The Lycian Way 2: from Kas to Camyuva

After greatly truncating my 2017 walking plans in Turkey due to a chest infection, I decided it was time to continue with my hike along the Lycian Way, which I had started in 2016 and had enjoyed so much. The Lycian Way is a long distance footpath that follows the Turkish coast from near Fethiye for 540 km to near Antalya. In 2016, I had reached as far as Kas in an 18-night trip and this time I planned to continue from Kas towards Antalya during a trip of the same duration. There were a few obstacles in my way this time, including some (advanced!) uncertainty over the location of the path in a couple of places, a three-day mountain stage (Stage 19) with no accommodation, and a division of the path into two alternative sections towards the Antalya end. With the intention of tackling the mountain stages, this time I took with me a small tent, a foam camping mat, and a sleeping bag.

Costs. Flight £193 (including hold baggage). Visa £15. Car parking £56. Fethiye hotel (B&B) €30.60. Liman Agizi hotel (B&B) €22.00. Bogazcik campsite (DB&B) TL78. Ucagiz pension (B&B) €27.00 per night. Demre hotel (B&B) €25.00. Kas hotel 1 (B&B) £24.00 per night. Finike hotel (B&B) €13.50 per night. Karaoz pension (B&B) €30.00. Adrasan hotel (B&B) €40.00 per night. Cirali hotel (B&B) €20.70. Tekirova hotel (B&B) £26.00. Camyuva hotel (DB&B, all-inclusive) £39.00. Kas hotel 2 (B&B) £20.50 per night. Dalaman airport–Fethiye shared taxi transfer £7. Fethiye–Kas bus TL20. Demre–Kas bus TL9. Kas–Finike bus TL9. Camyuva–Kas bus TL23. Kas–Fethiye bus TL20. Fethiye–Dalaman airport bus TL15. Entry fees to ancient sites TL5–TL20. Kas boat trip TL80. Bottle of local beer TL13–TL15. Typical evening meal with drinks TL40–TL70. Total cost of trip £980.

Places I stayed and was happy with. Minu Hotel, Fethiye (Day 1, Read my review); Delos Beach Hotel, Liman Agizi (Day 2, Read my review); Bogazcik camping (Day 3, Read my review); Cennet Pansiyon, Ucagiz (Days 4 and 5, Read my review); Kiyak Hotel, Demre (Day 6, Read my review); Artemis Hotel, Kas (Days 7, 8, 17 and 18, Read my review); Hotel Anadolu, Finike (Days 9 and 10, Read my review); Karaoz Pansiyon, Karaoz (Day 11, Read my review); Buhana Hotel, Adrasan (Days 12 and 13, Read my review); Hotel Olympos, Cirali (Day 14, Read my review); Amore Hotel, Tekirova (Day 15, Read my review); Pasha Princess Hotel, Camyuva (Day 16, Read my review).

Books. The Lycian Way by Kate Clow (Upcountry Turkey, 4th edition); Lycian Way Topographic Map Atlas by Sergio Mazitto (www.abdulaeva.com, 1st edition); The Rough Guide to Turkey (Rough Guides, 9th revised edition).

Maps. I continued to cast the occasional glance at the very approximate map in the back of The Lycian Way by Kate Clow. But this time I also took Sergio Mazitto’s rather niche Lycian Way atlas with me and found it to be much more useful. However, as in 2016, the main navigation method was to keep a lookout for the signposts and paint splodges that mark the way.

See also. The Lycian Way; Patara and Kas; The Lycian Way 3.

Day 1: Travel to Fethiye. Left home at 12.10 pm. Arrived at Edinburgh airport at 1.05 pm. Flight took off at 3.00 pm. Landed at Dalaman at 9.10 pm (local time). Passport control, bag collection, and pre-booked shuttle rendezvous all went smoothly. Shuttle minibus left at 10.05 pm with perhaps 14 people on board. Arrived at very smart, new but small Fethiye hotel (pre-booked) at about 11.20 pm.

Day 2: Bus to Kas; walk to Liman Agizi. Breakfast at 8.50 am. Changed £400 for TL 2225. Booked bus ticket to Kas on internet. Left hotel at 11.25 am. Walked to bus station and caught 12.15 pm bus to Kas. Arrived in Kas 2.35 pm. Bought supplies, including 3 litres of water. Started walking Stage 14 at about 3 pm; the day was very hot. I descended the notorious cliff path very carefully, as in 2017. Arrived at my rustic but friendly hotel (pre-booked) at 4.30 pm (so 1 h 30 min walking) and received a warm welcome from a young Turkish woman. Sat outside my room with the iPad. Moved down to restaurant area at about 7.15 pm. Good chicken dinner served about 8 pm. Retired to my room about 9.20 pm.

Day 3: Walk to Bogazcik. Breakfast at 8.05 am. Departed Liman Agizi at 9.15 am, following Stage 15. The day was extremely hot and I had to beg an additional bottle of water from a Turkish family on one of the quiet beaches. Turned up the final hill at 3 pm where I met and joined forces with a cultured Turkish couple, Unsal and Arzo. After 7.5 h of walking saw a sign saying Liman Agizi was 12 km behind me – so that was 7.5 miles in 7.5 h, or 1.0 mph? Arrived at Bogazcik campsite about 5.15 pm with Turkish couple, so about 8 h walking. Simple bean stew dinner served at about 6.50 pm. The Turkish couple pitched their tent in the garden but I decided just to bed down inside the “cafe” just after 8 pm with my sleeping bag and mat.

Day 4: Walk to Ucagiz. Woke at about 6 am. Looked outside – straight at a Little Owl perched on a tree stump in the garden. Breakfast at 8 am. I then had to do a bit of re-packing as I had decided to send my tent and sleeping bag ahead to Ucagiz along with Unsal and Arzo’s stuff, which they had arranged with the campsite owner. Started walking along Stage 16 with my new friends at 8.55 am. Passed very weary and thirsty Ukrainian/Czech group coming the other way. Interesting ruins of Aperlae. Reached Purple House for lunch (soup and salad) at 12 noon. Departed 1.15 pm. Reached Ucagiz and my pansiyon (pre-booked) at 4.15 pm (so 7 h 20 min walking with 1 h 15 min for lunch). Did some iPadding and took a brief look around the village. Dinner (lamb koftas) at 7 pm.

Day 5: Explore around Ucagiz. Breakfast at 8.10 am. Walked and climbed around ancient Teimiussa; fascinating! Had a couple of beers and chicken kebab lunch in harbour-side restaurant. Came back to my pansiyon for a snooze. Dinner at 6.50 pm. Retired to my room about 8 pm.

Day 6: Walk to Demre. Left pansiyon 8.45 am. Bought 2 litres of water. Started walking Stage 17 at 8.50 am. Detoured to ancient Simena and its Genoese castle. Had an interesting encounter with a pair of Ottoman Vipers, Europe’s largest truly venomous snake. Bought a further 0.5 litres of water at strange Smugglers Inn with its remarkable sign on the bar. Stopped at new community cafe and met amusing Turkish hikers Metten and Bulent who bought me tea. Reached Andriake campsite at 4.10 pm (so 7 h 20 min for the stage) and said farewell to my (latest) new friends. Reached my comfortable hotel (pre-booked) in Demre at 5.05 pm, so 8 h 15 min walking (with 1 h extended tea stop). Went out for kebab and beers in the town.

Days 7-8: Return to Kas. This was where I abandoned my original plan, which had been to spend three days walking the extended Stage 19 of the Lycian way with my tent. The weather was so hot that I felt it was too risky to go on my own into the mountains, unsure of whether I would find water there. And there was no way I could carry enough water for three days. So I decided to leave Stages 18 and 19 for another year and return to Kas for a couple of nights (foolishly, I had pre-booked my accommodation beyond Demre and so could not proceed immediately to Stage 20). I visited Andriake, the port of ancient Myra, and toured the new museum there which is based around Hadrian’s granary before returning to my Demre hotel and collecting my rucksack. The bus left at 2.15 pm and I arrived in Kas at 3 pm and found my nice hotel, which I had booked the previous day. The next day I took an 8.5-h boat tour around Kekova island and ancient Simena and Teimiussa (which I had seen on the previous two days). There were three stops for swimming and lunch and afternoon tea were included, all for TL80 (about £16).

Day 9: Travel to Finike. Checked out of hotel at 11 am and went to bus station ready to catch 11.20 am. But I had a text from the nice Turkish lady from Liman Agizi and went for a coffee with her instead. Got on 12.40 pm bus and arrived in Finike at 2.15 pm. Walked to my excellent hotel (pre-booked), which was 3 km out of town, arriving 2.50 pm. Walked back (!) into Finike for dinner but even then had very great trouble finding a reasonable looking restaurant. My impression of Finike was that it is a dump, but maybe I had been spoiled by lovely Kas.

Day 10: Explore around Finike. Breakfast at 8.50 am. Of course, I had planned for a rest day after doing the three-day Stage 19 and so had booked two nights in Finike. Left hotel at 10.30 am. Walked to ancient Limyra arriving about 11.20 am. Looked round theatre and disappointing main site. Walked back to my hotel, arriving at 1.45 pm. Went out for dinner at about 8.10 pm to a nearby hotel where they had an inexpensive buffet. Back at my hotel at about 9.05 pm.

Day 11: Walk and dolmus to Karaoz. On the road again at last! Stage 20 is along roads the whole way, some quite unattractive, and the recommendation is to use buses as much as possible. Breakfast at 9.10 am. Caught dolmus about 10.50 am and was ejected – too early! – at about 11.05 am. It seems no one understands maps in Turkey! Walked till about 12.15 pm when I caught another dolmus (with the help of a friendly passerby with a mobile phone, who summoned a dolmus for me), heading for Mavikent. Got off at about 12.25 pm, bought water, and started walking again. Did not like the road walk. Arrived in Karaoz at 2.35 pm but headed for the beachfront bar first to have a beer and use the WiFi. Came to my pansiyon (pre-booked) at about 3.30 pm and a somewhat chaotic welcome. Went back to beachfront restaurant for dinner at about 6.30 pm. Returned to my pansiyon about 8.40 pm.

Day 12: Walk to Adrasan. Breakfast at 8 am. Left pansiyon at 8.40 am. Reached the Gelidonya lighthouse at 11.15 am. Stopped for 30 min talking to fellow walkers. Started walking again at 11.45 am and, after reaching the first 400 m high point, teamed up with a solo Turkish walker from Istanbul. I made the mistake of telling him that it was my birthday that day. We reached the second 400 m high point at 4 pm, very tired and getting short of water. Reached the dirt track – and flowing spring – at 4.50 pm. What joy to stick my head under the tap! Reached my large modern hotel (pre-booked) at 5.30 pm (so 8 h 50 min walking for Stage 21). Went for dinner at 6.50 pm.

Day 13: Explore around Adrasan. Morning rain. Breakfast at 8.30 am. Repaired my only pair of long trousers, which I had torn the previous day. Left hotel at 10.45 am and walked up and down long beach, returning to my hotel at 12.05 pm. Slept most of the afternoon. Went out for dinner at 7.40 pm.

Day 14: Walk to Cirali. Breakfast at 8 am. Left hotel at 9.10 am. Took the route in my map book rather than the canonical one in Kate Clow’s guide. Reached the rustic “summit cafe” at 12.50 pm and had a tea. Took up with a Turkish walking party and their friendly Anglo-Turkish guide, Serra. Descent down rough and overgrown path. Reached ancient Olympos at 4 pm and said goodbye to my (very latest) new friends. Looked round the ruins, which were utterly fabulous. Reached my hotel (pre-booked) at 5.10 pm (so 8 h walking for Stage 22 in total). Went out for dinner to beach restaurant.

Day 15: Walk to Tekirova. Breakfast at 8.30 am. Left hotel 10.15 am. Walked along road and arrived – finally! – at start of path at about 11.05 am. Rocky path around coast until main Maden beach and its old mine workings. Then things got a bit confusing but I found the dirt track to Tekirova at about 1.15 pm. Then it was just a long boring slog – and an increasingly wet one. Arrived in Tekirova 4.45 pm (so about 6 h 30 min walking for Stage 23B). Found my smart hotel (booked the previous day) at 5.10 pm. A very gruelling day! Went out for dinner at about 7.10 pm.

Day 16: Walk to Camyuva via Phaselis. Huge breakfast at 8.05 am. Weather hot and sunny again. Left hotel at 9.55 am. Walked along road but then got stuck in car park. Followed track, crossing a huge puddle, and came down to beach. Walked along beach and over headland, reaching ancient Phaselis. Looked around and then continued walking along Lycian Way coast path, here marked mainly with blue and yellow paint splodges. Got a bit lost at small cove, perhaps distracted by the horrible, annoying party boats offshore. Reached D400 main road and left the Lycian Way for the final time this trip at 2 pm (I had been on Stage 24B) and walked another 30 min into Camyuva and found my luxury all-inclusive hotel (booked the previous day) at 2.30 pm (so 4 h 30 min walking, including looking around Phaselis). Sat in pool area and did some iPadding. Went back to room about 6 pm but then came back down about 7 pm for my good all-inclusive buffet dinner. Retired to my room at 8.45 pm.

Days 17-18: Return to Kas. Breakfast at 9.05 am. Checked out at 11.50 am. Walked to bus stop on D400 and got on crowded bus at 12.25 pm. Arrived Kumluca at 1.30 pm and Demre at 2.45 pm. Arrived Kas 3.30 pm and found my hotel (booked the previous day). Went out at 4 pm and bought new trousers (!) and some food. Then I did very little, both for the rest of that day and the next. I mooched around town, sat by pool and swam a couple of times, and sat on my balcony.

Day 19: Travel home. Breakfast at 8.45 am. Checked out and left at 11 am. Sat in a seafront bar for a while. Collected bag from hotel and bought bus ticket at about 1.15 pm. Bus left at 1.30 pm. Arrived in Fethiye at 4 pm, a bit late because of a check by the traffic police. Got on 4.30 pm Havas bus. Arrived at airport at 5.40 pm. Check in opened about 7.25 pm and I was at the front of the queue. Plane took off at about 10.15 pm, maybe 30 min late. Landed at 12.35 am. Home at 2.15 am.

Wildlife seen. Greek Tortoise, Caspian Turtle, Starred Agama, Green Lizard, Ottoman Viper, Little Owl, Violet Dropwing, Indigo Dropwing, Red-veined Dropwing, Southern Skimmer, Scarce Chaser, Broad Scarlet, Spurge Hawk Moth (caterpillar), Spoonwing Lacewing.

Other useful links. Official Lycian Way website

An alternative account of (nearly) the full walk

Taxi transfer from Dalaman

Buses to and from Kas, etc.

Reflections. Although not quite as successful as the 2016 version, this was still a very good walking trip – while Turkey remained as wonderful as ever. The walking on Days 3, 4, 6, 12 and 14 was every bit as good as I found between Ovacik and Kas in 2016. However, there was some rather dull walking, in particular on Days 11 and 15. But the big disappointment for me was my decision to miss out on Stages 18 and 19 because of the difficulty of finding water. I had, of course, carried a tent with me specifically for these stages! Still, that means I have an excuse to go back again, to do Stages 18 and 19 and also to do the alternative Stages 23A (starting at Cirali), 24A and 25A and the final Stages 26-29.

© 2019 The Untravelled World