Lycian way

All participants in the hike are from different cities and countries. They fly to Turkey on their own on different flights, at different times. To Antalya You can fly relatively inexpensively with Pegasus, Atlas Glogal, and Turkish Airlines. In most cases, these are flights with a transfer in Istanbul. If you arrive in Antalya a day earlier (to relax after the flight and see the city), then we can recommend you inexpensive hotel in the historical center of the city.

The group gathering and meeting with the instructor takes place at the Antalya bus station (Otogar in Turkish). From the airport or from the city center you can easily get there by tram AntRay.

Usually the meeting at the otogar starts at 11 am (the administrator will tell you the exact time). The instructor distributes public food (approximately 5 kg per person), checks equipment, talks about the route, and answers questions. In addition, at the bus station you can exchange currency for lira and have a snack. Closer to noon, we take a minibus and go to the resort village of Goynuk (2 hours drive), where our hike along the Lycian Way begins. However, upon arrival in Goynuk, we first go to the beach, where we will spend about an hour. Then we have lunch in a cafe and only after that we finally put on our backpacks. From the sea to our parking lot near the Harmony Canyon, 3 kilometers along the trail along the river. We put up tents and relax.

Today is a difficult day - we get up early and break camp, there is a lot to do and see. We enter the Harmony Canyon (aka Goynuk Canyon), leave our backpacks for storage in a local cafe and, lightly (with cameras, money, swimsuits and towels), set off to the most interesting part of the gorge. There you can not only admire the rocks and the purest mountain water, but also rent a wetsuit, life jacket and helmet (about $10) and swim deep into the canyon to the famous hanging stone and waterfalls. This is a real attraction - you swim a couple of meters, then walk, then climb a waterfall, jump into the bathtub and swim again. This is where a waterproof camera or other waterproof camera comes in handy.

After swimming in the canyon, we return to our backpacks, have lunch and begin one of the most difficult sections of the Lycian Way. We have to gain about 400 meters heights in order to cross the ridge to bypass the impassable section of Harmony Canyon. The climb seems to be small, but it’s very tedious and tiring (it’s hot here despite the forest and partial shade). Before starting, fill your bottles with plenty of water, because... the next source will only be for the night. At the pass we rest a little and begin the descent to the river. Today we will spend the night in the forest near the most beautiful baths (you can freshen up after a hot day).

Вновь идем вдоль знакомой реки (вверх по течению). Каньон тут не слишком глубок, зато огромные валуны чертовски живописны. Скачем с камня на камень, с берега на берег, пока не достигнем обжитых мест - начинаются миндальные и гранатовые сады. Ликийская тропа выходит на плато ("яйла" по-тюркски).

Идти стало намного проще - широкая грунтовка почти без набора высоты. К вечеру спускаемся к поселку Гедельме. Прямо над селением нависает громадина Теке-Даг. Красиво... но мы туда не пойдем. Мы спешим пополнить запасы в местном магазине и, если повезет, немного подзарядить телефоны и фотоаппараты.

На ночлег становимся на поляне у развалин генуэзской крепости. Тут же находится еще две местных достопримечательности - громадный платан возрастом более 2,5 тысяч лет и небольшая карстовая пещера с натёчными образованиями.

In the first half of the day we walk along a relatively easy road that gradually rises (300 meters) to the tiny mountain village of Yayla- Kuzdere. Immediately behind it begins a steep climb through the forest. To catch our breath a little, we’ll sit down for lunch in the shade of the plane trees shepherd's hut with an excellent source.

Then the ascent continues in a calmer manner - along a dirt serpentine road through the dark “northern” forest we will slowly but surely move up until we reach a fairy tale. I'm not kidding - this is a real fairy tale called Çukur-Yayla. Huge Lebanese cedars, bizarre rocks eaten away by karst sinkholes and the mighty Olympus (Tahtali) above our heads.

We set up tents and stock up on firewood for the evening gathering. Chukur-Yayla is located at an altitude of more than 1600 meters, at night the temperature It can easily drop to 0 degrees, so it is better to prepare warm clothes in advance and dry wet things.

Today is the most difficult day of the hike. We get up before dawn (like real climbers), have a quick breakfast, pack up the camp and We climb 200 meters up to the saddle of Olympus. Here we hide our backpacks in a crevice and go to the ascent, taking with us raincoats and money. It takes two hours of continuous climbing up a bare rocky slope to the top. In the spring you can easily find leftovers here snow, so it is advisable that your shoes do not look too much like beach slippers. However, wet sneakers will dry quickly under the Turkish sun, so you can just take a change of socks with you.

We start early in the morning to reach the summit before the afternoon clouds gather and envelop the mountain. From the top of the Turkish Olympus - Mount Tahtali (2365 m) you can see the entire coast from Antalya to Finike. And on the opposite side you can see the mighty Bey-Dag mountain range (3070 m) and in general everything is visible... if you catch it before the clouds.

Having admired the beauty of Turkey, we will begin our descent. If you have problems with your knees, then this is no less, and maybe even more of a test, than lifting (I recommend get trekking poles and knee pads). We go down to the backpacks, where we have lunch and dry our shoes. Then the route goes through another enchanted forest with mighty cedars, sudden fogs and dizzying views. We arrive in the village of Beychik and take a minibus. Another hour's drive and we are at the sea, in the village of Chiraly. We set up camp in a campsite 50 meters from the beach and 10 meters from the store. There is a shower, toilet, socket, kitchen. During our stay in Cirali we have dinner at a restaurant, have breakfast at the campsite, and sleep in tents.

Experience has shown that due to the heat, walking along the sea with a backpack is not very fun. Therefore, we leave our things at the campsite in Cirali and from the very In the morning we go to a large radial (for the whole day). We have 2 route options to choose from:

In the evening, at dusk, we will catch a minibus again and go to the main local attraction - the lights of the Chimera. According to Greek myths, the Chimera is a fire-breathing monster assembled from spare parts (lion, goat, snake). The ancient hero Bellerophon on the winged Pegasus defeated the Chimera and her body fell into a gorge near the present village of Chiraly. The legendary monster is buried under a layer of rock, and only tongues of fire have been breaking out to the surface for many thousands of years. And that’s all tourists need - many take food with them and fry it in the flames of the legend.

Утро всецело посвящаем морю. Можно просто купаться, а можно арендовать морские каяки (1 и 2-местные лодочки) и поплыть вокруг живописнейшего хребта Муса-Даг в поисках полузатопленных пещер и скальных коридоров. Лишь вдоволь наплескавшись мы возвращаемся в Чыралы... лишь затем чтобы тут же выдвинутся в небольшую радиалку (1,5-2 часа) к руинам Олимпоса. Олимпос - огромный комплекс античных развалин, который порадует нас ликийскими саркофагами, греческим театром, римскими воротами, генуэзской крепостью. B все это в настоящими турецких джунглях. Отовсюду течет вода, ручьи впадают в реку, река в море, а море... море по прежнему зовет и манит. Главное не забыть, что около 15:00 нас ждет микроавтобус, который отвезет нас в Анталию. Поход по Ликийской тропе завершен!

Около 17:00 прибываем в Анталию, в уже знакомую гостиницу. Большая часть группы (вместе с инструктором) сегодня же вечером отправится на автовокзал, чтобы на ночном автобусе поехать в Гёреме. Их ждет продолжение приключений в виде 3-дневного похода по Каппадокии (край нереальных пейзажей и подземных лабиринтов). Присоединяйтесь!

Если же у вас не получается поехать в тур по Каппадокии, то можно остаться в Анталии. Если вы хотите улететь домой сегодня же, то ищите самые поздние рейсы. Не забывайте, про время на добирание в аэропорт (40 минут) и на регистрацию (2 часа).