked. He told us that he discovered this place in 2007 and since that time he visits Golden Beach once or twice in a year. He is also a cool guy, drop by and say hello. He has lots of interesting stories and is also semi-Apache. Hope that we can meet him again.
P.S. In Tekos’ Place water is expensive. Please have your water and food beforehand.
2010 September: This is my third time visiting this lovely beach with my wife and I must say it’s attracting more and more nudists every year. As stated above there are road works still going on in this area; nevertheless we were informed by the locals that it’s coming to an end next month. We went to Golden Sand (Tekos Place) mid-week on Wednesday and to my surprise far right side of the beach was like an official nudist beach. There were 4 naturist couples present and the usual single men strolling at the beach. Couple of local families passed by but all of them were very polite and tolerant about nudity. We haven’t encounted any gay activity in this area but a couple of single men enjoying the sun in the nude. Overall this was a fantastic visit to the beach and I highly recommend it with crystal clear waters and golden sands. Although it is not an official nudist beach, I am pretty sure that it’s gonna be one in couple of years’ time as more nudists are discovering it and it’s getting more popular every year.