world without visas around the world with valery shanin lycian way is a part of the project "world without visas", in which valery shanin travels only in visa-free countries. in this journey his companions were oleg semichev from tashkent jane from irkutsk kate klementieva from sakhalin island mikhail ivanov from almaty and sergey chernyshev from petropavlovsk-kamchatsky turkey: the lycian way in ancient times the region located in the south-west of asia minor, in the area of the teke peninsula, was called lycia.
from the west it was bordered with karya from north - phrygia and pisidia from east - pamphylia on the south was the mediterranean sea. the coastline of lycia is rocky. there are many bays, islets and sheltered coves. internal areas are occupied by fertile valleys separated by spurs of the taurus range. at the end of xx century englishwoman kate clow made a hiking trail “lycia wayâ€. one of the most popular hiking trails in the world.
disparate roads, trails, and goat paths are connected in a single path, with a total length of 509 kilometers. the trail is marked by red and white marks. in some places there a lot of them, in others — just a few. sometimes marks are invisible in dense vegetation. there are some road signs as well. direction to the nearest historical attractions or large settlement. you can walk on the path without a guide. of course, sometimes you will be confused. tourists try to help each overs.
in the most difficult places they bild hand made rock pyramids. lycian way is going along the mediterranean coast of turkey from fethiye to antalya. forests and mountains, agricultural areas and ancient ruins, towns and abandoned villages. you can walk on the trail without a tent. from one guesthouse to the another are not more than one day's walk. very often you will see restaurants, snack bars and grocery stores. there is another option. you can take tent, cooking on the campfire, sleep under the stars. there are no official campsites in turkey.
but you cat put your tent where you want. it's easy to find a good firewood for the campfire. there is not any shortage of water. there are many springs and rivers, lakes and wells. you can fill you bottle in any house as well. turkish people are very hospitable. they love foreigners. local residents try to help you solve any problem. they often invite you for a cap of tea or lunch. sometimes they invite you to stay for a night.
you can walk on the trail in any season. but spring and autumn are the best time. in summer sometimes it will be too hot, in winter — too wet. the most popular season on the trail — first days of may. - let's go! the lycian way begins on the outskirts of fethiye. from oludeniz trail abruptly start going up. - the door is closed? - yes. but we can go through.
- may be we need tickets? - certainly. it must be entrance fee. - but there is not. this area was already inhabited back in ancient times. every small piece of land are cleared. there are wheat fields and citrus orchards. on the rocky slopes there are many goats, in the woods — bees. there are a lot of springs. you can drink this fresh water. you do not need to boil it.
- immediately drink water. - turtle. look at this. the turtle is breathing! - let's go. near kabak we first time came to the shore. a small pebble beach. the water is still cool. swimming is not very comfortable. but it is worm enough to sleep in a tent. - shanin wake up only half to ten. - yes. but we do not rush. the sun is still not very high. we can sleep till aftenoon.
- we start walking again. - on the trail. - yeah, well, ruined building. there a few of them on the lycian way. - here we turn left. - the rocks are fragile. the way is uncertain. - sure! - sure! the trail goes along the coast. but not on the water's edge. - sure! the trail goes along the coast. but not on the water's edge. on this stretch of coas there are no beaches, just rocks. under the canopy of pine trees we can walk easy.
the air is filled with the healing scent of pine needles. - we walk so slowly that even a tortoise overtake us! there are a lot of springs with drinking water. death from starvation is also not threatened. the end of april. a riot of flowers and wild herbs. real spring. in ancient time people began to grow wheat. cargo ships with grain was going to rome.
- hi! i brought you a friend. - well, prickly bush? - yes, very prickly and even a lot of bugs. and a lot of grasshoppers here. there are a lot of ruins of ancient cities and settlements. - stones tumbled down. - one column survived. - and that's it. the all building is blown away! there are a lot of well preserved tombs. they cut out in the rocks or folded out of huge blocks. - came out of the tombs.
there are ancient cemeteries. the ruins are not fenced and not guarded. it was a e bustling lycian city in the past. right there were houses. and people lived there. now there is nobody here. silent. dog bark and sound of drum far away . - we should do it carefully. - careful, careful! put it here. - good!
- it would be good to have some rice. - yes. but valery does not like to carry a grain. - get up! all wake up already. - it is a wonderful day! - give me another 5 minutes to sleep, please. chorba mercimek or lentil soup is a traditional turkish dish. you can find it in all the cafes, restaurants and eateries. cheap, tasty and nutritious. after soup we have a traditional turkish tea.
walkers can not walk with the same speed. athletes walk very fast. they almost do not look around. but we have a slow walkers as well. they are looking at the flowers. then they try communicate with representatives of the local fauna. archaeology lovers for a long time stuck at the ruins. there a lot of ruins here. the lycians founded towns in the most convenient places.
most often they choose a place on the top of a hill or on the river bank. on a hill at the mouth of the xanthos river in ancient times was a port city pinday. it has not been destroyed. when the river became shallow, and the ships could not enter it, the residents left their houses and moved to a new location. nobody lives here now. only tourists sometimes visit the local sandy beach. that is not ripe. choose another one. - take just one. to try. one is enough. - run away! run. he comes to you.
- fiends! you make a camera shot! - good smell! - this is delicious! - tomato smell. - well! i will take one more! very tasty! with the help of modern technology, the turks have learned how to grow several harvests a year. like in tropics. at the end of april in the greenhouse people start to pick up tomatoes. all villagers work here.
- thank you! - hitch-hiking with tomatoes. - all day with tomatoes! one old greek myth took place right there. once upon a time nymph leto stopped near the water source. she was thirsty. but local herders did not give her a water. the indignant goddess turned them into frogs. wolves saved her. they helped her to find the way to river xanthos.
greek word "lykos", meaning wolf, is a root of the name of lycia. near the source in which there are still a lot floating frogs - descendants of the mythical shepherds — greeks founded the town of letoon. i was center of worship to the goddess of leto. from ancient times there remained the basements of several temples. fragments of mosaics. amphitheatre. - a lot of calories. so many calories! we have to burn them now. walk! - go on! - tomatoes. again!
- tomato paradise! there were 23 major cities in lycia. one of the most important of them was the xanthos. it was founded by settlers from crete in the eighth century bc . it was the capital of lycian union. at that time it was a part of the roman empire. some fragments of high walls still remaines. the roman theater is perfectly preserved. even now it is possible to use it for circus performance.
the surroundings of xanthos were settled even before the founding of the city. - tractors! fruit trees were planted in ancient times. the lycians created good irrigation system. the water is so pure, like thousands of years ago. you can drink it without boiling. this aqueduct is two thousand years old. and it still in use. - wonderful water! it is cool. and clean.
in the evening, the travelers lost the trail and wandered into a dense pine forest. walkers could not find any small place for the tent. - all night i was slipped down. - we had to sleep like a spartans. - well, we are going to find trail. may be here. - we have to go straight. according to the map, the trail is going near the coast. - we have to go directly to the coast. - what a beautiful tea, the color it beautiful. - we have sweets as well.
valley of the xanthos river is one of the largest agricultural regions of lycia. every piece of land for agriculture. in ancient time local people built a lot of aqueducts. the water came from many sources in mountain. roman water system is not in use anymore. but the water from the ground is still flowing. very clean. but cool. you can drink and wash clothes. and swim in the sea. at the end of april it is possible.
the lycian trail now is a dirt road. we get a lift to the village gelemis on the tractor. this is famous patara beach. wide strip of fine golden sand stretches for 15 kilometers along the sea. in the summer there are a lot of tourists there. the port city of patara was founded in the vi century bc. it was one of the largest cities in the lycian union. roman emperor hadrian lived here. on the way to rome sain paul spent a few time here.
saint nicholas or christmas santa claus was born in patara in iv ad. during the excavation archaeologists have found on the hillside 28 rows of seats in the amphitheater. part of scene. not log time ago they found the world's oldest lighthouse. now it stands on the shore of a shallow boggy lagoon. in ancient times there was the bay. now we can see only sand dunes. back to the trail. - this herb is wonderful.
- the russians. - clean. - after two day we come back at the same place. it is the same aqueduct. we passed nearby two days ago. - turkish made. - such a disgrace on our way. it's a dead end. - mickle yelling. where are you? - there's a mark on the left. - give me a hand.
- well done! cool! - heat. strong sun. - 35 celsius. at least. it was in weather forecast. - hot! - what to do? we have to keep walking. - but we will have a rest. - herb smells. holiday village kalkan is a former greek village kalamaki. this is very popular resort for beach lovers.
from kalkan lycian way turns abruptly from the sea towards the mountains. with each step we find a new viewpoint. - we have to prepare a place to sleep! - we have to pick out all small rocks. we put our tent near the trail. in the morning we found the well. we do not drink a water. but it was a good chance to take a bath. - do you want more? - yes! come on!
the section of trail between kalkan and kash are not very popular among tourists. there are no one walker on the trail. a few marks left. no villages, no houses. nobody to ask the right direction. travelers have to use the map. they just keep going ahead. it is a good place for solitary life in nature. for those who like a traditional way of life.
the trail pass near the farm of one of hermits. house of grandfather hasan like an unexpected oasis in a lifeless desert. here you can drink a tea, and have some food. - great! there are a lot of nameless ruins. - what are you talking about? this is temple? you think? - there is another temple in the bush. - temple. and another temple. and one more. and bush. for some reason nobody lives here now. although the land are good for agriculture.
- why you are put a rock there? - it would be a kind of pillow. - for your good sleep at night. warm night. there are no mosquitoes. we do not need a tent. morning exercises. we walk with backpacks. and then we can wash. we will have breakfast. the turks are very hospitable. and sometimes too much!
- it's mine! he doesn't understand. oleg and jane have to go back home. - we are going to antalya and then fly to moscow. valery, michael and kate will keep going. the trail leads them through the woods and fields. they pass abandoned villages and rocky wastelands. in dense bush sometimes very hard to find marks. they often lost the trail. - is there a stream somewere nearby?
the name of the ancient city felos in a translation of greek word which means "the cork oak". ruins of temples. lycian tombs. as well as wonderful views of the mountains and the coast. port antiphellos was on the shore at the foot of the cliff. in ancient times he casually mentioned in one of poem of homer. inhabitants of this town supported trojans. until 1923 the majority of the population were greeks. then town was renamed in kas, which translated from turkish means "eyebrow". the climate here is wonderful.
the kekova region is one of the nature protected areas of turkey. overgrown with thorns steep rocky slopes. on the lycian way sometimes there are unexpected obstacles. - the tral goes there. but it is blocked by a grid. - we have to open the gate. then we have to close it again. - well done! - on the lycian trail you can see the sea. - but not very easy to find a beach. - so you have to swim were you want. for example here.
- oh, the beauty! everywhere we can find traces of human presence. but the people themselves are not visible. a lot of rocks on the former cleared land. sometimes we meet walkers on the trail. most of them are tourists from neighboring resort towns. hey walk light with small urban backpacks. for the night they will return to their hotels. the ancient lycian city of aperlai was founded in v century bc. in roman times, its inhabitants called aperlite.
now we can see well preserved roman walls. empty tank with a collapsed roof. sarcophagi. archaeologists continue to work here. probably, in ancient times people choose the place for town because of its aesthetic appeal. here you can look at gorgeous sunsets. and the sunrises. ruins scattered everywhere. no signs.
you have to guess what is it. who and why destroyed all this. the trail goes along the rugged coastline, methodically skirting the many bays and coves. ucagiz in turkish means "three passes". there are two straits on opposite ends of the kekova island and the narrow entrance to the estuary. in ucagiz we meet a new member of our team. sergey chernyshov from petropavlovsk kamchatsky. - yes, we started in the morning. yesterday i drove almost 6 hours from the airport. - the trail is so narrow. it is not so easy to walk. - we found a good source right under the rock. fresh water. cold potable water. it flows into this bay. at the mouth of the river andros in ancient times was the port of andriake.
during the rule of emperor hadrian in the ii century ad, the romans built huge barns to store grain. here they drove wheat from the fields. grain was loaded to the ships. it was going to rome. - do you think that the lycians did not ride on carts? this can not be. - yes, we too. this is the cart. the kind of. - we did not pay money. it's free. the ancient city of myra was in the lycian union. the profit from trade and crops in fertile lands of the delta provided citizens comfortable life. they had enough money not only for food. the buit magnificent buildings. tombs carved directly inside the rock.
the amphitheater was designed for 30 thousand seats. perfectly preserved rows. scene. arches covered galleries. there were the roman emperor julius caesar and the apostle paul. at the beginning of iv century saint nicholas from patara was a bishop here. he performed many miracles and was canonized. saint nicholas became the patron saint of fishermen and sailors. as well as the prototype of the fabulous santa claus, which children and adults are waiting for christmas gifts. the church of st. nicholas was built in the iv century.
in the middle of the xix century it was rebuilt with money donated by members of the russian royal family. - he does not know how many kilometers. but he gave me the right direction to go. there, and then along the mountains. the trail steeply going up into the mountains. according to the map, in the next two days we have to climb from the sea level up to the height of 2 kilometers. and then we will need to descend back to the coast. - misha wake up, enough to sleep. the ascent is quite steep and long. - give me a hand! - my teeth.
- knee hurt? - we walk on the road. then i saw a truck. thumb up. and we get a lift. - i use any time to sleep. everywhere. road intersects with the lycian way near the ruins of the byzantine church. - so hurry! - the are empty bottles lying around here. on the pass there is a well. the water is not very clean. but if you boil it, you can safely drink.
in turkey firewood everywhere in bulk. you can burn a bonfire were you want. - turkish food. - from uchagiz. we eat the soup. the section from finike town to the village of karez the trail goes along the busy highway. this part is better to pass on the bus. behind the village we came to geledonia peninsula. the trail passes by the pirate bay. trail leads to the lighthouse on the edge of the cape.
wind in pine tree forest. rocky hills. - i walk most of lycian way in flip flops. by the pebble beach travelers come to the village of adrasan. in early may we can find ripening mulberries. - well. juicy, ripe. - good. tasty! behind the village of adrasan we found another mountain part of trail. there are no tourist here. only backpackers with large backpacks.
as a rule, russians. or ukrainians. - hello! we walk 5 days. hopefully we came to the beach soon. olympus was one of the largest cities of ancient lycia. it was a base of pirates. they plundered ships carrying grain from north africa to rome. the romans never managed to win them. but turks solved this problem with one stroke of the pen. the sultan included all pirates in his fleet. leaders of robbers became officers. most important of them became marine admiral.
merciless nature destroied the port. the river, at the mouth of which was hidden pirate ships, shoaled to such an extent that it can easily cross by foot. people left the town. an amphitheater, temples and tombs gradually became overgrown by bush. at the end of the last century archeologist started to work here. picturesque ruins have become one of the most popular tourist attractions. from olympus, the trail goes along the pebble beach to cirali village. five kilometers from the village of cirali you can watch an amazing natural phenomenon. gas escapes from holes in the rock on the hill chimaera.
when exposed to the air, it miraculously ignite. the flame can be extinguished. but after some time, the gas erupts again. between the ruins of the temple of hephaestus and a sheer cliff on the territory a bit larger than a soccer field scattered with natural gas burners — like a huge kitchen. you can use it for any purpose. on the hill chimaera the lycian way forks. one branch goes along the coast. and another goes through the pass at mount olympus. members of the expedition were divided into two groups.
michael and sergey chose on easier coastal route. valery and katya went to conquer the highest mountains on the lycian trail. close to the village of ulupinar is a small campsite. no frills. a campground, a spring and a samovar. there is no prescribed fee. everyone pays as much as will fit. on the top of the slopes of mount olympus, in turkish “tahtaliâ€, lebanese cedar grows. in ancient times this tree was used to built ships.
now cedar is an endangered species. in the world there are just a few groves left. grove on the mount olympus is the largest outside lebanon. mount olympus was covered by a cloud. the storm begins. lightning flashed, the thunder, with the speed of an express train has ploughed into a wall of torrential rain. urgent need to hide under the roof. fortunately, on the way we came across an abandoned summer house. - donkey? you bite. i do not have carrots for you.
a giant sycamore grows on the outskirts of the village gedelme. it is located near a cave and castle ruins. - everything looks delicious. even a little bit of pilaf put. - first squat. then warm up the upper body. and then in the path. just be careful! - we never pass by places like this before. in turkey now there are many tourist from the former ussr. from russia and ukraine people come for the holiday. from the central asian republics people come to work. murad from the turkmen city of mary works on on the farm goynuk yayla.
- here bushes such flimsy. how they can withstand such large pomegranade? - we put the forks! the trail goes along the slopes of protected goynuk canyon. there is a sign. the distance is 10 kilometers, travel time - 7 hours. at first you can not believe. how it is possible? average speed just a mile per hour? on this is well-trodden trail! and from the top downhill. however, here is the very case when you should believe what is written.
the trail meanders from side to side. several times you have to cross the river. - goynuk canyon, a wonderful place. the trail goes over there. we've lost a little bit. in took us 5 times more than a conventional trail. but i was a wonderfull time. in the canyon. - sometimes we had to walk in mist. but sometime it is better then sun and heat. - with such foot i walk on the trail. in the village of goynuk the expedition of valery shanin reunited. the last section of the route walkers will walk together. the path leaves the coast and start to climb up through the overgrown pine forest slope.
- why do you build a rock piramid here? - it is a sign of desperation! - for those who can't find the marks. - hikers make their own marks. - sometimes they build it with knobs. - i can do only like this. - and here is the mark! - i did not see it before. - but now, if somebody look at my piramide he can easy find the mark.
- i try to help other hikers to find the way. - cold, clean. place for swimming! i guess you can drink. in the low part of canyon you can find a lot of water. but on the higher part of slope there are just a few souses. we have to stop here. even despite the fact that the sun is still high. - i drink green tea with cookies. - cheap cookies are tasteless. a little more more expensive cookies and tasty. - the expedition are going for the water.
- one can not handle, only now. now kate rope tie, i'll keep that to insure. in the turbulent stream will carry her straight to goynã¼k. - come back. in this trip travelers usually stayed for the night after dark. the tent was assembled in the dark, by touch. the first opportunity to consider it carefully. - that's fine, spick and span down there. - i will be comfortable to sleep today. - this arc don't need to put in a ring. - ring in there at once.
- and this thing you take once in the ring and they all three of them immediately pulled. - understand. - here so, yes? - have you done it? - the last sugar. - we have to wash the bonfire. - my backpack is not so heave without food and water! - absolutely. yes! - part of the forest was burnt. probably some tourists not extinguished bonfire.
we came to the end of lycian way. during 24 days, from 24 april to 18 may we walkd all 509 kilometers. - after 509 km by foot we decided to drive last 15 km to antalya. - already overclocked! took to cruising speed. - the trail is so diverse. if you have time, you can try to walk all the way. - walk on the lycian trail. it will be good for your legs and all body. we have finished the walking on the lycian way. but the project "world without visa" is going on. we will be traveling in new visa-free countries.