Hiking Turkey'S Lycian Way

Arrive in Kayakoy; a peaceful farming community close to Fethiye. There are no other activities planned today, if you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Dalaman Airport (DLM) which is a one hour drive. For those arriving on time our leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for the initial tour briefing. After this we have dinner included at our hotel. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. The main trip briefing will take place on the morning of day two. If your flight arrives earlier in the day,there will be the opportunity of taking a walk around the deserted Greek village of Kayakoy right by our hotel. Dominating the mountainside that overlooks the village, Kayakoy has fallen into ruin since the exodus of the Greeks in 1923, forced out by the Treaty of Lausanne. Today its ghostly buildings cast a strange profile against the sky, giving the impression of a town cursed by its turbulent past. We spend the first night at Muzzy's Place, chosen for its location as it ensures a short drive to the trail head on day two and is the only accommodation next door to the ghost town. Kayakoy is a protected area so there is a very limited number of accommodation options suitable for groups and Muzzy's Place was built before the protection order was applied. We have graded this hostel as Simple due to the simple nature of the ensuite rooms and age of the property. There is a swimming pool for those that arrive early. A full dinner is served up until 10pm; if you are arriving later than this a simpler supper of soup and meze is served up until midnight. After midnight it isn't possible for dinner to be provided.

There is a second opportunity to have a short walk around Kayakoy before breakfast. After breakfast we hike from Ovacik village, nestling on the hillside overlooking Oludeniz, and head south up onto the outflung shoulders of Baba Dagi (1989 m). Along the way we are rewarded with fine views back over Turkey's most photographed beach, Oludeniz. Passing through pine forests and remote villages we descend to the village of Faralya which lies on a small plateau above the fjord-like Butterfly Valley, where steep limestone cliffs drop to the sea. Our accommodation tonight is in a simple graded family-run hotel. The rooms although simply furnished are comfortable and clean, with private bathrooms, the rooms may vary in size. Montenegro Motel grow a lot of their own produce and has a small swimming pool (seasonal). It is the perfect spot for sundowner as it looks out over the stunning Butterfly Valley and the coastline. Today's 13 kilometre walk is expected to take around five hours with 600 metres of ascent, the morning is mostly uphill but gradient is never severe.

Starting gently uphill through pine forest, we reach farmland with open fields that soon give way to spectacular terraces with views to the villages far below, as well as across the sea to distant islands. We descend for a while, towards the distant beach and village of Kabak. Skirting the higher slopes of the village we follow an ancient path into a blind valley before climbing up through pine forest again to the tiny village of Alinca. Perched high over the sea we may take a well earned tea break with the villagers before continuing. In the afternoon we pass high above beautiful bays of this spectacular coastline as we continue towards the village of Gey,our destination for the night. Tonight we stay in a traditional village house. Accommodation will be in single sex en-suite rooms of up to four people, depending on the size of our group. Gey is a very typical rural Turkish village and the food and hospitality you will receive is wonderful after a long day walking. Today's 21 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven hours with 850 metres of ascent, relatively steep for about an hour and a half before lunch.