Türkiye: Lycian Way, Scuba Diving, and Other Adventures
Roman amphitheater in Kas, Türkiye
In October of 2024, we spent a month in Türkiye. We traveled there with the intention of hiking the Lycian Way, a 335 mile (760 km) trail along the southern coast of the country. October is supposed to be an ideal month to hike the Lycian Way; however, an unusual heat wave caused daily temperatures to soar into the 90’s F (33+ celsius), which was much too hot for us to enjoy a through-hike.
We switched up our plan; instead of backpacking, we used the local bus system to traverse the Lycian Way, moving between trail towns along the Tekke Peninsula, from Fethiye to Antalya. In each town, we stayed up to a week, day-hiking along the trail, exploring Roman amphitheaters and Lykkian tombs, doing a little scuba diving and kayaking, and simply kicking back beachside to enjoy the healing waters of the Mediterranean and lots of seafood.
In addition to Türkiye’s southern coast, we also visited Cappadocia, ‘cause we really wanted to see the mysterious underground city of Derinkuyu for ourselves! Off the tourist beat in Cappadocia, we were surprised to discover loads of scenic hiking trails winding through the region’s iconic fairy towers and ancient cave churches. #winning!
Our month in Türkiye was different than expected, but endlessly exciting: archaeology, rich cultural history, ancient tales, sunken towns and underground cities, fiery mountains that never extinguish, mournful calls to prayer… never a dull day in Türkiye!
Base Towns and Valleys
Via Ferrata and Day Hikes
Multi-Night Treks
