Who knew there would be a long ancient trail in Southern Turkey that takes you to one of the most stunning beaches?

I would usually opt for more mountainous terrain with cold weather because hiking in the heat is not fun coming from an a very hot country to begin with.

But this was different, the Lycian way is all about history, ruins and beaches and the cool endings in the ocean after a long hike.

It was in fall 2024 at the end of September where I joined a group of avid hikers to hike the Lycian Way. It was already an undiscovered area and totally unheard of in the hiking world. Most people would head to the Dolomites or Camino De Santiago, if they wanted a social hike but not THIS!

Even when I was browsing the net for information there were a handful of posts, but a lot of little details were missing such as the route, where to stay and what’s the weather like.

I love the fact that I got to see the splendor and golden hues of the Taurus mountains and still have access to the Mediterranean sea. It was the perfect combo of roughing it out and being on a holiday.

Also Read: 3 to 5 Days Istanbul Itinerary That’s Different From The Rest

The Lycian Way: Turkey’s First Long-Distance Path

hiking the lycian way with epic view stops like this

The trail is super long and is almost 760 km long that starts from Fethiye all the way to Antalya marking it to be the first long-distance walking path in southern Turkey.

It was created in 1999 by Kate Clow, a British/Turkish amateur historian who was seemingly interested in chartering old roads, mule paths and stony terrain.

You can can complete the entire path in 35 days but if you don’t want to go away for too long, one week is the perfect way to do this trek!

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What’s The Best Route? The Lycian Way Itinerary

a view of how blue the sea looks on the lycian way trek

Day 1: Fly in to Dalaman from Istanbul (check prices on Kiwi.com)
- Explore Kayakoy ruins & town
Day 2: Kayakoy to Oludeniz (21km)
Day 3: Ovacik to Faralya (14km)
Day 4: Faralya to Kabak (7.5km)
Day 5: Kabak to Gey (17.5km)
Day 6: Gey to Sidyma (9km)
Day 7: Delikkemer to Patara (9.5km)

Should you DIY or with a guide?

should you get a tour when hiking the lycian way in turkey?

You can absolutely find most (but not all) of the GPX files on AllTrails & Maps.Me. When I was there, I saw a lot of independent trekkers but I also saw a local groups hiring a guide.

Another option is a self-guided tour where GPX files are given to you in advance and your accommodation is booked.

Or the safest option is booking the complete tour with a guide where they handle everything for you. If you’re unsure of routes and want to ensure your transfers are handled in advance, this could be a better option for you!

When is the best time to do the Lycian Way?

This is one trail where it is pretty much good to go anytime of the year except for summer and rainier months.

The best time to hike the Lycian way is from March to April (spring) and September to November (fall).

Avoid summer from May to August because it is too hot! It is Ok to go beginning of May to end of August if you absolutely should but avoid it if you can.

The Lycian Way Trek

Day 1: Flying to Dalaman from Istanbul. Exploring Kayaköy ruins.

Where to stay: Yesil Kaya Hotel
Food: Cin Bal 1975

The starting point for the Lycian Way trailhead starts in Fethiye but to ease into the Lycian Way trek — we explored ruins on the first day when we reached.

From Dalaman airport to Kayaköy it is about a 1 hour drive. The hotel we stayed in Yesil Kaya Hotel had a pool and it was a peaceful stay in the outskirts of the village where there was easy acess to a range of activities.

A good way to begin our Turkey escapades was gorge on Turkish pancakes and pomegranate juice at this atmospheric kebab shop called Cin Bal 1975.

Easing into our day, also meant easing into the first ruins in the town of Kayaköy — the largest abandoned Greek village and also a haunting remnant of the scars of the war where no one really talks about.

Kayaköy became a ghost town following the Greco-Turkish War, when a mandated population exchange uprooted entire communities. Greek Orthodox residents were forced to leave for Greece, while Muslims from Greece were resettled in Turkey.

What remained were empty stone houses, silent streets, and a past disrupted by political decisions that was hard to shake off. And then a earthquake happened making the conditions worst for any kind of dwellings.

That night, reflecting on everything we had seen, we returned to our hotel to pack and get ready for the official hike ahead.

Day 2: Kayakoy to Oludeniz (21km)

Where to stay: Yesil Kaya Hotel
Food: Cin Bal 1975

overlooking oludeniz bay on the lycian way trek

This is perhaps the most beautiful part of the trek simply because you end in the beach town of Oludeniz.

Along the way, we noticed cemeteries and a beautiful mosque belonging to the local village called Kayaköy Mahallesi Kadıoğlu Ali Rıza Efendi Camii.

Walking past old wells and parched, dusty ground, it felt like we had stepped into another time, the landscape washed in muted, sepia tones.

moments before taking a dip in oludeniz bay

Then, just as quickly the view shifted… suddenly, there was the sea, a beach town below, and the kind of coastline that stops you in your tracks.

Wild red berries grew along the path and loads of pomenegrate trees. As much as I thought about fresh juice, I knew a little push and I’ll be in Ölüdeniz Bay soon enough.

The bay was stunning but overwhelmingly touristy… going from quiet landscapes to blaring beach club music was almost a shock to the system.

There are public buses that take you back to your hotel from Oludeniz if you don’t wish to hike back. That’s what we did as we decided to spend more time in the ocean.

Day 3: Ovacik to Faralya (14km)

Where to stay: Montenegro Hotel
Food: Halil’s cafe

the official starting point for the lycian way trail

can’t stop looking at the ocean from above

After all the detours, we are finally at the starting sign point for the Lycian way marker. It is right next to Montana Pine resort.

Ovacık is the official starting point of the Lycian Way and this part of the trek leads to Faralya, the closest you’ll get to the Butterfly Valley from above. This journey is around 4-6 hours.

Starting this trek was sweet reminder of what’s it like to enjoy the true beauty of Turkey — we stumbled across various photo spots at the beginning and soon the trail turn into a hot fest. Luckily for us, there was a local selling iced pomegranate and orange juices.

At the halfway point, you could see the dramatic mountains and scenery changing. In the distance is the Babadag mountain (father mountain) standing at 1,700metres, there’s a forest road that leads to the pass above Kirme but by then we were exhausted from the scorching heat.

It was a welcome relief to come across Halil’s cafe in the mountains — this was the best cafe to have fresh gozleme and honey in Kabaagac village. Everything is homemade and delicious plus the views were really gorgeous with sheeps, cats and goats surrounding us!

Gözleme is a traditional Turkish flatbread stuffed with spinach and crumbly local cheese.

We continued our trek after lunch towards the viewpoint of Butterfly valley — along the way we came across bee keepers and plenty of mosques.

The descent to Faralya comes with jaw-dropping views. This village is perched at the edge and has fjord-like views of the Butterfly Valley. Our hotel for the day was at the most gorgeous place called Montenegro Hotel.

There was a pool, an amazing terrace overlooking the mountains and Butterfly valley — it was so good that we jumped in the pool considering how hot it was that day!

Day 4: Faralya to Kabak (7.5km)

Where to stay: Shiva’s Camp
Food: Packed Lunch

On this day we saw pristine coastal cliffs and coves all between Butterfly Valley and Kabak.

The trek was extremely well-shaded by red pine forests. The gpx files I had was sometimes inaccurate because of developments of hotels in the surrounding area.

You’ll see fancy hotels with white umbrellas and I thought to myself hmm maybe white lotus should have shot here? It’s the perfect place for luxury and things to go awry wrong when you look at these dramatic cliffs.

This is also the day where we had a chance to go swimming in the gorgeous blue waters.

There were various viewpoints with one of them being called the Kelebekler valley view point. On our descent we came cross a lot of hotels in this valley, and one of the best places we stayed at was called Shiva Camp.

The outdoor deck had insane views and the fact that we had pools to ourselves with views of the valley was everything you ever wanted after a hot trek in this valley.

Day 5: Kabak to Gey (17.5km)

Where to stay: Dumanoğlu Pansiyon
Food: Bayram’s place pension and restaurant & Tents & Gozleme

This was considered the walk of the seven capes where we had plenty of dramatic views and a few walks through the forest.

It was also once a mule track which explains the rocky terrain. You can also view rock formations, specifically "Delikli Kaya" (translating as “Hole Rock" in Turkish), which is a large rock mass eroded by waves, forming a hole in the cliff.

The best thing we did was walking through The Edge walk in paradise bay, there’s a massive drop and hike down among gnarly stones that takes you to the terraces and the end of Bogazaici village.

But before that we stopped at noon time for drinks and lunch at Bayram’s place pension and restaurant. It was also a good place to take in an afternoon nap because walking down the cliff can be particularly hot at noon time.

After a lazy nap, there were still plenty more viewpoints of the sea to check out. I knew I wouldn’t get sick of them — every angle had something different to take in, and it never got old.

We also came across a glamping spot that had a hammock, a bench and swing and found another reason to stop for the gazillionth time.

There were hidden cisterns called Osmanlı sarnıcı on our way down towards Gey village and we also came across a cute Turkish family in Tents & Gozleme serving up the yummiest Ayran and wood-fired gozleme.

After constant trekking, trust me you’d want to stop here in the shade and the lovely family serving these homemade goodies.

Our trek took a funny turn when we came across an ancient tomb posing as a historical power bank on the Lycian Way. My battery didn’t get a charge, but I guess the spirits have been off the grid for centuries anyway.

After spotting goats, we made our way on tarred road to the village of Gey which was about the last 3km. Gey is a mountain village and we stayed with a lovely family at Dumanoğlu Pansiyon which had the most amazing Turkish meals and breakfast. I loved the sunset views from the balcony of our stay.

Day 6: Gey to Sidyma (9km)

Where to stay: St Nicholas Pension
Food: Village in sidyma

a view of the mountainous terrain when heading to sidyma

practicing my hunting skills in a turkish village

Today’s climb would mean climbing through passes and heading towards Sidyma, an archaelogical site scattered in a quaint village.

This is the first time on the trek that we had a cloudyday, with mist covering some of the mountains. We zigzagged through terraced fields previously used for production of tobacco, and now used for wheat.

Bel means pass in Turkish and today we would be doing exactly that. From Bel, there’s a climb into a pine lined meadow before you reach an ancient road that leads to Sidyma.

It was perhaps the first day where I felt the terrain was vastly different considering how high we were. There were views of Mount Akdag, the western end of the Taurus mountains and it stands at currently 3,213 metres.

Before we explored the village, we stopped around noon for a lunch break to have pistachio coffee. It was nuttier, and a perfect pick-me-up under the shade.

We wandered through the ruins and agreed: Sidyma is the kind of place that makes you want to channel your inner Indiana Jones or amateur archaeologist. It’s not far from the Roman necropolis, and there’s plenty to take in.

The ancient agora, which now blends into the heart of the village, is packed with history. A sign gives some context, pointing out landmarks like a Roman bathhouse, the remains of a gymnasium, and Byzantine chapels — all scattered among the present-day homes and buildings. We also came across fields of lavender.

After this, we explored Xanthos, once the Lycian capital, known for its tragic past — its people chose to burn their city rather than surrender to the Persians.

I often wondered what that moment must have felt like. Later, it thrived under Roman and Byzantine rule, leaving behind this ruins which have not been kept in good condition considering it is a UNESCO heritage site. The entrance fee was 3euros.

It was a lot to take in that day with a full-fledged history lesson that I was ready to retire and call it a night in our hotel.

Day 7: Delikkemer - Patara (9.5km)

Where to stay: Patara Delfin Hotel
Food: Cafe at Patara Beach

The last day of the trek which was a bittersweet ending to this 7 day trek along the Lycian way.

Today’s path starts at Delikkemer the Roman water syphon which was once part of the aqueduct system. The aqueduct stands solid as it was 2000 years ago.

It is also really interesting to see how aqueducts like that have been constructed so many years ago. There’s also lots of climbing and descending over rocks that wearing shorts on this day is less than ideal considering how thorny it is.

We visited more ruins and the most famous Patara ruins — it consisted of a couple of theaters (one has recently been completely renovated), arcs and several ancient graves and basilica structures spread over a large area.

After the ruins, we headed for Patara beach to end the trek with. The entire beach is 18km-long and it is backed by this impressive sand dunes. You could totally do the trek up the sand dunes but it was so windy that it felt like we were constantly battling a sand storm.

If you go from the main entrance, you’ve to pay a steep entrance fee like 15 euros per person but if you go via the sand dunes, it is free.

Wrapping Up

From here we had a transfer to Dalaman airport — my next onward flight was towards Istanbul and then Cappadocia to explore hiking trails in that part of Turkey.

The Lycian Way was one of the best trails you could ever do in Turkey to experience true Turkish hospitality and explore a bit of mountains, beach and ancient cities.

While we only did about 78.5km in total, some days felt like a leisurely hike with cafe stops and shaded trees and beach stops, other days felt like pure torture under the scorching hot sun.

This is a trail that is built upon routes used by the Lycians, a civilisation that was first recorded around 1400 BCE. So it is pretty fascinating to be able to even complete sections of this!

If you’ve done this trek or planning to, share with me in the comments your stories!

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