On one side, the blue of the Mediterranean Sea that appears occasionally along the road, and the lush forests on the other… Revealing all the beauties of nature on a single route, the Lycian Way is much more than just a walking track. If you say: “Let’s take a road so that we can see our limits, face our sweaty selves, but the landscape we will see at the end will definitely be worth the road we took,” the Lycian Way is exactly the place you want.
This place is also like a natural bridge connecting the past and the present. The Lycian Way, which attracts the attention of thousands of local and foreign people, has been attracting great attention since 1999, especially in the summer seasons. Starting from Fethiye and continuing to Antalya’s Beldibi town, the Lycian Way is a long-distance path on a part of the ancient Lycian coast in southwest Turkey. This unique place was brought to tourism by Kate Clow in 1999.
The Lycian road is 535 kilometers. This road may take 25 to 45 days depending on your walking speed. Since the hikers generally walk in certain sections on this road, they prefer to progress piecemeal instead of finishing all at once. There are more than 20 tracks for walkers on the Lycian Way, each stop of these tracks is like a time travel to the depths of history! It is very challenging to finish all the tracks of the Lycian way, but those who want to walk on this road will pass through the unlimited view of a perfect nature and get lost in the infinity of the sea.
Lycian Route
Starting from Fethiye and extending to the Beldibi town of Antalya and located on the Teke Peninsula, the road is surrounded by the Gölhisar district of Burdur in the north, the Mediterranean Sea with its deep blue sea in the south, the Köyceğiz district of Muğla in the west and the center of Antalya in the east. Hikers generally prefer to start this long and difficult journey from Fethiye Hisarönü as it is easier. Walking the Lycian way, which is one of the longest hiking trails in the world, is a very difficult task, and it is dangerous to walk on this road in all seasons. If you do not want to make the road unbearable by burning from the scorching temperatures of the region or if you do not want to walk in the winter, the best time for you will be spring or autumn. However, this unique view will of course fascinate you every period.
After choosing the right time, it’s time to walk this challenging road. There are many stages on the Lycian Way that separate them according to different difficulty levels. On these trails, people who want to walk can choose according to their walking experience and equipment. When choosing between trails with different difficulty levels, you should not forget how experienced you are in trekking.
When choosing the track you want to walk according to yourself, starting from Fethiye to Beldibi, you can create a track from
Ovacık – Faralya – Kabak – Alnca – Bel – Gavurdagi – Xanthos – Kınık – Akbel – Patara – Kalkan – Sarıbelen – Gökçeören – Çukurbağ – Kaş – Harbor Mouth – Bogazik – Üçağız – Çayağız – Myra – Finike – Karagöz – Adrasan – Çıralı – Tekirova – Roman Bridge – Göynük Yayla – Göynük – Hisarçandır – Çitdibi – Geyikbayırı points.
You can create your own route on this track that offers the opportunity to start from wherever you want. In addition, there are 19 ancient cities that you should see while you are here. It is important information for your journey that they arranged the Lycian Way stages according to these ancient cities.
Things to Consider on the Lycian Way
The Lycian way is as dangerous as it is difficult, but by being careful during the walk, you will have minimized the dangers. First of all, in this adventure where you will be intertwined with nature, various animals such as scorpions, snakes and bees that you can see on the road do not attack without feeling in danger. However, it will be in your best interest to carry a first aid kit with you for situations such as falling, biting, and stinging. Skipping the villages on the road can make the road unbearable for you. You can meet your urgent needs such as water, food, charging in the places you will see on the road.
You should definitely pay attention to the signs on the Lycian Way track. The red one of these signs left on the tree and rock means “dead end”. While the red and white signs tell you that you are on the right track, if you cannot find a tree or rock to mark, you can see the road indicators with stones stacked on top of each other.
You may not know for sure what will happen on the Lycian road, so the things you need to take with you are very important. First of all, if you are thinking of camping, you definitely need to buy camping equipment. If you are going to stay at the hotel, you should not forget personal cleaning products such as slippers, shampoo, moisturizer. Appropriate clothes and sneakers for trekking, a hat that will protect you from the sun, sunglasses so that you can see the front comfortably, and sunscreen in order not to deal with unnecessary burns in the evening are the most important things you should buy, no matter what season it is. Depending on the season, you can also buy a windbreaker or a raincoat. GPS and power bank will make it easier to get around without getting lost. Towels, flashlights and fly spray that you can carry along the walk are among the things you should take with you.
Finally, one of the first things you should put in your bag is the book called Lycian Way Guide, you can find many resources on the internet for this, as well as a website belonging to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Just click here (https://likyayolu.ktb.gov.tr) to go to the page.
