Bays of the Lycian coast

Group meeting at Antalya Central Bus Station at 10 am. From the airport you can get there by bus, in about 1 hour. Next we take a bus to Kemer, where we transfer to a chartered minibus, which will take us to the village of Ulupinar, famous for its trout farms and fish restaurants. The walking part of the route begins from here. We go down the river, first through pomegranate orchards, then through a mixed forest. After just a couple of hours of driving, we camp for the night by the river (immediately after a small ford).

The path goes up, we climb a small ridge that separates us from the sea. On its southern side are the famous Chimera lights. According to ancient Greek legend, it was here that the hero Bellerophon, riding the winged Pegasus, fought with the three-headed fire-breathing Chimera. The monster was defeated and buried under the rocks, but flames continue to burst out of the ground for many hundreds of years in a row. We'll walk through this legendary place, warm our hands by the fire (it's actually a small natural gas field) and continue our way down to the sea.

Long before dark we arrive at the small resort village of Chiraly. There are no huge hotels or noisy discos here, but there is an incredibly large sandy beach where sea turtles crawl out to lay their eggs once a year. We put up tents on the territory of one of the campsites (right in the garden). Only a hundred meters to the sea :)

We leave our tents and backpacks in Chiraly, and go lightly for the whole day on a radial cruise through the neighboring bays. The path to Karaburun Bay runs along the sea, crossing small rocky capes several times. Depending on the degree of our enthusiasm, we can walk from 5 to 20 km in a day - fortunately there is somewhere to roam. In addition to the azure sea and fragrant Mediterranean pine trees, you can see an abandoned mine, a fish farm and incredible reed beds. In the evening we return to Chiraly.

We fold the tents and pack our backpacks again. We go to the southern end of Cirali beach. There, in the real tropical wilds, the ruins of the ancient Lycian city of Olympos are hidden - tombs, amphitheaters, military fortifications, temples and Roman baths. So that heavy backpacks do not interfere with the work of the imagination, we leave them at the checkout of the complex. After inspecting the ruins, we again “harness” and begin the long climb up Mount Musa (about 600 meters of elevation gain). Soon after the pass we reach our overnight stop - an open area overlooking the Adrasan valley. Nearby there is a rare shepherd's house and a well. We put up tents and rest.

In the morning we descend from Mount Musa to the Adrasan valley. After meandering a little among the ubiquitous Turkish greenhouses, we come out onto the road that will lead us to Adrasan Bay with an excellent beach. Situated on the seashore we have lunch and relax. Meanwhile, the instructor replenishes food supplies at a local store.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the sea, we again get under our backpacks and make a short trek to our overnight stay. This is a clearing in the forest next to an abandoned camel farm at the foot of Mount Kizil-Syrt. There is everything you need for a camp - level areas, a powerful source of water and firewood.

Today is a relatively difficult day. First, the Lycian Trail climbs to the saddle between the peaks of Tyuzlyu-Burun and Kizil-Syrt, then it passes to the “sea” side of the mountain and our entire further path to Cape Gelidonia passes with a view of the islands scattered picturesquely across the Mediterranean Sea. We are going traverse, i.e. almost without changing altitude, but there are sections along the trail where you need to be patient. In some places the road is blocked by small loose rocks, fallen trees, scratchy bushes and leisurely land turtles. But at the end we will find ourselves on the very crest of the huge Cape Gelidonia - the peak of Marquis Tepe (height 507 m). Along this ridge we will descend to a beautiful old lighthouse, near which we will set up our camp.

From the lighthouse we go down to a dirt road going north to Karaoz Bay. Along the way we stop several times at beautiful coves. One day we were lucky to find a chameleon here. In the village of Karaoz we quickly buy some bread and vegetables and continue walking along the coastline. We stop for the night in Papaz-Iskelesi Bay (parsonage pier).

Beyond Akçayögru Cape, another endless “turtle” beach begins with small pebbles underfoot and majestic mountain peaks at the other end of Finike Bay. We walk along the coast for a couple of hours until we reach the “greenhouse” village of Mavikent, from where we take a minibus to the no less tomato town of Kumluca, where we take a bus to Antalya. This concludes our hike along the bays of the Lycian coast.

We will arrive in Antalya no earlier than 5 pm. Therefore, if you want to fly out the same evening, then take tickets for flights departing no earlier than 20:00. Or you can fly out tomorrow morning and stay overnight at one of the many hotels and guesthouses in Antalya. If you want, we will book an inexpensive room for you ($10 person/day) right in the “old town” (Kaleici).