Multi-day journey
Private Lycian Way Trek
A private Lycian Way trek from Ovacık to Kalkan: five walking days in a row, your own guide and car, your luggage moved for you, a boutique hotel every night and three nights on the coast at the end.
Photo: Turkey Your Way
- Length
- 9 days
- Route
- Dalaman → Ovacık → Faralya → Kabak → Gey → Gavurağılı → Xanthos and Letoon → Akbel → Patara → Kalkan
- Style
- Private, guided
- Best time
- Late September and October, or spring. We confirm the walking days for your dates.
Best for Returning visitors
Tour code TR-J09A
Overview
Most of the Lycian Way has no luxury hotel. So at the end of each walking day, a private car waits where the path meets the road and takes you to a boutique hotel. The next morning, it brings you back to the same spot. Our private Lycian Way trek covers five days in a row at the western end of the trail, from Ovacık to Kalkan, with your own guide and your luggage already in your room.
The Private Lycian Way Trek, Day by Day
- Day 1: Ovacık to Kabak, about 18 to 21 km (11 to 13 miles)
- Day 2: Kabak to Gey, about 12 to 18 km (7 to 11 miles)
- Day 3: Gey to Gavurağılı, about 13 km (8 miles)
- Day 4: Xanthos and Letoon, then Akbel to Patara, about 12 km (7 miles)
- Day 5: Patara to Kalkan, about 23 km (14 miles)
Distances change with the variant you walk, so we confirm each day for your dates. You arrive the day before the first walk, and three nights on the coast follow the last one.
From Ovacık to Kabak
First, you start at the beginning of the Lycian Way, which runs for about 760 km (472 miles) toward Antalya. Red and white paint marks the path.
It climbs out of the pines to Faralya, right above Butterfly Valley. Then the trail runs through the forest down to the bay of Kabak, where you can swim before the car comes.
Over the High Ground to Gey
The second day has the biggest climb, about 700 meters (2,300 feet) from Kabak to Alınca. Next, it follows the high ground on to Gey, where your car waits. The third day is easier, with about 13 km to Gavurağılı. After that, you drive to Kalkan and unpack for the rest of the trip.
Xanthos, Letoon and Patara on Foot
On the fourth morning, your guide takes you to Xanthos and Letoon by car. Xanthos was the largest administrative center of ancient Lycia, and Letoon, about 4 km away, was its religious center. Together, they joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. In the afternoon, you walk from Akbel to Patara and its long beach.
The Last Day of the Private Lycian Way Trek
The fifth day is the longest, with about 23 km along the coast. Finally, the trail ends at Kalkan, and the hotel is a short drive away. The next two days have no plan at all, so you can rest your legs by the sea.
A Boutique Hotel Every Night of the Private Lycian Way Trek
For the first nights, we suggest Nautical in Faralya and Lissiya at Kabak. On the coast, Villa Mahal stands on the far shore of Kalkan Bay, with an infinity pool, a beach club and its own sailing yacht. For the last nights, Ahãma on Günlüklü Bay near Fethiye is the alternative, and it is in the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection. We confirm the hotels for your dates.
Your Guide, Your Car and Your Luggage
Your guide sets the pace, so nobody has to keep up with a group. Meanwhile, your driver moves the bags, and you carry only a day pack. Kate Clow waymarked this trail in 1999, and late September, October and spring suit it best. For one day on the same path, take our Lycian Way hike. For valleys and coast together, see our Turkey hiking tour.
Planning this for clients? Our page for travel advisors shows how we work with you. How many kilometers do you like to walk in a day? Tell us, and we set the five days from Ovacık to Kalkan around that number.
Route
- Dalaman
- Ovacık
- Faralya
- Kabak
- Gey
- Gavurağılı
- Xanthos and Letoon
- Akbel
- Patara
- Kalkan
Day by day
-
Day 1 · Fethiye
Arrival
Meeting at Dalaman airport and the drive to your hotel in Faralya.
- Places: Faralya
- Stay: Nautical in Faralya
-
Day 2 · Fethiye
Ovacık to Kabak
The start of the trail, about 18 to 21 km through Faralya above Butterfly Valley, with a swim at Kabak.
- Places: The Lycian Way, Butterfly Valley, Kabak
- Stay: Lissiya at Kabak
-
Day 3 · Fethiye
Kabak to Gey
About 12 to 18 km, with the long climb to Alınca. Your car takes you back to your hotel.
- Stay: Lissiya at Kabak
-
Day 4 · Fethiye
Gey to Gavurağılı
About 13 km on an easier day, then the drive to Kalkan.
- Stay: Villa Mahal in Kalkan
-
Day 5 · Kalkan
Xanthos, Letoon and Akbel to Patara
Xanthos and Letoon by car in the morning, then about 12 km on foot from Akbel to Patara.
- Places: Xanthos and Letoon, Patara
- Stay: Kalkan
-
Day 6 · Kalkan
Patara to Kalkan
The longest day, about 23 km, and the end of the trek at Kalkan.
- Places: Kalkan
- Stay: Kalkan
-
Day 7 · Kalkan
On the coast
A day with no plan: the pool, the beach club or the sailing yacht.
- Stay: Kalkan
-
Day 8 · Kalkan
By the sea, or Kaş
A second day by the sea, or a drive to Kaputaş or Kaş if you wish.
- Stay: Kalkan
-
Day 9 · Kalkan
Home
The drive to the airport for your flight home.
What’s included
Included
- A private licensed guide on all five walking days, in the language you ask for
- A private car and driver for the whole trek
- Pick-up where each walk ends, and the drive back to that spot the next morning
- Your luggage moved between hotels
- Airport meetings and transfers
- A 10 GB eSIM for one traveler in your group, our gift, valid for 30 days (data only)
Not included
- Flights, unless agreed in your program
- Hotel nights, confirmed for your dates; we book the hotels you choose
- Entrance tickets, unless agreed in your program
- Meals and drinks
- Tips
“We had great conversations, learned so much and laughed a lot along the way.”
Practical
- Best time to go
- Late September and October, or spring. We confirm the walking days for your dates.
- Fitness level
- Demanding: five days in a row of about 12 to 23 km on rocky paths, with a long climb on the second day.
- Accessibility
- Tell us how far you like to walk, and we shorten any day.
Gallery
Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How fit do we need to be for the private Lycian Way trek?
You should already walk regularly. The trek has five days in a row of about 12 to 23 km on rocky paths, with a long climb on the second day. You carry only a day pack.
What is the best month for the trek?
Late September and October, or spring. Summer is too hot for long walks. We confirm the days for your dates.
Who carries our luggage?
We do. Your driver moves your bags between hotels, so you walk with a day pack and find them in your room.
What if one of us does not want to walk on a day?
Stay at the hotel or ride with your driver, and join the others at the end of the walk. Your guide stays with those on the trail.
Can we shorten the trek?
Yes. Every day can end earlier, as on the first day at Faralya, and we can also cut the trek to fewer days.
I am a travel advisor. Can you run this for my clients?
Yes. We work with travel advisors, and you see the full program day by day before anything is confirmed. Send us the group and the dates, and we confirm the hotels for them.
Do you choose the hotels on the trek?
You choose them, and we book them for your dates.
Which language does the guide speak?
The language you ask for, on all five walking days.
Can we plan a spring 2027 trek now?
Yes. Tell us the weeks you have in mind, and we plan the five walking days, your guide and your driver around them.
