Walking




It's no stroll for the faint-hearted: Turkey's first marked trekking trail stretches for more than 300 miles from the outskirts of Fethiye to the edge of Antalya. The walk combines the best of Turkey's unspoiled mountain scenery with the chance to explore little-visited ruins along the way. Cutting up 4,000-foot mountainsides and dipping down to Mediterranean beaches, the trail takes you through villages where tourists are still a novelty and bypasses ruins you're sure to have to yourself. To go end to end, reserve a solid 30 days. And although there are a few pensions along the way, you'll probably need to pack a tent. The route is clearly marked, but you may want to buy a Lycian Way guidebook, not least to help you cherry-pick the most interesting and/or easiest stretches. A quick hint: The Fethiye end is easier than the Antalya one.




The Lycian Way begins near Oludeniz and ends just before Antalya, taking in choice mountain landscapes and seascapes en route. It follows 500 kms of ancient footpaths and mule roads that linked the villages of the Turquoise Coast. What really distinguishes this walk is it's intimate, almost careless relationship with history. Lycia, in particular enjoyed a period of ascendancy and unique culture before falling into the hands of Alexander the Great`s successors and then the Romans. Later, Arabs, Crusaders and Genoese established themselves. Traces of all these hands are visible still, and nowhere more so than along this path, their romance and charm enhanced by the old stones lying naturally among the scrub.The Lycian Way is considered to be amongst the top ten best walks in the world




The route is graded medium to hard; it is not level walking, but has many ascents and descents as it approaches and veers away from the sea. It is easier at the start near Fethiye and gets more difficult as it progresses. We recommend walking the route in spring or autumn; February-May or September-November; summer in Lycia is hot, although you could walk short, shady sections. The route is mainly over footpaths and mule trails; it is mostly over limestone and often hard and stony underfoot.




On the first part of the route, and in Patara, Kalkan, Kas, Myra, Finike, Adrasan, Olympos, Cirali and Tekirova, you can stay in pensions or small hotels. On other nights, you may stay in a village house, or camp out. There are plenty of camping places with nearby water mentioned in the book; you do not have to ask permission to camp out.




Highlights of the Lycian Way include:
 
Spectacular walks on the slopes of Baba Dagi, beneath the flight path of the paragliders.
 
  Stunning descent to Faralya, above the cliffs of Butterfly Valley.
 
The 12km long beach at Patara.
 
Spectacular views over the coast from above Kas and Kalkan.
 
The castle, harbour and sunken ruins at Ucagiz.
 
The church of the Angel Gabriel in the hills above Myra
 
A fabulous ridge top walk to Finike.
 
Staying at the lighthouse at Cape Gelidonia.
 
Climbing Mount Olympos - 2388m.
 
Splashing in the canyon at Goynuk.
 
And the ruins of hidden Lycian cities, the friendliness of the villagers, the quaint old houses in deserted corners, the deep forests and white rocks, and the blue Mediterranean.