long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...
in southwestern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
around part of the coast of ancient
Lycia
Lycia (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean ...
. It is over in length and stretches from
Hisarönü
Hisarönü is a tourist resort village in the Fethiye district of the Muğla Province of Turkey. It is situated at the western extreme of the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and the southern extreme of the Aegean coast. The resort has grown from ...
Fethiye
Fethiye () is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the Turkish Riviera. In 2019 its population was 162,686.
History
Fethiye was formerly known as Makri (). ...
Konyaaltı
Konyaaltı is a district in the Antalya Province, Turkey. The name "Konyaaltı" (pronounced ), originates from the expression of "koy altı", which in the Turkish language means "the bay under the cliffs" .
The district is situated beneath the cli ...
about from
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
. It is
waymarked
Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.
A blaz ...
with red and white stripes of the
Grande Randonnee
The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. They go by the following names: french: link=no, sentier de grande randonnée, vls, link=no, Groteroutepad, nl, L ...
convention. It was conceived by Briton Kate Clow, who lives in Turkey. It takes its name from the ancient civilization, which once ruled the area.
History
Lycia
Lycia (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean ...
was a region on the Western
Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...
in
Teke Peninsula
Teke Peninsula ( tr, Teke Yarımadası), also known as Teke Region ( tr, Teke Yöresi), is a peninsula located in southwestern Turkey between the gulfs of Antalya and Fethiye extending into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered to the Turkish Lak ...
at southwestern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
on the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
coast, located in what are today the provinces
Muğla
Muğla () is a city in southwestern Turkey. The city is the center of the District of Menteşe and Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey's Aegean coast. Muğla's center is situated inland at an altitude of 660 m and lies at a dista ...
and
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
. According to historians, Lycian people lived in the prehistoric
Late Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. They built
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
s along the Mediterranean Sea coast such as
Xanthos
Xanthos ( Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 ''Arñna'', el, Ξάνθος, Latin: ''Xanthus'', Turkish: ''Ksantos'') was an ancient major city near present-day Kınık, Antalya Province, Turkey. The remains of Xanthos lie on a hill on the left ba ...
Myra
Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...
,
Pinara
Pinara ( Lycian: 𐊓𐊆𐊍𐊍𐊁𐊑𐊏𐊆 ''Pilleñni'', presumably from the adjective "round"; el, τὰ Πίναρα, formerly ''Artymnesus'' or ''Artymnesos'' according to one account) was a large city of ancient Lycia at the foot of ...
,
Tlos
Tlos ( Lycian: 𐊗𐊍𐊀𐊇𐊀 ''Tlawa'', Hittite: 𒁕𒆷𒉿 ''Dalawa'', grc, Τλώς or Τλῶς) was an ancient Lycian city near the modern town of Seydikemer in the Mugla Province of southern Turkey, some 4 kilometres northwest o ...
Phaselis
Phaselis ( grc, Φασηλίς) or Faselis ( tr, Faselis) was a Greek and Roman city on the coast of ancient Lycia. Its ruins are located north of the modern town Tekirova in the Kemer district of Antalya Province in Turkey. It lies between th ...
, and formed the
Lycian League
Lycia ( Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is t ...
. Thanks to their strategic location, they had best opportunities for sea trade and even piracy. In later times, the region of Lycia was occupied by the
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
,
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
, and then controlled by
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
,
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
,
Seljuk Empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
, and finally the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
Rock-cut tomb
A rock-cut tomb is a burial chamber that is cut into an existing, naturally occurring rock formation, so a type of rock-cut architecture. They are usually cut into a cliff or sloping rock face, but may go downward in fairly flat ground. It was a ...
s on cliff walls and
sarcophagi
A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a cadaver, corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from ...
in the region testify to the Lycian civilization.
The Lycian Way, used by the Lycians as a footpath and mule trail, was conceived by Kate Clow, a British expatriate living in Turkey since 1989, and opened in 1999. The
Garanti Bank
Garanti BBVA (legal name Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş; formerly referred to as Garanti Bank in English) is a Turkish financial services company based in Turkey. 86% of Garanti's stakes are owned by the Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argent ...
sponsored the
waymarking
Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.
A blaz ...
that was carried out by a group of volunteers organized by Clow.
Trail
The Lycian Way, named after the Lycian civilization that ruled in this region, is over in length, stretching from
Hisarönü
Hisarönü is a tourist resort village in the Fethiye district of the Muğla Province of Turkey. It is situated at the western extreme of the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and the southern extreme of the Aegean coast. The resort has grown from ...
Fethiye
Fethiye () is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the Turkish Riviera. In 2019 its population was 162,686.
History
Fethiye was formerly known as Makri (). ...
district of
Muğla Province
Muğla Province ( tr, , ) is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are ...
Konyaaltı
Konyaaltı is a district in the Antalya Province, Turkey. The name "Konyaaltı" (pronounced ), originates from the expression of "koy altı", which in the Turkish language means "the bay under the cliffs" .
The district is situated beneath the cli ...
district in
Antalya Province
Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.
Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visit ...
in the east. The
long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...
is waymarked after the French
Grande Randonnée
The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. They go by the following names: french: link=no, sentier de grande randonnée, vls, link=no, Groteroutepad, nl, L ...
special system, and the intersections are marked with yellow directional signs. The trails are marked on both sides of rocks and tree trunks at every , and the dirt roads at about along the route, especially at places like forks or crossroads, with signs of a white stripe above a red stripe. Red-cross marks indicate a deviation from the path, and that the marked trail should not be entered. The signs are periodically renewed by volunteers.
Some parts of the Lycian Way are suitable for
trail riding
Trail riding is riding outdoors on trails, bridle paths, and forest roads, but not on roads regularly used by motorised traffic. A trail ride can be of any length, including a long distance, multi-day trip. It originated with horse riding, and ...
with
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
s. In some places, experienced
downhill
Downhill may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock
* ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse
* ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...
and single-track enthusiasts can pass the entire track by carrying the bike on the back. However, it is also possible to try the bicycle route, which is partly on the Lycian Way and on parallel side roads, by using alternative forest and village roads.
Clow wrote a guidebook in which the characteristics of the trail, such as the width of the path, the kinds of waymarks, and the distance and hiking time of the stages, are described.
Climate
The region has hot, dry summers and mild winters with low annual rainfall due to the prevailing
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
. The hiking season is long; however, the best time is the
spring season
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
, when the hills are still snow covered and the landscape is covered with flowers. The months of October and November in the autumn season also offer enjoyable hiking as the heat and humidity decrease gradually. At higher elevations and on the mountain peaks, weather reminiscent of all four seasons can be experienced in one day. Low-elevation areas are quite hot for hiking activity in mid-May and mid-September. Rain and storms can be experienced in December and January. From January to early April, there is usually snow at elevations over . Between November and February, downpours can occur.
Equipment
The recommended equipment required for hiking in the Lycian Way consists of soft-soled, ankle-grasping, waterproof-breathable fabric
hiking boot
Hiking (walking) boots are footwear specifically designed for protecting the feet and ankles during outdoor walking activities such as hiking. They are one of the most important items of hiking gear, since their quality and durability can determ ...
cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking.
Grades
Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the numbe ...
for covering the neck, raincoat, spare clothes and underwear, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a
backpack
A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...
. It is also useful to have a swimsuit and towel.
Other useful equipment includes compass, trail map, whistle, pocket knife, headlight, camera, lighter, spare battery, a small first-aid kit, and a mobile phone.
Stages
The Lycian Way can be hiked in stages like
Hisarönü
Hisarönü is a tourist resort village in the Fethiye district of the Muğla Province of Turkey. It is situated at the western extreme of the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and the southern extreme of the Aegean coast. The resort has grown from ...
Kalkan
Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, and an important tourist destination. The area includes historical sites (such as Tlos and Kekova) and fine beaches (including Patara Beach and Kaputaş Beach).
Kalkan is an old fishing town, ...
Kaş
Kaş (; el, Αντίφελλος, translit=Antífellos, translit-std=ISO) is a small fishing, diving, yachting and tourist town, and a district of Antalya Province of Turkey, 168 km west of the city of Antalya. As a tourist resort, it is re ...
, Kaş-
Kekova
Kekova, also named ''Caravola''Bertarelli (1929), p.134 (Greek: '' Dolichiste''), is a small Turkish island near Demre (Demre is the Lycian town of Myra) district of Antalya province which faces the villages of Kaleköy (ancient Simena) ...
, Kekova-
Demre
Demre is a town and district in the Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, named after the river Demre.
Demre is the Lycian town of Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra. The district was known as ''Kale'' until it was renamed ...
Finike
Finike, the ancient Phoenix or Phoinix ( grc, Φοῖνιξ), also formerly Phineka, is a town and a district on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province in Turkey, to the west of the city of Antalya, along the Turkish Riviera. It is located o ...
, Karaöz-
Cape Gelidonya
Cape Gelidonya ( tr, Gelidonya Burnu or Taşlık Burnu, from el, Χελιδωνία, ''Chelidonia''; la, Chelidonium promontorium), formerly Kilidonia or Killidonia is a cape or headland on the Teke Peninsula in the chain of Taurus Mountains, loc ...
-
Adrasan
Adrasan, also known as Çavuşköy, is a village in the District of Kumluca, Antalya Province, Turkey. A collection of smaller villages and hamlets, Adrasan extends along a 2.5 Kilometer stretch of coast - most of which is sand and shingle beach ...
Çıralı
Çıralı is an agricultural village in southwest Turkey, in the Kemer district of Antalya Province. It is walking distance from the ancient ruins of Olympos and Chimaera permanent gas vents, located in the ancient Lycia region of Anatolia.
...
Tekirova
Tekirova is a town in the District of Kemer, Antalya Province, Turkey.
Large hotels for tourists are established in the town. The base station of the Olympos Aerial Tram
The Olympos Aerial Tram ( tr, Olympos Teleferik), aka Olympos Cable Car, ...
, Tekirova-
Phaselis
Phaselis ( grc, Φασηλίς) or Faselis ( tr, Faselis) was a Greek and Roman city on the coast of ancient Lycia. Its ruins are located north of the modern town Tekirova in the Kemer district of Antalya Province in Turkey. It lies between th ...
-Gedelme, Beycik-
Tahtalı Dağı
Tahtalı Dağı, also known as Lycian Olympus, is a mountain near Kemer, a seaside resort on the Turkish Riviera in Antalya Province, Turkey. It was known as Olympus ( grc, Ὄλυμπος; also transliterated as Olympos) and Phoenicus or Phoin ...
-Gedelme, Gedelme-
Göynük
Göynük is a town in Bolu Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Göynük District.Hisarçandır, and Hisarçandır- Geyikbayırı.
The trail splits into:Kate Clow – The Lycian Way 4th edition, June 2014
* Coastal route –
Tekirova
Tekirova is a town in the District of Kemer, Antalya Province, Turkey.
Large hotels for tourists are established in the town. The base station of the Olympos Aerial Tram
The Olympos Aerial Tram ( tr, Olympos Teleferik), aka Olympos Cable Car, ...
,
Phaselis
Phaselis ( grc, Φασηλίς) or Faselis ( tr, Faselis) was a Greek and Roman city on the coast of ancient Lycia. Its ruins are located north of the modern town Tekirova in the Kemer district of Antalya Province in Turkey. It lies between th ...
Tahtalı Dağı
Tahtalı Dağı, also known as Lycian Olympus, is a mountain near Kemer, a seaside resort on the Turkish Riviera in Antalya Province, Turkey. It was known as Olympus ( grc, Ὄλυμπος; also transliterated as Olympos) and Phoenicus or Phoin ...
at 1800m, Yayla Kuzdere, Gedelme, Goynuk Yaylasi, where it joins the coastal trail.
Places of interest
Places of interest along the trail include:
Ölüdeniz
Ölüdeniz (literally ''Dead Sea'', due to its calm waters even during storms; official translation name Blue Lagoon) is a small neighbourhood and beach resort in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province, on the Turquoise Coast of southwestern Tu ...
,
Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley, or Wu Tip Kuk (), is a valley in north of Lai Chi Kok in New Kowloon of Hong Kong, located between O Pui Shan and Piper's Hill.
The valley was a habitat of butterflies before Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and thus named aft ...
, Faralya, Kabak Bay, Cennet Bay, Korsan Bay,
Letoon
The Letoon ( grc, Λητῷον), sometimes Latinized as Letoum, was a sanctuary of Leto located 4km south of the ancient city of Xanthos to which it was closely associated, and along the Xanthos River. It was one of the most important religio ...
(historical capital of the Lycian region, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in
Seydikemer Seydikemer is a planned district and second level municipality in Muğla Province, Turkey. According to the 2012 Metropolitan Municipalities Law (law no. 6360), all Turkish provinces with a population of more than 750,000 will become metropolitan m ...
),
Sidyma
Sidyma ( grc, Σίδυμα), was a town of ancient Lycia, at what is now the small village of Dudurga Asari in Muğla Province, Turkey. It lies on the southern slope of Mount Cragus, to the north-west of the mouth of the Xanthus.
History
Sidy ...
, Bel, Gavurağılı,
Letoon
The Letoon ( grc, Λητῷον), sometimes Latinized as Letoum, was a sanctuary of Leto located 4km south of the ancient city of Xanthos to which it was closely associated, and along the Xanthos River. It was one of the most important religio ...
,
Kınık
Kınık is a district of İzmir Province of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western ...
(
Xanthos
Xanthos ( Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 ''Arñna'', el, Ξάνθος, Latin: ''Xanthus'', Turkish: ''Ksantos'') was an ancient major city near present-day Kınık, Antalya Province, Turkey. The remains of Xanthos lie on a hill on the left ba ...
), Akbel, Gelemiş village and ruins of Patara (the Lycian capital),
Kalkan
Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, and an important tourist destination. The area includes historical sites (such as Tlos and Kekova) and fine beaches (including Patara Beach and Kaputaş Beach).
Kalkan is an old fishing town, ...
Kaş
Kaş (; el, Αντίφελλος, translit=Antífellos, translit-std=ISO) is a small fishing, diving, yachting and tourist town, and a district of Antalya Province of Turkey, 168 km west of the city of Antalya. As a tourist resort, it is re ...
(
Antiphellos
Antiphellus or Antiphellos ( grc, ) was city that acted as the port of Phellus (Phellos) in Lycia. It was at the head of a bay on the south coast. Sir Francis Beaufort, the discoverer of this ancient site, gave the contemporary name of Vathy to ...
), Üçağız, Kale,
Demre
Demre is a town and district in the Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, named after the river Demre.
Demre is the Lycian town of Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra. The district was known as ''Kale'' until it was renamed ...
(
Myra
Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...
),
Kumluca
Kumluca is a town and district of Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, part of the Turkish Riviera. Kumluca is located west of the city of Antalya, on the Teke Peninsula, (between the bays of Antalya and Fethiye). Its neighbour ...
AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
), Belos,
Finike
Finike, the ancient Phoenix or Phoinix ( grc, Φοῖνιξ), also formerly Phineka, is a town and a district on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province in Turkey, to the west of the city of Antalya, along the Turkish Riviera. It is located o ...
,
Kumluca
Kumluca is a town and district of Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, part of the Turkish Riviera. Kumluca is located west of the city of Antalya, on the Teke Peninsula, (between the bays of Antalya and Fethiye). Its neighbour ...
,
Mavikent
Mavikent is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Kumluca, Antalya Province, Turkey. Its population is 7,036 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). Many turtles
Turtles are an order of reptiles kn ...
, Karaöz, the lighthouse of
Cape Gelidonya
Cape Gelidonya ( tr, Gelidonya Burnu or Taşlık Burnu, from el, Χελιδωνία, ''Chelidonia''; la, Chelidonium promontorium), formerly Kilidonia or Killidonia is a cape or headland on the Teke Peninsula in the chain of Taurus Mountains, loc ...
(the southernmost point of Lycia),
Adrasan
Adrasan, also known as Çavuşköy, is a village in the District of Kumluca, Antalya Province, Turkey. A collection of smaller villages and hamlets, Adrasan extends along a 2.5 Kilometer stretch of coast - most of which is sand and shingle beach ...
Çıralı
Çıralı is an agricultural village in southwest Turkey, in the Kemer district of Antalya Province. It is walking distance from the ancient ruins of Olympos and Chimaera permanent gas vents, located in the ancient Lycia region of Anatolia.
...
and
Yanartaş
Yanartaş (, Turkish for "flaming stone") is a geographical feature near the Olympos valley and national park in Antalya Province in southwestern Turkey. It is the site of dozens of small fires which burn constantly from vents in the rocks on th ...
(Chimaera).
Further, the ancient cities Pydnae, Apelia,
Telmessos
Telmessos or Telmessus ( Hittite: 𒆪𒉿𒆷𒉺𒀸𒊭 ''Kuwalapašša'', Lycian: 𐊗𐊁𐊍𐊁𐊂𐊁𐊛𐊆 ''Telebehi'', grc, Τελμησσός), also Telmissus ( grc, Τελμισσός), later Anastasiopolis ( grc, Αναστ ...
,
Idyros
Idyros ( grc, Ἴδυρης, la, Idyrus) was a Greek city in ancient Lycia. Its exact location is uncertain. According to Pseudo-Scylax it was located north of Phaselis.
The site of the town is tentatively located near modern Kemer
Kemer is ...
,
Antiphellus
Antiphellus or Antiphellos ( grc, ) was city that acted as the port of Phellus (Phellos) in Lycia. It was at the head of a bay on the south coast. Sir Francis Beaufort, the discoverer of this ancient site, gave the contemporary name of Vathy to ...
Simena
Simena ( grc, Σίμηνα) was a town on the coast of ancient Lycia, 60 stadia from Aperlae. The ''Stadiasmus Maris Magni'' calls the town Somena (Σόμηνα).
Its site is located near Kaleköy, Turkey. Grave inscriptions and coin finds i ...
can be found between Xanthos and Patara.
Access and lodging
The starting points of the Lycian Way can be reached in the west from the
Dalaman Airport
Dalaman Airport is an international airport and one of three serving south-west Turkey, the others being Milas–Bodrum Airport and Antalya Airport. It has two terminals. The old terminal is used for domestic flights and the new terminal is for ...
or in the east from the
Antalya Airport
Antalya Airport ( tr, Antalya Havalimanı) is an international airport located northeast of the city center of Antalya, Turkey. It is a major destination during the European summer leisure season due to its location at the country's Mediterran ...
. Intercity coaches and local buses are available for transportation to the starting points.
Lodging is offered in hotels, motels, and
bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
(B&B) suitable for all budgets in locations such as
Fethiye
Fethiye () is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the Turkish Riviera. In 2019 its population was 162,686.
History
Fethiye was formerly known as Makri (). ...
Çamyuva
Çamyuva is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Kemer, Antalya Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,067 (2022). Before the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde'').
It is situat ...
, Kemer, and Göynük. In some villages along the route, additional accommodation options have emerged in recent years by using traditional village houses as B&B. Natural camping sites and camping facilities are also available on the route. Campsites in Kabak Bay, Patara, Özlen Çay, Warm Peninsula, Andriake (Çayağzı Port), Olympos, Çıralı, and Göynük are recommended.
As of 2021, due to the increasing number of hikers getting lost on the trail, the Governorship of Antalya issued a notice regarding informing local authorities of certain tracks.
trail running
Trail running is a sport-activity which combines running, and, where there are steep gradients, hiking, that is run "on any unpaved surface". It is similar to both mountain and fell running (also known as hill running). Mountain running may, h ...
ultramarathon
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...
, called the
Lycian Way Ultramarathon
Lycian Way Ultramarathon ( tr, Likya Yolu Ultramaratonu, shortly LYUM) is an international multiday trail running ultramarathon event that takes place across the ancient Lycian region in southwestern Turkey. The event is run around of the lon ...
, is held on the historical trail. The event runs eastwards on a route of around from
Ölüdeniz
Ölüdeniz (literally ''Dead Sea'', due to its calm waters even during storms; official translation name Blue Lagoon) is a small neighbourhood and beach resort in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province, on the Turquoise Coast of southwestern Tu ...
to
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
in six days.
See also
*
Carian Trail
The Carian Trail ( tr, Karia Yolu) is an 820 km long-distance footpath exploring the South Western corner of Turkey through the modern provinces of Muğla and Aydın. The trail is officially opened in 2013 and winds through some of the less ...
*
Turkish Riviera
The Turkish Riviera ( tr, Türk Rivierası), also known popularly as the Turquoise Coast, is an area of southwest Turkey encompassing the provinces of Antalya and Muğla, and to a lesser extent Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin. The ...
*
List of long-distance footpaths
This is a list of some long-distance footpaths used for walking and hiking.
Africa
Namibia
* Fish River Canyon: route in the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
South Africa
* Otter Trail: section of the Garden Route along the Cape ...
Evliya Çelebi Way The Evliya Çelebi Way is a cultural trekking route celebrating the early stages of the journey made in 1671 to Mecca by the eponymous Ottoman Turkish gentleman-adventurer, Evliya Çelebi. Evliya travelled the Ottoman Empire and beyond for some 40 ...