Via Licia Trekking
Studied, designed, and marked by Kate Clow in 1999, the Via Licia is one of the most well-known routes among trekking and adventure lovers. Located in southern Turkey, the route, 540 km long and passable in 29 days, is a window onto the Mediterranean Sea. Roman roads, ancient ruins, and trails accompany the traveler’s journey, alternating between coast and mountains where, not infrequently, there are tiring and steep slopes.
The terrain, often rocky and crumbly, will help you immerse yourself in the harsh reality that characterized the life of the ancient Lycians, whose civilization was influenced over the years by two powerful peoples: the Romans and the Byzantines. A trekking route, therefore, from ancient history, that will not only bring you into close contact with the culture of the Lycians, (consisting of a) warrior and democratic people with a high standard of living, but will also let you live the past history: you will tread on the same ground where Alexander the Great marched, before it became a province of the Roman Empire.
The Via Licia trekking starts from Oludeniz, 2 hours from Dalaman airport, and ends in Antalya, taking you on a wonderful journey colored by the beauties of the Mediterranean Sea and the ruins of ancient civilizations such as the Lycian and Roman ones. An extremely challenging trekking, but one that will fully immerse you in the present and past Turkish culture, and help you know your limits and try to overcome them.
Points of interest:
- Telmessos: along the way you can admire the ruins of the city of Telmessos, including the prominent tomb of Amyntas.
- Letoon: it is a sanctuary located near Xanthos and in the past was one of the main religious centers of Lycia.
- Kas: one of the last Lycian outposts, today a tourist and fishing center.
- Kekova: island whose seabeds have yielded several Lycian period artifacts belonging to the so-called “sunken city.”
- Demre (today Kale): it is the ancient Myra, the Roman capital of Asia Minor.
Information sheet:
- Country: Turkey
- Official website of the Via Licia
- Length in kilometers: 540
- GPX: n.d.
- KMZ: n.d.
