SEPTEMBER 2: ANTALYA
Arrive Antalya airport; transfer to pension in old city. Dinner in restaurant overlooking the sea.
SEPTEMBER 3: ASPENDOS
Drive 1 hour to site of Aspendos, the best preserved Roman theatre in Turkey; explore theatre, aqueduct and city remains. Drive (45 min.) to a cave in the Taurus Mountains, remarkable for stalactites and stalactites. Lunch stop for picnic near the cave or a pool. Drive to riverside restaurant and pension.
SEPTEMBER 4: FOREST WALK
Transfer to start of walk at Saraycik (40 min.). Climb steep migration tracks to a pass in forest of strawberry trees and pines, passing a shepherd's house. Follow migration route through strange rocks formations and down to the Koprulu River. 10 min. transfer to riverside pension with garden restaurant. (8 hours walking).
SEPTEMBER 5: RAFTING
Rafting on the Koprulu Canyon. A half-day rafting trip down the canyon on 8-person rafts, with a local guide. Riverside walk to a farmhouse near the river; optional swim. Dinner/night in farmhouse. |
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SEPTEMBER 6: SELGE
Cross the river by a natural bridge where the river foams over rapids; opportunity to swim. Climb the canyon walls on goat paths and continue through a landscape of fairy chimneys and other rock formations to the village of Selge, set amidst the ruins of the Greco-Roman town of the same name. Opportunity to explore this beautiful, unexcavated site; we have dinner and camp at a village house adjacent to the theatre. (4 hours walking)
SEPTEMBER 7: ANCIENT ROMAN ROADS
Walk from the theatre along ancient Roman roads around lovely valleys to the village of Delisarnic, where there are unusual natural rock formations; descend to Kestanelik (village of Chestnuts) where every stone house is wreathed in grapevines. Join the Sarp Yolu, an ancient paved track running across limestone to the small town of Caltepe. Dinner and night in Caltepe, in a converted farmhouse. (7.5 hrs walking)
SEPTEMBER 8: HIGH PASTURES
A climb on mule path up the hills behind Caltepe to the meadows where the villagers traditionally gather thyme and oregano, and pasture their goats. Our luggage is transported by mule. Meander past wells and through groves of oaks and cedars through a landscape of limestone hollows and peaks. Reach the summer pastures; camp near the small wooden summer houses. Dinner will include fresh yoghurt and cheeses from the shepherds. (7 hours walking)
SEPTEMBER 9: VILLAGES
Descend from the yayla pastures past the summer village of Belova and down a narrow path which navigates a steep sided pine-filled valley to the village of Kuzdere. Descend rocky hairpins and cross the river to the village. Camp by stream or stay in village house. (7 hours walking)
SEPTEMBER 10: BEYDILI
30 minute transfer to Cimenova. The most spectacular walk of the trip. With our sleeping kit, we make an ascent through ancient cedars to the bare summit of the limestone ridge south of Sarp Dagi. The beautiful cobbled mule road contours along the ridge and descends through a tiny summer village to Beydili - a unique village built entirely of old stone and timber houses. Dinner and night in old school building. (7 hours walk)
SEPTEMBER 11: KOPRULU RIVER
From high to low - a descent from Beydili first through farmland, then through shady pines down into the valley of the Koprulu River. Cross the river on a wooden bridge; picnic and swimming opportunity. Climb old roads and pass between rock formations to the pretty village of Cukurca. A short walk from Cukurca across a gorge and up Roman roads takes us to the local market town of Kesme, with an opportunity to visit various minor Roman sites en route. Explore the town, dinner and night in local house. (4-5 hrs walking)
SEPTEMBER 12: CANYON WALK
A spectacular route which takes us over the rim of the canyon on old paved paths, down through rock formations to a bridge over the river, and up into the town of Kasimlar, sited on the canyon slopes and with incredible views down the whole length of the canyon. Dinner and accommodation in a village house in this quaint town. (6 hours walking)
SEPTEMBER 13: FOREST WALK
Walk from Kasimlar along a ridge top to the ruins of a Byzantine church. Descend through forest to the Forest Park at Tota. Explore the forest, which has miniature wild tulips, and other bulbs and spectacular views. Transfer to Egirdir for a night in a pension by the lake (6.5 hours walking; 1 hr transfer).
SEPTEMBER 14: EGIRDIR LAKE
Early morning boat trip on Egirdir Lake. Transfer to site of Adada; explore the site and walk down the original Roman road which St Paul used; maybe short canyon walk. Return to Egirdir. (4 hours walking plus exploring site; 2 transfers)
SEPTEMBER 15: ANTALYA
Drive for 3 hrs to Antalya; optional visit to the museum or just sightseeing and shopping. Dinner overlooking the sea; pension in old city.
SEPTEMBER 16: DEPARTURE
Airport transfer and flight.
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