Lycian Way, Mediterranean coast of Türkiye
Sat 01st Mar 2025
Walk
[This trip is now full. There is a waitlist.] The Lycian Way is a 540km trail following a section of coast in southwest Türkiye (Turkey). The standard time for doing the Lycian Way is around 29 days but we will factor in extra time to allow for rest days and to allow for ‘side’ activities (e.g. kayaking out to a sunken archaeological site). The trail includes a large variety of elements including beautiful coastal vistas, mountains, ancient ruins, and local hamlets, villages and towns. The Lycian Way has been a recognized trek for some time now and has sometimes been included in lists of ‘the world’s best treks’. The walk would appeal to those looking to combine natural landscapes with the chance to experience aspects of Turkish culture, including the people, history and cuisine. The walk will be at a tempo that allows time to 'soak up' the local atmosphere and environment; but it is a strenuous walk and participants need a high degree of fitness and resilience. Participants should be comfortable carrying an over-night pack over demanding terrain, often with large daily ascents and/or descents. There is a lot of information online on the Lycian Way, including blogs and videos – the leader can provide a list of some of these. Two guidebooks on the walk - 'Lycian Way' by Kate Clow and 'Step By Step Lycian Way' by Altuğ Şenel - will be key resources. We will be doing the walk independently, i.e. without the use of a trekking company. The intention is to do the walk in early-2025; if that timing doesn't work, other times will be explored. (Dates given in the Bilby walk description are indicative only.)
Additional Information
Booking deadline
Sun 01st Sep 2024
Length
Extra Long
Terrain
Rough
Distance (km or hrs)
540km
Ascent
approx. 20,000m
Descent
approx. 20,000m
Map name
1:70000 Lycian Way maps from Culture Roots Society; online navigation apps
Terrain information
Varied terrain. From a website: 'The Lycian Way consists of a collection of ancient footways and goat tracks, leading walkers up and down the coastal hills of the Lycian peninsula. Most of these paths are very rocky, strewn with loose stones that create difficult footing at times.... There are a lot of steep inclines along the route, varying from steep rockslides to near-vertical scrambling sections.' There is a chance of snow on the track when on its highest elevations (above 1500m).
Transport information
Participants are responsible for making their own way to the start and from the end of the trail. There are flights from Istanbul to Dalaman (near Fethiye) at the start, and flights from Antalya, where the walk ends, to Turkish and European cities. There are also bus links to other parts of Türkiye from Fethiye and Antalya. Dolmuses (shared taxis) service some areas through which the trail passes; these could be used if participants needed to exit or vary their route from the trail.
Travelling date
Wed 26th Feb 2025
Accommodation information
Mostly local guesthouses, as well as hotels in larger towns. Some camping likely - while it will be important to keep pack weights down, there are significant advantages in having camping equipment with us: greater flexibility, some attractive camping locations, and the fact there is a three-day section which cannot be done without camping (or otherwise employing somewhat complicated logistics).
A multi day backpacking or base-camping activity.
Date and Time
Start: | Sat 01st Mar 2025 |
Approx Return: | Mon 31st Mar 2025 |
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