The mountainous nature of the country and the scenic beauty make trekking tours in Turkey very appealing for trekkers. Turkey has two long distance trekking routes: The Lycian Way -opened in 1999, and The St Paul Trail -opened in 2004. Both trails are 'way-marked' with red-white paint flashes every 100m or less. Both are described in the guide books and maps.
The Lycian Way trail was authorized by the Turkish Government (Tourism and Culture Ministry), and the way-marking was sponsored by Garanti Bank.
The St Paul Trail was authorized by the Forestry Ministry and has not been sponsored yet. Volunteer groups work to keep this trail marked and maintained.
In addition there are a number of shorter trails for trekkers such as Cappadocia White valley or trail stretches over Bodrum Peninsula.
T R E K K I N G I N T U R K E Y
The Lycian way
The Lycian way is about 509 km long way-marked footpath around the coastal belt of Lycia in southern Turkey, from Fethiye to Antalya. The route is graded medium to hard. It is not level walking, but has many ascents and descents as it approaches and veers away from the sea. It is easier at the start near Fethiye but gets more difficult as it progresses. We recommend walking the route in spring or autumn seasons; February-May or September-November. Summer in Lycia is hot, although you could walk short, shady sections. The route is mainly over footpaths and mule trails with mostly over limestone and often hard and stony underfoot. One thing to note, the trail itself is very rewarding, superb panoramas of innumerable islands, capes, bays and coves placed as intricate lace along the coast of Mediterranean.
On the first part of the route, and in Patara, Kalkan, Kas, Myra, Finike, Adrasan, Olympos, Cirali and Tekirova, you can stay in pensions or small hotels. On other nights, you may stay in village houses, or camp out. There are plenty of camping places with nearby spring water sources. you do not have to ask for permission to camp out.
The St Paul Trail
The St Paul Trail is a way-marked footpath from Perge, 10 km E of Antalya, to Yalvac, NE of Lake Egirdir. There is a second branch starting at Aspendos, 40km E of Antalya and joining the first route at the Roman site of Adada. The route totals about 500km.
This project partly follows the route walked by St Paul on his first missionary journey in Asia Minor. It's a wilder route than the Lycian Way, starting at sea level and climbing up to 2200m, with two optional peaks at around 2800m. At the moment there are no signposts on the route, a sponsor needed, but the way-marking is complete. There are also no way-marks on paths through cultural sites.
