With the trees changing leaves and the chilly breezes and cooler temperatures, the Sarı Yaz, which is the Yellow Summer in Türkiye, is one of the best times of the year to hike the historical Lycian Way. In Turkish Likya Yolu, this 555 kilometers (344.8 miles) footpath runs from Fethiye to Antalya. It became marked as a long-distance train that runs around the coast of what was ancient Lycia, a civilization dating back to the Bronze Age, through the efforts of British expat Kate Clow in 1999. Since then, she has written multiple books on this trail and others, such as the Saint Paul Trail, the Evliya Çelebi Way and the Kaçkars.

It takes approximately a month to 45 days to walk the whole path, which many brave, camping or staying at local bungalows and guesthouses along the way. But this trail is just as exciting being discovered, broken down into smaller chunks of time and different regions. Coming up this November, there are a number of great hiking and photography tours that will tackle different regions of the Lycian trail while staying at wonderful destinations along the hills where the Aegean and Mediterranean meet.

Explore Lycia from Babakamp

Babakamp Eco-Ranch and Retreat is a special place to serve as a base to hike along some of the trails of the Lycian Way. Located at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) elevation on Babadağ, overlooking just 25 kilometers from Fethiye, it has guesthouses, bungalows, nomad tents or onsite camping or caravan stays and a revitalizing with breathtaking views, yoga studios and indoors and outdoors calisthenic spaces. Explore Lycia is a special tour event that will take place from Nov. 2 to 6 and will combine daily 2 1/2 hours hike of 10 kilometers or so in length with a guide who speaks English and Turkish with a return to Babakamp each night as a base. Babakamp is a very special location for retreats, the community vibe and the view. There is a 56-person capacity for this event, offering activities on the sidelines such as yoga by day and music by night and some of the most breathtaking viewing platforms and spots all over the site.

Camption tours

The trekking and camping organization offers three different hiking tours of the Lycian way. Route 1 is a tour that spans Fethiye to Patara, Route 2 is from Kalkan to Demre and Route 3 goes from Gelidonya to Antalya. Each of these tours lasts five days and four nights and includes stays in bungalows and hotels along the route. The medium-difficulty hikes take around five to seven hours each day, led by a guide and will start and end at a different location each day. On these tours, all meals are provided, lunch is provided as a lunch box and your luggage is transferred for you to each new destination. Health insurance and even entry to the museums and historical sites along the way are all included in these types of packages. The capacity for the Camption tours is 15 participants.

These tours are also four-nights and five-days long and dates are set throughout November for each one. The first route is from Fethiye to Faralya, a picturesque town that overlooks Ölüdenız and Butterfly Valley. Then there are hikes with views of Kabak Valley and the panoramic vista of Cennet Koyu, which translates as Paradise Bay."

Route Two goes from Kalkan to Demre and includes Kaş, Kekova and Üçağız as its stops. There will be a visit to the vista of Uyuyan Dev, which translates to "The Sleeping Giant" and is a mountain with a silhouette of a giant sleeping man looking off into the distance for what is believed to be his female version on a mountain in the neighboring Greek island of Meis. There are also stops in sites such as Simena the ancient city of Andriake and the carved rock tombs of Demre, which was named Myra and was one of the most important Lycian towns dating back to 300 B.C.

The third route, which goes from Gelidonya to Antalya, takes hikers from the Gelidonya lighthouse, Olimpos, Çıralı and Yanartaş, an eternal flame that burns at the top of a hill accessible via the coast of Cirali. Then a hike up the hilltop called Yanartaş, where people dance by the flames and watch the stars in its shadows. The hike from Çıralı to Tekirova ends with a visit to Phaselis, an ancient spa town on the coast of Antalya near Kemer.

Photography tour

Camption also offers a photography and nature tour of the Lycia way from Nov. 2 to 6, including photography training, daily tours with a guide, the same four nights and five days with accommodation in hotels and bungalows. The hikes will be accompanied by a professional tour guide with lunchboxes and meals provided, luggage transfers and the highlight of a Kekova boat tour. The walks will be on routes through Patara’s sand dunes, Kum Tepeleri, the Bezirgen Plateau, Uyuyan Dev and the ancient Lycian towns of Aperlai, Simena, Andriake and Myra.