Guided & self-guided treks · The Lycian Way
Turkey's most celebrated long-distance trail runs 509 km along the Mediterranean, from the hills above Fethiye to Antalya. Walk its finest sections over a few days, swim in hidden coves, sleep in village guesthouses and pass Lycian tombs that have watched over this coast for 2,500 years.
Plan your private tourAbout the trail
Waymarked in 1999 by Kate Clow and local volunteers, the Lycian Way follows old mule tracks and ancient roads from Ovacık near Fethiye to Antalya. The Sunday Times rated it one of the ten best long walks in the world. You do not need to walk all 509 km: we choose a section that suits you, you stay somewhere different each night, and your luggage is waiting when you arrive. Join one of our small groups, walk privately with your own guide, or go self-guided with our route notes and transfers. Pack good boots, a rain jacket and, always, a swimsuit.
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Top sites
From the wild cliffs of the west to the lighthouses and ancient harbours of the east, every stretch of the trail has its own character. Combine as many as you like into one trek.
The Lycian Way starts in the hills above Fethiye, and the first steps are hard to beat: a slow climb through pine forest with the Blue Lagoon of Ölüdeniz and the great bulk of Mount Babadağ below you. By evening you are in Faralya, looking straight down into Butterfly Valley.
This is the Lycian coast at its most dramatic. Dip into the waterfall at Kabak, then follow a path along high cliffs to Alınca and out over the Seven Capes, where the mountains fall straight into the sea and the sunsets go on for ever. Nights are spent in small village lodges and eco-bungalows.
After the steep Gavurağılı descent to Karadere beach, the trail reaches the heartland of ancient Lycia. Xanthos, its capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of pillar tombs and carved reliefs, and the great port of Patara, birthplace of St Nicholas, lies just beyond.
Above Kaş lies a long ridge the locals call the Sleeping Giant, and walking it gives you the whole town, the Greek island of Meis and the sea at your feet. Walk down to the ancient theatre of Antiphellos for sunset, and follow the coast east past beaches you can only reach on foot or by boat.
Walk straight through Aperlai, an ancient city slowly slipping under the sea, past Lycian rock tombs to the waterside village of Üçağız. The next morning a boat glides over the sunken city of Kekova and stops at Kaleköy, a village with no road and a castle on the hill.
The coast path past Çağıllı Beach brings you to Andriake, the old harbour of Myra, where a Roman granary now holds the Museum of Lycian Civilisations. Inland, Myra's rock tombs climb the cliff above its theatre, and the church of St Nicholas is a few minutes away.
At the southern tip of the eastern Lycian Way, an old lighthouse stands alone on Cape Gelidonya, looking out over the island of Suluada. Swim at Korsan Cove, the Pirates' Cove, then walk on to the quiet fishing village of Karaöz.
The ruins of Olympos lie half-hidden among laurel and pine in a green river valley that opens onto the long beach of Çıralı, a village of orange groves and guesthouses. From here the trail climbs onto the slopes of Mount Musa, with wide views along the coast, before dropping to the bay of Adrasan.
The eastern end of the trail starts gently, close to Antalya. Phaselis, an ancient harbour city with three little bays among the pines, is the perfect first stop, and the coast north of Çıralı is a string of coves like Cleopatra Cove and Beycik Bay where you will want to swim.
Recommended tours
Our favourite routes, tried and tested. Book one as it is, or use it as a starting point and we will adjust it for you.
12 days · 11 nightsFethiye · Faralya · Alınca · Kaş · Üçağız · Adrasan · Antalya · Cappadocia · Istanbul
Six days on the Lycian Way, a Kekova boat trip, a summit hike on Mount Tahtalı, then Cappadocia and Istanbul.
Price on request
View the programme5 days · 4 nightsTekirova · Çıralı · Adrasan · Karaöz
Phaselis, Çıralı, Olympos, Mount Musa and the Gelidonya Lighthouse on the wild eastern end of the trail.
From €580 per person
View the programme5 days · 4 nightsBüyükçakıl, Kaş · Üzüm İskelesi · Üçağız · Demre
The Sleeping Giant above Kaş, hidden beaches, the sunken city of Aperlai and a boat day over Kekova.
From €580 per person
View the programme
5 days · 4 nightsFaralya · Alınca · Yediburunlar · Karadere
From the official start at Ovacık over Ölüdeniz, Butterfly Valley, Kabak and the Seven Capes to Xanthos.
From €580 per person
View the programme
7 days · 6 nightsKaş · Büyükçakıl · Üzüm İskelesi · Üçağız · Demre
A relaxed week of walking around Kaş and Kekova, with a boat day, Myra and time to settle in.
From €795 per person
View the programme7 days · 6 nightsFethiye · Faralya · Alınca · Yediburunlar · Karadere
Ölüdeniz, Butterfly Valley, Kabak and the Seven Capes at a gentler pace, ending at Xanthos.
From €795 per person
View the programmeYou walk. We take care of everything else.
Professional guides who know every turn of the trail, every village and every swimming spot.
Carry only a day pack. Your bags travel ahead and are waiting at each night's stop.
Family-run guesthouses, bungalows by the sea and small hotels along the route.
Breakfast, a packed lunch for the path and a home-cooked dinner on walking days.
Airport pick-ups and every short transfer between trail sections.
Professional trekking equipment, site entrance fees and travel health insurance.
Let's plan your holiday
Tick the sections you would love to walk, tell us how many of you are hiking and for how many days, and whether you prefer a guide or a self-guided walk. We will email you a route with a personal price.
Choose the places you would love to see, how many of you are travelling and for how long.
We write a private programme just for you and email it with a personal price.
Change anything you like. We refine the programme with you until it feels just right.
However you like to hike, we can arrange it, from Fethiye, Kaş or Antalya.
Guided treks with fixed spring and autumn departures, guaranteed to run, with never more than 15 walkers. The easiest way to go if you are travelling alone or as a couple.
Your own guide for your family or friends, on the dates you choose. Every one of our treks can run as a private trek, and we can adjust the route to your pace.
For experienced hikers who like to be independent. We book your accommodation and transfers, carry your luggage and give you full route notes and a map. Routes of 3 to 7 days around Fethiye, Kaş and Antalya, on any day you like.
Expect 5 to 7 hours of walking a day on rocky, uneven paths, mostly moderate with some steep climbs and descents.
Our group treks suit walkers aged 12 to 70 who are used to a day's hiking.
Spring and autumn, from March to early June and from September to November. Summer is too hot for long walks on the coast.
Broken-in hiking boots, a rain jacket, a sun hat, a water bottle and a swimsuit for the coves.
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Tell us where you would like to walk, for how long and with whom. We will plan your trek, guided or self-guided, and send you a personal proposal.
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