West Lycian Way

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Group gathering in Antalya, in our favorite hotel in the heart of the old city. You can arrive at any convenient time - morning, evening, night. Late in the evening, when everyone has arrived, we will have a small meeting on the roof of the hotel. Let's drink tea, discuss the route, distribute food and check the equipment.

Early in the morning we go to the central bus station of Antalya, where we take a bus to the seaside town of Fethiye. It takes about 4 hours - we'll have time to sleep. Upon arrival in Fethiye, we take a taxi or minibus and first visit the famous Lycian tombs carved into the rock high above the city. Then we move to the other side of the mountain, where there is a solemn arch, marking the beginning of the Lycian Way. We put on our backpacks and go!

The trail gradually gains height, climbing along the spurs of the Baba-Dag massif (1989 m). But most of the time our eyes are turned not to the mountain, but down to the sea. There you can see the Oludeniz lagoon (a bay with fabulously colored water) and a chain of islands stretching into the distance. After the pass (720 m) we go a little further north, getting closer to the stone “mirror” of Mount Baba-Dag. By the way, paragliders often circle above it in the updrafts. We set up a tent camp in a clearing with a spring not far from the village of Kirme.

Soon after the start we come to the village of Faralya, perched on the edge of a deep seaside gorge. At the bottom of this canyon is the famous Butterfly Valley. But even without any butterflies, this gorge and the dizzying path to it are worth our attention. We leave our backpacks at a small restaurant and lightly begin the extreme descent along steep stone ledges. For insurance, there are ropes along the route, but if you are afraid of heights or don’t want adrenaline yet, you can just wait for the group in a cafe. Having reached the bottom of the gorge, we will first walk to the waterfall and then relax on the beach.

We climb to a small peak (271 m) from which there is an excellent view of the many kilometers of sandy beach of Kara-Dere - Patara. We go down to the sea along the way, visiting the ancient fortress of Pidnai. We briefly say goodbye to the sea and on foot (or by minibus) move inland to a huge ancient complex - the ruins of the Lycian city of Xanthos (amphitheater, mosaics, colonnades, etc.). After this, we take a minibus that will take us to the resort town of Kas.

The seemingly ordinary rocks that make up the local landscape, upon closer inspection, turn out to be flows of solidified lava with an intricate configuration of end-to-end “wormholes.” In places where lava fell into the sea, bizarre volcanic beaches were formed, through which our path lies. Often the trail goes straight along the bottom of a lava fissure, then climbs up, then goes deeper into the jungle of dwarf trees. Overall, a good attraction for lovers of labyrinths :)

Literally opposite the place where we spent the night, on the ledge of a high cape, under the protection of fortress walls, the village of Kale (from Turkic - fortress) nestled. Once upon a time there was a coastal city of the ancient Lycians - Simena. But then the sea level changed and Simena went under water. Nowadays, the sunken city has become the main attraction of these places - at the height of the season, many boats with transparent bottoms carry tourists along the bay separating Simena and the island of Kekova. If you wish, we can also take a boat ride there.

We break camp and go to Uchagiz by minibus to Demre (30 minutes on the way). There we look at the ruins of Myra (entrance fee, 15-20 liras per person). They are notable for their huge ancient amphitheater and many bas-reliefs on rock tombs. For those who have already been to Mir, there is an alternative program - we will climb the rock to the ruins of the fortress. And then we’ll look at the church where the same Saint Nicholas, who became the prototype of Santa Claus, worked as a bishop a long time ago.

At the Demre bus station we take a minibus and after 3 hours we are at the Antalya bus station (usually around 17:00).

You can fly home (flights departing no earlier than 20:00) or get acquainted with another magical corner of Turkey - come with us on the Cappadocia tour. If your plane arrives only in the morning, we will help you book a hotel in Antalya. The instructor also usually flies out in the morning, so he will help with all organizational and transport issues.