The Lycian Way is one of Turkey’s internationally-marked trails, even the first one. Since Kate Clow’s discovery of the Lycian Way, it allows trekking, camping and nature lovers to spend a few days with spectacular views.
How many kilometers is the Lycian Way? The length of the Lycian Way, which starts from Fethiye and extends to Antalya, is 535 km. This 535 km trail is the longest hiking trail in our country.
When to walk the Lycian trail?
The ancient road of Lycia is located in the southernmost part of our country on the borders of Muğla and Antalya, so the temperatures in the summer months may prevent you from enjoying it.
For this reason, you should consider the season and prefer spring and fall months.
How many days does the Lycian Way take?
Completing the trail depends entirely on you. If you know how many kilometers you can walk on average per day in difficult conditions, you can find the whole path by dividing it by the daily walking distance.
If you can walk an average of 15 kilometers a day, you can complete the trail in 35-40 days.
There is a guidebook called Kate Clow’s Lycian Way, which you can keep with you as a guide to the Lycian Way. Together with the map of the Lycian Way, it is a reference for those who want to explore and understand the places you visit.
In addition to the book, there are also various Lycian Way mobile apps to use GPS to navigate your way without getting lost. With Lycian Way Offline Maps in English and Lycian Way in Turkish, you can follow your route without getting lost. However, you have to pay a small fee for both apps.
The starting point of the Lycian Way in stages is Ovacık, Oludeniz. From this point, you will witness the magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea. The closest airport to the starting point is Dalaman Airport and it is 2 hours away. Along the way you pass villages and settlements.
Every once in a while, water sources will be enough to refresh your water, but in places where water sources are scarce, you need to carry more water with you. In order not to lose your way and to follow the path, you need to follow the red and white signs painted on the rocks, reminiscent of the Austrian flag, or the stone and branch directions called bolas.
The painted signs are regularly renewed by volunteers and municipalities. Seeing the sign means you are on the right path.
The history of the Lycian Way dates back to the 13th century BC. There are many ancient cities built on the Teke Peninsula, which protrudes towards the Mediterranean Sea, during the period of the Lycians, which means the Land of Light.
It is difficult to distinguish between the ancient cities that must be seen on the Lycian Way. If you are going to walk the entire route, be sure to see and examine them all. If you get a Museum Card before entering the ancient cities, you can visit them all for free.
You will encounter important historical buildings such as Patara Ancient City, Letoon and Xanthos Ancient City, Myra, Andriake, Gelidonya Lighthouse, Adrasan, Olympos, Phaselis. Since you will be in touch with nature, you may want to devote some of your time to the sea as you will pass through important points in terms of sea tourism such as Kalkan, Kaş, Simena, Olympos, Adrasan.
What are the needs of the Lycian Trail?
Lycian Trail equipment is the most important issue of the trail, because these are the things that affect your health. There are important things to pay attention to, one of them is the choice of boots.
Having a hiking boot that grips your feet well is an important criterion to complete the trail in the best way. Since the track is constantly up and down, it has to be a boot that grips your ankle and has a non-slip sole.
Accommodation equipment such as tents, mats, sleeping bags, illuminating systems, a first aid kit with sunscreen, batons to balance the weight are among the must-haves.
These are compulsory needs, while clothing, technological equipment and kitchen equipment are up to your discretion. Make sure that your backpack does not exceed 12-15 kg, then you will start to think about what to take out of your backpack that gets heavier along the way.
You have two different alternatives for accommodation on the Lycian walking path. Either pitching a tent anywhere or in areas where camping has been set up before, or choosing the hostels along the way.
It is all a matter of financial situation and taste. If you plan to stay in hostels, you will get rid of materials such as tents and sleeping bags that make your backpack heavier. Staying in a tent provides free accommodation in the view you want.
