The Lycian Way

The Lycian Way

The Lycian Way is a hiking trail that spans 540 kilometers and takes around 29 days to complete. Located along the coast of Lycia in southern Turkey, the trail comprises of ancient Roman and Lycian roads, footpaths, and mule trails. Its creation can be credited to Kate Clow, who wanted to identify and safeguard some of Turkey's historical routes, resulting in the country's first long-distance walking trail in 1999.

Lycia was an ancient region in southwestern Anatolia, occupying the current provinces of Muğla and Antalya along the Mediterranean Sea coast. The region's city-states built various cities such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra, Pinara, Tlos, Olympos, and Phaselis. These city-states joined forces to form the Lycian League.

The Lycian Way

The trail's steep inclines make it unsuitable for mountain bikes, but walking sticks can be useful for hikers, offering support on difficult terrain, and protection from snakes while hiking through dry bushland or forested areas, where snakes may be hidden during the hot summer months.

The Lycian Way can be hiked in stages, including Hisarönü (Ovacık)-Faralya, Faralya-Kabak Bay, Kabak Bay-Alınca, Alınca-Yediburunlar, Yediburunlar-Gavurağılı, Gavurağılı-Patara, Patara-Kalkan, Kalkan-Sarıbelen-Gökçeören, Gökçeören-Kaş, Kaş-Kekova, Kekova-Demre, Demre-Alakilise-Finike, Karaöz-Cape Gelidonya-Adrasan, Adrasan-Olimpos-Çıralı, Çıralı-Beycik, Çıralı-Tekirova, Tekirova-Phaselis-Gedelme, Beycik-Tahtalı Dağı-Gedelme, Gedelme-Göynük, Göynük-Hisarçandırı, and Hisarçandırı-Geyikbayırı.

The trail passes through numerous places of interest, including Ölüdeniz, Butterfly Valley, Faralya, Kabak Bay, Cennet Bay, Korsan Bay, Letoon (the historical capital of the Lycian region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Seydikemer), Sidyma, Bel, Gavurağılı, Letoon, Kınık (Xanthos), Akbel, Gelemiş village and ruins of Patara (the Lycian capital), Kalkan, Sarıbelen, Gökçeören, Kaş (Antiphellos), Üçağız, Kale, Demre (Myra), Kumluca, Belören, Zeytin and Alakilise, İncegeriş Hill (1,811 m (5,942 ft), Belos, Finike, Kumluca, Mavikent, Karaöz, the lighthouse of Cape Gelidonya (the southernmost point of Lycia), Adrasan, Olympos, and Çıralı. The trail also passes through the ancient cities of Pydnae, Apelia, Telmessos, Idyros, Antiphellus, Apollonia, and Simena between Xanthos and Patara.