The Lycian Way
What is The Lyican Way?
The Lycian Way or Likya Yolu is a 500km way-marked hiking trail along the southern coast of Turkey, from Fethiye to Geyikbayiri, taking you across Mediterranean beaches, ancient ruins, through pine forests and up rocky mountains. It was researched and implemented by Kate Clow and Terry Richardson back in 1999 and was last updated in 2014.
How Long Does It Take?
The Trail should take you anywhere between 20 and 30 days with most people completing it in 25. This would involve you walking 20kms each day which may not seem like much however don't forget the ascents, loose ground and all the ruins you may wish to stop by. There are also some fantastic beaches and viewpoints that cannot be missed or rushed.
When Should I Go?
The best two seasons to go are Spring (April-May) and Autumn (September-October), with Spring being the busier of the two. Going in the summer is a really bad idea as the temperatures will be ridiculous and the water sources are less likely to be flowing. Going in Winter will be rainy and very quiet with a lot of restaurants and hotels closed for the season.
I completed the hike in October and the weather was perfect with almost no rainfall, blue skies and quiet accommodation. I was never turned away and restaurants were very grateful for the business. The beginning of the month saw low 30s and towards the end was around 25. The night temperatures range from 20 degrees by the coast to around freezing in the mountains.
How Do I Navigate The Trail?
The trail is completely way-marked with regular cairns and painted markings that are easy to follow, however you need to stay alert as the path does have a tendency to randomly change direction. If you haven't seen a marking in about ten minutes then you have probably gone the wrong way. The exceptions to this are:
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Where new buildings are being constructed across the route, particularly in the hills above Patara Beach (Üzümlü).
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The optional section between Kale and Finike was very badly way-marked, and due to the fewer number of walkers, the path was less worn in so harder to spot.
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Between Olympos and Beycik was a little difficult to follow due to new dirt roads being constructed along the route.
I was very impressed with the quantity on way-markings and can honestly say that I very rarely strode off path. It is advised that you have another form of navigation incase you get lost, but this comes down to personal preference. You can download GPS coordinates and take paper maps however this seemed a little overkill for me as you never really stray that far from civilisation along this trail. My preferred method is the Maps.Me App which is an absolute life safer for any holiday. The trail is mostly marked on it as well as water sources and viewpoints. There is also the official Lycian Way App which I've heard very good things about.
Turn Left
Turn Right
Go Straight
Wrong Way
Where Can I Sleep?
Wild camping is totally legal in Turkey and will likely be some of the best nights you have, however, if this is not for you then there are loads of other options along the route. The cheapest, most immersive and numerous are pensions, which are family homes that provide a nights accommodation plus breakfast and dinner for around 100Lira - £12. The food is amazing but usually vegetarian and the owners are lovely; you should definitely consider staying in them. My favourite stays are listed below:
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Villa Lapaz Esintisi (150 Lira including breakfast and dinner)
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Mozaik Pension (130 Lira including breakfast and dinner)
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Paydos Pansiyon (150 Lira including breakfast)
Is The Food Good?
The food is amazing, mainly because of healthy it is. The Mediterranean diet made me incredibly strong on the trail with all the fresh vegetables, cheese, salad, eggs, fish and homemade bread. I lost weight, was rarely tied, didn't get ill and generally felt all round amazing.
You need to have the fresh Sea Bass when on the coast and dig into that fresh bread that is served with every meal. I love how when you order a dish, you get loads of side dishes to go with it. One thing to note is don't expect too much meat, but instead loads of salad. I'm pretty sure I went vegetarian for a few days however I never remember this being a problem.
Is There Water On The Trail?
There are absolutely loads of springs on the trail, so much so that I rarely bought any water from a store. I also never bothered to purify any of the springs however I did still carry a couple of Chlorine tablets, but never felt the need to use them. Just be aware that some days have more water than others so careful planning and preparation is key.
Deciding how much to carry is another thing to consider. There is much debate around this and I met people carrying over 4 litres which seems crazy to me. If you know there will be a source then in an ideal world you will run out just as you arrive so you're not wasting any energy carrying extra weight, but this is risky as the source may not be flowing. I normally carried between 1 and 2.5 Litres, with my maximum being 3 when I had 30km stretch with no springs. If you plan on cooking then you will need more water for this.
Can You Hike Solo?
You can of course hike solo and I met many people of the trail doing this. I personally prefer this as it allows you to switch off, hike at your own pace, stop when you want to stop and not have to worrying about anything. There are of course dangers to this because you have to do everything yourself including navigate, set up camp and if you were to roll an ankle then you would be in trouble.
How Much Does It Cost?
Turkey is a very cheap place to visit with inexpensive meals, hotels and supermarkets. In total, not including flights, the trip cost me just over £650 and I stayed in a lot of pensions, ate out all the time and had a beer nearly overnight. I have listed below the average cost for a couple of things:
As of October 2019
100 Lira = £13.65 (GB) / $17.51 (US)
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Pension: The normal price is 100 Lira which includes breakfast and dinner with the most expensive and nicest being 150lira. I only paid the higher price a couple of times with one of them being a sunset facing villa on the side of a hill.
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Beer: Expect to pay around 20 Lira in a bar or hotel and 12 Lira in a supermarket.
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Fresh Sea Bass: A good price is 30 Lira.
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Busses: The bus from Antalya to Fethiye cost me 38 Lira. The transport around Antalya was around 6 Lira for each journey.