Turkey Part 5: Hiking on the Lycian Trail

After many days in our apartment in Patara, it was time to get back to nature as the weather forecast predicted dry and warm spring days. Lisa wanted to hike the Lycian Trail since her first journey to Turkey 14 years ago and fortunately, Dario didn’t need a lot of convincing. The Lycian Trail is 540 km long and follows signposted paths and century old mule tracks around the Teke Peninsula from Fethiye to Antalya with stunning coastal views and traditional villages, ancient ruins and pine forests. The British Kate Clow researched, designed and waymarked Turkey’s first long-distance walking route and it opened in 1999. You can walk it in sections or do a thru-hike, which would take at least 30 days. We had the wrong equipment for that and therefore we decided to hike only a small section from Patara to Fethiye.

We packed the bare minimum in our small backpacks and tried to carry as few things as possible. You can hike the Lycian Trail and stay in a tent or sleep in pensions in the villages. Unfortunately, our tent and sleeping bags are too heavy for a multi-day hike and we opted for the guesthouses. We missed our tent frequently, because there are some spectacular places to set up camp. The only problem could be the water supply, as there are sections without communal springs and sometimes the water storing cisterns don’t look too inviting. We packed our water filter just in case. The official hiking season starts in April and that’s also the time when supermarkets and guesthouses in the villages open. But we were lucky and always found enough water, food and accommodations. The weather was just ideal and we can’t imagine hiking here during the summer. Since we are talking about the Lycian Coast, it’s time to talk about the Lycians who left their visible mark on the peninsula.

Our five highlights along the Lycian Way

We spent six exciting days on the Lycian Way and they really increased our anticipation to continue our cycling trip soon. We missed those intensely full days in nature during our winter break. We wandered over hill and dale and followed the coast along old Roman and Greek roads. We could have made the whole stretch within four walking days, but Lisa wanted to stop at the Butterfly Valley and Kabak Beach and so we took six days. And here they are, our personal highlights of the Lycian Way:

1. Flora & Fauna

We are not surprised that the Lycian Way has been voted one of the most beautiful long-distance-hikes in the world. It’s absolutely stunning and diverse. Sometimes our path led us over loose rocks from bay to bay, always with the sea in sight and shortly afterwards we would walk through pine forest with views over rugged mountains. Spring was in full swing with blooming meadows, wild flowers, butterflies and humming bees. We had to stop several times and just stand in awe of the beauty surrounding us. We passed some famous holiday beaches in Kabak and Ölüdeniz, but also some remote coves such as Paradise Beach near Alınca, where it would take quite a while to descend.

2. Butterfly Valley (Kelebekler Vadasi)

We read about the steep trail in advance and knew it would be difficult, but once we stood on top of the cliffs with the assistance ropes, we started to get insecure. One misstep and we would tumble down the cliff. What are we doing here? Shouldn’t we rather be visiting the Butterfly Valley on a nice safe boat trip? But it was too late, Lisa already started to climb down and if she can do it with her fear of heights, Dario would also manage it. We have to admit, our heart was racing and there were some risky sections. We tried not to look down and just concentrate on the next step. After an hour of pure adrenalin, we finally arrived in the valley. Once we reached the main path in the valley, we saw a big warning sign stating the following: It is dangerous and illegal to climb to Faralya. Oops, they should have put that sign up on the top of the trail, that would have been very helpful. Now, it was a little too late. We’d have to go back the same way. There were some fatal incidents in the past and you definitely should only do this trail if you feel secure climbing and with sturdy hiking shoes.

3. Encounters

We enjoyed walking through the villages along the trail, where the way of life seems to have remained unchanged for centuries. It’s great to be able to observe village life. Most families have animals and you can always hear the sound of a flock on the move and see chickens running around. Some families earn some money with the Ecotourism here and have guesthouses and restaurants serving Gözleme or small stands selling soft drinks and çay. It’s also not a problem to ask the locals for help when you need water or food. People are very generous and always try to help. Life in the village is very simple and usually just the older generation stays here, but currently students return to their home village and help their parents as schools and universities have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic for almost a year now.

We thought we wouldn’t meet many other hikers in February and during the pandemic and we were surprised to see others every day and were always looking forward for a small chat. The first encounter though wasn’t as expected, as the other hiker just hurried past us while mumbling a quick greeting. So much for that. Much more pleasant was our next encounter with Elena. She’s originally from Russia, but has been living in Turkey for the last 20 years and is currently studying for a certificate to work as a tour guide. She has an extensive knowledge of Greek mythology and all the ancient sites in Turkey and she could give us lots of recommendations for places we should visit. We can already see her in the future, traveling through Turkey with an interested group and sharing her passion.

4. Kayaköy

Walking through the forest and reaching the former Greek settlement with its 4000-odd abandoned stone houses is magical. We felt like explorers, as the first houses of the ghost town appeared behind the trees. The Greek who lived here in Levissi were forced to move from Turkey to Peloponnese during the Turkish-Greek population exchange in 1923 and in the 1950s the once thriving community got hit by an earthquake. Homes and businesses around the valley floor were later restored or rebuilt, but the hillside homes and buildings have been left untouched. The tumbledown ruins of Kayaköy are highly atmospheric with the stone houses sitting on the slopes over the modern village below. While walking the streets, we passed several abandoned and mostly roofless homes and also a church, that is currently being renovated. With the tourism boom, a development company wants to restore the stone houses into a holiday village, we hope this plan never turns into reality as Kayaköy can be seen as a reminder of the fragility of harmony between cultures.

5. Accommodations: Village pension, Glamping and Hippie-Bungalows

Who would have thought that, but one of our highlights were our accommodations. Even though, we are looking forward to sleep in our tent again, we did enjoy the comfort of a hot shower after a day of hiking. Most small villages have a family-run pension and in touristic places you can find several hotels along the Lycian Way. We never knew what to expect and what would be open and so we ended up in the most diverse locations.

Just before Alınca we reached our absolute highlight: the Turkdomes Glamping. Oktay and his family purchased this land on a spectacular location and opened a comfortable yurt camp five months ago with a swing with a view, an outside bath tub and hammocks. We fell asleep with a wood-burning oven. We would have liked to stay here longer and we’re sure they will have lots of success with their concept. We realized quickly that we’re still on the Turkish countryside when a chicken stole our pancake at breakfast the next morning. Never underestimate the chickens.

Kabak offered another unexpected accommodation for us. Some guesthouses are directly on the beach in Kabak, but the majority are located on a steep slope and consist of tented platforms and improvised bungalows. Elena told us, that the Mandala Camp would be open. A good recommendation, as all the other places we passed seemed closed. The camp is run by a bunch of young women and men having a blast as they benefit from distance learning far away from family duties. They stay here and run the camp for the few guests passing by. We stayed in a roundish wooden bungalow with ocean view and Lisa felt transported back to Goa. We didn’t expect that place in Turkey.

That’s it, those were our highlights along the Lycian Way. Maybe some of you will discover this beautiful region as well in the future and explore the great combination of ancient sites, hidden beaches and unspoiled nature. We’re glad we spent some days here and now we’re really looking forward to continue our cycling trip further east.