Lycian way (400 km)

  The classic Lycian Way route starts near the town of Fethiye in the settlement of Ovacik and ends in the village of Hisarçandır, 30 kilometers from Antalya. But we started our run from the end to the beginning of official start... As always...

  In nine days, we ran 300 kilometers and hitchhiked about 100 kilometers. We covered the most beautiful parts of Lycia, skipping some of the less interesting sections, and concluded that running combined with hitchhiking is the best option for this route...

  Before starting the route, Syrian workers picked us up in their pickup truck, which we hitched on a nearly deserted road. Riding in the truck bed and looking at the mountains was simultaneously interesting and thrilling... We tried to communicate with the young Syrians using gestures and learned a new Turkish word - güzel (beautiful). Indeed, the landscapes and the people were beautiful...

  We swam in the clear waters of the Goynuk Canyon...

   On the first day, we ran through the Goynuk canyons and, having gained some elevation, stopped for the night in the village of Gedelme, near the Ay Market store... The owner allowed us to camp on his land under a chestnut tree and use his water and toilet...

  On the second day, we headed for the summit of Mount Tahtali (2365 m)... Rocks, rocks, and more rocks... Even the trees have adapted to these conditions, growing for many years among the rocky slopes...

 Soon, the vegetation completely disappeared, and the climb to the summit was along rocky paths...

  You can also reach the summit of Mount Tahtali by cable car from the town of Kemer; after all, most people choose that route... So it was surprising to many when we climbed to the summit by stepping over a fence around the perimeter...

   The summit was shrouded in clouds... 

  After descending, we found ourselves again in the world of vegetation...

  We ran past the "Chimera fires" - a natural gas release site on the slope of Mount Yanartaş...

  By the way, near the fires, you can pitch a tent and use the natural phenomenon to cook dinner...

  We planned to camp on a beautiful beach in the Maden Bay... From a distance, the bay looked very nice, but we couldn’t find any good beaches, there was a lot of trash and black sand... 

  Still, the clear water washed away all the negative impressions of the polluted shore. Only on the third beach did we find a well with standing rainwater that even smelled a bit... Here, we stopped for the night, threw our stuff down, and went swimming in the warm sea...

 In the morning, we ran to the settlement of Çıralı...

The Lycian Way passed by the ruins of the ancient city of Olympus, which we entered from the sea side, running along a wide beach in the resort area. Walking along the main avenue of the historic city surrounded by cliffs, we imagined ourselves in antiquity...

   On our way, we had no problems with fruit... Plenty of pomegranates and grapes along the road, which apparently no one picks. Lots of fig trees, both dried and fresh... Green oranges are also sweet and tasty... But the most interesting were the cactus fruits, which you need to open very carefully because you can get many tiny thorns in your fingers for the tasty core...

   Dried fig...

  Fresh fig...

  

  Cactus fruits...

   Green oranges...

  Near the settlement of Andrasan, we encountered trail runners participating in a six-day race on the Lycian Way... At one of the food stations, we also met the organizers of the competition, who warned us about the lack of water on the route and gave us some bottles. We planned to stop for the night near the lighthouse, knowing there should be water there... So we continued along the coast...    

   It turned out that water was available in a well-reservoir near the lighthouse. Before that, a few kilometers away, we found a tray of eggs and pasta left on the trail, which became a good addition to our dinner and breakfast... Thanks to the warm inflatable mats, we managed to camp on a concrete curb under the lighthouse, sheltered from the wind...

  Sunset over the Mediterranean Sea...

   In our plans was to swim from the lighthouse to the nearest islands in the morning... But at the time we planned the swim, big waves had risen. Still, we tried... We descended from the lighthouse through the bushes to the sea, as there are no trails there... Climbing from the rocks into the water despite the big waves... We swam a little more than 100 meters and decided to turn back, seeing how the motorboats ahead were swaying...

 The next swims in calmer water were more successful... The clear sea along some rocky coves enticed us to explore the naturally created semi-caves...

  At the entrance to the public beach, you can sometimes see small places for prayer...

    From the village of Karaoz to the town of Finike, we hitchhiked, as the trail turned into a sidewalk along the highway, about 30 km long... The town of Finike...

   The section of the Lycian Way from Fenike to Demre was one of the most interesting... This part is not popular among tourists... We found ourselves in a real wilderness...

   10 km from the town of Fenike, we came across a homestead with an old couple who live here and graze goats... The grandfather was working on the porch, and the grandmother was busy with household chores. We were "joyfully" greeted by two large dogs, who were probably glad to see someone else... The grandfather, seeing us, started shouting at the dogs, but they didn't listen to him, so he threw a few stones at them... We stood and watched...

  Then, we asked if we could get some water... The grandfather, smiling, directed his grandmother, who fetched us cool water from the well...

  After going a bit further, we stopped for the night in a shepherd’s hut covered with plastic...

  Over thirty-five kilometers, we collected water exclusively from quite specific wells - underground reservoirs, quite common along the entire Lycian Way. The water in them is mostly rainwater with a peculiar taste. Usually, we boiled it, and sometimes we drank it without purification...

   On the way to the former capital of Lycia - Myra... or to the modern town of Demre...

  We reached the town in the bed of a tractor...

   From Demre to Kaş, the Lycian Way ran along the coast...

   For the night, we stopped at the Smugglers Inn harbor bar... Interestingly, "smugglers" translates as smugglers... We just asked if we could get water... But chatting with the owner, we were invited to stay the night. Moreover, we had access to the kitchen and fresh vegetables for a salad. It turned out that the owner of the Smugglers Inn has a Ukrainian wife and at that time was with her eight-year-old son Kolya at the harbor... We spent the evening cheerfully playing various songs on the ukulele and entertained Kolya while his stepfather parked yachts nearby...

In the morning, we set off to Kaş... 

   A type of well with rainwater...

   Landscapes along the trail...

   Volcanic coast...

   Reaching Kaş, we stopped for the night using Couchsurfing with a cheerful girl, Zekki, who works as an emergency nurse. Kaş town...   

   The next day was entirely dedicated to hitchhiking... From Kaş, we headed to Patara Beach... From the town of Kınık to the beach, we were lucky to hitch a ride with a small tractor... A local family picked us up in their truck bed... The father was driving, and three children with the mother were in the truck bed... Riding in the truck bed, we entertained them with our songs, and when we reached the beach, the family invited us for a picnic...       

   On the eighth day, we set off on the last stretch of our journey, from Patara Beach to Ovacik settlement...

 An old olive tree of incredible size...

 Another unusual well... Like a whole temple...

  The trail along the coast...

   The fork to Kabak Beach, which we decided to descend to...

   During the descent, we stumbled upon a picturesque waterfall...

   After resting a bit on the beach, we climbed up again and ran further along the trail...  

  In the evening, we reached Butterfly Valley - a picturesque valley located between cliffs... 

  Along the descent, on particularly steep sections, ropes are sometimes laid. In the valley, we planned to camp, but it turns out it is private property usually visited by tourists by boat... We reached the beach, swam in the sea, and then the "owners" led us to the ascent to make sure we wouldn't stay in the valley for the night. So, we spent the night on top of the cliff...

    The next morning, we ran another 15 kilometers to the settlement of Ovacik and on the morning of the ninth day, we completed the planned route...

   Overall, the Lycian Way left us with beautiful landscapes, the sea with clear water, scorching sun, occasional lack of fresh water, and not very good marking on less touristy sections... We would like to highlight the trails... 85% of the Lycian Way paths are covered with stones, making it difficult to run normally and steadily... Eventually, we slightly reduced the planned running distances...