The Lycian Way West
- Walk the western section of Turkey's Lycian Way
- Visit the abandoned ghost village of Kayakoy
- Incredible views over turquoises blue bays
- The ancient ruins of Phellos and Patara
- Overnight stays in authentic family-run Turkish pensions and small hotels
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive at Dalaman Airport; included transfer to accommodation in KasArriving at Dalaman Airport, transfer to your hotel (approx 2.5h) in the lively little resort village of Kas. With plenty of restaurants serving delicious Turkish meze settle in and enjoy your first night in beautiful Turkey.
This charming small hotel overlooks the coast. Dine in the hotel’s restaurant or in the garden to admire the sea views. There is sea access to take a dip in the turquoise waters and sun loungers to relax on. Bedrooms have Wi-Fi access, hairdryer, safe and minibar, and most have a balcony.
Your walk today begins with a 15-minute transfer up into the hills inland to the vicinity of Bayindir Village in the Gelibolu Valley. During your walk, you can take a swim at Limanagzi Beach and also at Big Pebble Beach which is just before the return into Kas.
For those who prefer to spend more time relaxing and swimming at Limanagzi Beach, the last 1.5 hours of the hike can be cut and a frequent water taxi can be used to return to Kas from the beach. (Payable locally at around €5). For more walking, enjoy an exciting section of the walk that takes in some ancient ruins, a short but steep climb up steps hewn from rock and some great views.
Ascent/Descent: 183m/338m
This charming small hotel overlooks the coast. Dine in the hotel’s restaurant or in the garden to admire the sea views. There is sea access to take a dip in the turquoise waters and sun loungers to relax on. Bedrooms have Wi-Fi access, hairdryer, safe and minibar, and most have a balcony.
The Lycian Way heads inland here and gives you terrific views of the mountains that lie just away from the coast (the western end of the Toros mountain range). You will pass the ruins of ancient Phellos, atop a mountain —almost so remote as to be a secret! Through pine forests and over long ridges with epic views, you will eventually descend back down a long mountain slope. At the end of the day transfer from Gokdere to the village of Patara.
Ascent/Descent: 296m/526m
Dardanos Hotel is located in the center of Patara, the heart of the historical Lycian region which boasts beautiful scenery going along the coastline. Each room within the hotel has it's own balcony, a private bathroom and air conditioning. The hotel offers a large swimming pool, with a great view of the hotel garden. The pool area is equipped with deck chairs and tables, along with a relaxing garden bar.
A short transfer will take you to the Roman Delikkemer Aquaduct. From here walk back to Patara via its famous ruins and long sandy beach. The sprawling ruins of Patara, which was once the major naval and trading port of Lycia, include a necropolis, basilica, theatre and lighthouse. Take your time to explore before either visiting the beach or returning directly to your hotel.
Ascent/Descent: 82m/195m
Dardanos Hotel is located in the center of Patara, the heart of the historical Lycian region which boasts beautiful scenery going along the coastline. Each room within the hotel has it's own balcony, a private bathroom and air conditioning. The hotel offers a large swimming pool, with a great view of the hotel garden. The pool area is equipped with deck chairs and tables, along with a relaxing garden bar.
After a short transfer to the village of Sidyma, discover the little-explored ruins in which include remains from the Roman Imperial age including tombs, sarcophagi, bath, temple and church. You will then climb over a mountain pass, through a windswept and beautiful valley before a short descent, making your way to the village of Gey and the idyllic lighthouse hotel. Dinner is included at your hotel tonight.
Ascent/Descent: 452m/414m
A delightful boutique hotel set amidst dramatic mountain peaks. There are just 11 individual rooms all of which are beautifully decorated and you can enjoy superb organic food served in the most beautiful of settings.
A morning transfer will take you from Gey to Alinca. The views here along the coast to Olu Deniz and the Seven Capes are quite. Descend through the valley to the village of Kabak and then walk along the southwest slope of Baba Dag mountain to Faralya with views of pine trees on one side and the turquoise sea on the other. The towering cliffs with improbably steep forests are reminiscent of the mountainscapes of Canada and are a real change from the previous days trekking.
A picnic lunch is included to enjoy along the way today, as well as an included dinner at your hotel tonight.
Ascent/Descent: 275m/703m
The Montenegro offers bungalow-style rooms in a beautiful location at the top of Butterfly Valley. You will be given an incredibly warm welcome from the owners, and they serve delicious home-cooked meals.
From Faralya, ascend up a steep valley to the traditional village of Kirme with its terraced barley fields and where locals harvest olives and keep goats and cattle. Continue over the Baba Dag mountain range, through fields of boulders and crisp pine forests. The path opens up and descends a steep mountain path, with paragliders above and goats surrounding you before finally descending down to Ovacik, the turquoise bay unbelievably bright, iridescent in the sunshine.
A picnic lunch is included today.
A short transfer will take you from Ovacik to the small village of Kayakoy where you will overnight. It is also possible to explore the abandoned ghost village of Kayakoy. This once bustling Greek settlement nestled against the Taurus mountains was abandoned in the 1920’s for political reasons and walking through its empty streets makes for quite an experience.
Ascent/Descent: 594m/548m
A family-owned property offering complete tranquillity, spectacular scenery and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. All the rooms have a balcony and free Wifi. Enjoy relaxing by the delightful poolside bar and perhaps eat dinner on the outside terrace.
Check out after breakfast, and you will be transferred back to Dalaman (1hr20) for onward travel connections.
This trip has a carbon score of 18kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 18kg is equivalent to 1 8-oz steak. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?The west section of the Lycian Way offers shorter but steeper walks than the east section with slightly more rugged terrain, and lots of ancient history. Stay overnight in authentic, family-run pensions and small hotels including a beautiful and unique lighthouse hotel.
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This walking holiday is graded moderate. On some days there are significant elevation gains and losses and therefore you should be a regular walker and have a good level of fitness to gain full enjoyment from this tour.
It should be noted that the terrain in Turkey is quite rocky and stony. Some trails are smooth, but you may need to negotiate this uneven terrain from time to time, so you will need to be pretty sure-footed and have good balance. We recommend walking poles for this tour and using walking shoes or booots with good ankle support.
The weather in Turkey is normally hot and sunny for the most part, so it's important to carry plenty of water and to have sun protection and a sun hat with you. Some sections of the route offer very little in the way of shade and water refill points are infrequent at best.
Those with a fear of heights or moderate-severe vertigo should consider that on day 2 there is a short but steep cliff ascent on stone steps. There is rope for support. This section of the walk is avoidable by using the optional water taxi to return to Kas. Also, on day 6 there are short stretches across scree slopes, where the path is narrow.
You will stay in family run guesthouses, and hotels, usually of a 3 or 4* standard. In most cases all of the accommodations have a swimming pool.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms within your party we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. This tour is also available to solo walkers. In most cases single rooms will be a double for sole use, but this cannot be guarenteed.
Meals
Breakfast is included each morning. A picnic lunch is included on some days (see what included section for details of this). On other days you can buy lunch from a local shop or cafe before you leave or ask your accommodation if they can prepare a picnic for you. Dinners are also included on a couple of days. On other days you may eat at your accommodation or there are plenty of local restaurants to choose from.
The Lycian Way is an official long-distance trail and is way-marked with red and white painted signs. On this tour you will be following the Lycian Way for the most part (although you do follow other paths too) and we will provide comprehensive route notes and maps. You will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone’s GPS so using this combined with the provided route notes and maps means you should have no problems finding your way.
- Accommodation in en suite rooms in charming hotels and guesthouses on a twin share basis
- Daily breakfast
- 2 dinners
- 2 picnic lunches
- Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
- Dalaman Airport transfers at the start and end of the tour
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Door to door baggage transfers as per your itinerary
- Telephone support from our offices and local partner in the event of a problem
- All your trip documents including a detailed information pack provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
- Lunches and dinners aside from those that are shown in the inclusions
- Drinks and snacks
- Turkish visa and any applicable visa fees
- Travel insurance (required) and personal equipment
- Any additional transfers or public transport required to shorten the walks or skip a stage
- Additional nights before, during or after the tour
- Room upgrades
You can start this trip on any day between April to May and from September to October. As it gets so hot in Turkey during the middle of summer, we do not recommend this walk in June through to August.
Time of Year
You should expect a warm Mediterranean climate with usually clear, sunny days from March right through to around September, although rain is possible at any time of year. In March the spring is starting to arrive and the amount of rainfall is lessening. It's a good time to go walking before the temperatures in Turkey start to The springs months offer warm sunshine, fewer crowds, and pleasant walking conditions. May is when most wildflowers are coming into bloom. The autumn months are also a favourable time of year, boasting cooler weather and a striking landscape made up of autumnal colours. In autumn, you can also expect some thunderstorms, normally in the afternoon or evening. It's worth noting that the earlier or later in the year you choose to travel the higher the likelihood of rain (October-March is when the rainfall is more likely). Also before May and in late October some local shops, and restaurants may have reduced opening times or have closed for the winter. If the accommodation has a swimming pool these will normally be closed prior to June and after September.
Dalaman Airport is the most convenient airport to both the beginning and end points of the tour and is served by low cost and charter airlines from throughout the UK. These include Thomson, Easyjet, Jet2, Monarch and Fly Thomas Cook. This airport is also served by regularly scheduled airlines such as Turkish Airlines. Transfers to and from your first and last night’s accommodations are included. Please provide us with your flight arrival and departure information as soon as possible after booking.
Your bags will be transferred between your accommodation as per your itinerary. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20 kg per person.
The distances and ascents/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all the necessary items, for example, sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack. Walking poles are recommended as the terrain can be quite rocky. A compass is also recommended.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the accommodations do fill up quickly. However, we will always try our best to accommodate your plans.
This walking holiday is graded moderate. On some days there are significant elevation gains and losses and therefore you should be a regular walker and have a good level of fitness to gain full enjoyment from this tour.
You will need good walking shoes/boots, comfortable walking clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, a daypack, warm clothing in the early/late part of the year and hats etc during the summer. We supply a detailed packing list with your information pack.
The Lycian Way is nice walked anytime between April and June and then in September and October. July and August are generally too hot for alking. A favourite time is in spring when the flowers are blooming but it is also nice in October when it has started to cool down.
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