Lycian Way Itinerary for the Best 3-Day Hike

Are you planning on hiking a few days on the Lycian Way, but have no idea where to start? I have the best itinerary for hiking the Lycian Way on the internet, from Ovacik to Kabak-the easy itinerary.

I’ve hiked multiple sections of the Lycian Way over the past 3 years, and I’ve fallen in love with this epic thru-hike.

I know finding information about the Lycian Way can be difficult. When planning my first hike, I researched all over the internet to find detailed information in English and I couldn’t find anything more than a brief overview. A lot of information is written in Turkish. I suspect that’s why whenever I see foreigners on the trail, they’re typically apart of a tour our with a guide.

Hiring a guide is completely unnecessary for the Lycian Way after visiting Backpacking Hippie. I’ve got all your information covered, and if there’s something I didn’t cover that you want information for, you can contact me here.

I have two itineraries that I recommend if you’re looking to spend a few days hiking and then a few days relaxing in a peaceful beach town. These itineraries will cover the best sections to hike if you’re planning a short trip on the Lycian Way. If you want help planning a thru-hike of the entire Lycian Way, you can visit my guide on how to plan a hike on the Lycian Way in 2023.

This page covers the itinerary for people looking for an easy hike on the Lycian Way.

Click here for my second itinerary! This is a more difficult hike on the Lycian Way to Olympos!

Hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak

Related Articles:

1. The Most Comprehensive Guide for Hiking the Lycian Way
2. Why You Should Hike the Lycian Way
3. A Complete Guide to Backpacking Kabak
4. Hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Faralya
5. Hiking the Lycian Way from Faralya to Kabak
6. Optional Starting Point in Kayakoy to see ancient ruins
7. Learn More About How to Use the App TrailSmart for the Lycian Way

Table of Contents:

Map of the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak

Why is hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak the best for beginners?

Easy to find

A lot of sections on the Lycian Way start in remote villages, or you have to find the trailhead on a random street that crosses the trail. This section is the official start of the Lycian Way so it’s well-known by taxi drivers and locals. The area where the trail begins is in Oludeniz, a very popular tourist destination that has many buses, taxis, and transports to and from the airport.

The hiking is not difficult

This section of the Lycian Way begins with an ascent to the top of Babadag, father mountain. After this climb, the trail ascends and descends casually every-so-often. This section is not considered as one of the difficult paths on the trail.

The trail crosses many villages

On this hike, you’re never too far away from civilization, making it perfect for beginners who might not know how much food and water to pack. You’ll cross through two villages after your ascent to father mountain, then another on the Cliffside of Butterfly Valley, then one more on the trial to the final village to beat all villages, Kabak.

In these villages, there will be differing levels of stores and restaurants, but you should be able to find something that works for your budget and needs.

You do not need to bring a tent

Another bonus of hiking this section is that you can plan to sleep each night in a village on the trail. You must reserve accommodation beforehand.

The only downside is this does restrict your freedom to be spontaneous and go off-plan, but you’ll be walking faster and lighter without having a tent or sleeping bags on your back.

Make sure if you plan to go without tents, that you book everything ahead of time, and leave yourself enough daylight during your hike to make it to each village on time.

You’ll get to spend the last few days relaxing on the beach in Kabak

This hike is about enjoying the great outdoors but ends with a party and a swim in the charming village of Kabak.

Whenever I plan to hike this section, I always plan to stay a few nights in Kabak, it is the perfect backpacking hippie paradise town.

Kabak is full of bungalows, Airbnb, and camping places perfect for any budget where they often have music, dancing, parties, pools, yoga, meditation, and delicious home-made food, all included in the price.

You can walk through the town of Kabak and search around for the hotel that best matches your interests. You can read more about Kabak here.

How to plan each day on the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak?

I’ve hiked this section twice: once in July, and once in April. Without sounding too obvious, July was flipping hot.

If you’re planning to hike in one of the summer months, plan to take a bit longer to hike due to the sun mid-day being unbearable.

Around April-May and October-November is the best time to hike, so you should be able to make the trek from Ovacik to Kabak in two days.

This is all optional as there are plenty of wild camping spots, and you can also stay in every village you pass along the trail.

How long does it take to hike from Ovacik to Kabak?

The hike from Ovacik to Kabak is 24km.

Typically hikers take 2 days of hiking and one night of camping/hotel to get from Ovacik to Kabak.

It’s up to you how long you want to take though as there is plenty of places to camp on the trail.

Planning how long it will take also depends on when you want to start hiking the trail.

For example, I prefer to fly into Fethiye early morning, get a bus to Oludeniz, then a taxi to the start of the Lycian Way, and begin hiking at whatever time I reach. This means that I’ll plan to camp in the first village, instead of trekking all the way to the typical campsite.

What to expect hiking on the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak?

This section of the Lycian Way has absolutely gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea, quaint tiny villages, and beautiful trails through the forest. You can expect to see many other hikers on this section of the trail.

Typically this section takes 2 days of hiking and one of camping, but you can stretch it out for longer if you prefer to take your time and soak in the views.

Normally hikers start in Ovacik and trek til they reach the Butterfly Valley cliffside, or Faralya. **Important note: you cannot reach butterfly valley from here, this is common misinformation. The trek down from the cliffside into the valley is very steep and has been closed due to many injuries and some deaths. **

If you want to learn more about how to get to Butterfly Valley click here.

You’ll pass through two villages on the way to Faralya.

Depending on what time I leave from Ovacik, I may sleep in a village on the way to Faralya.

The two villages are both options for staying the night. The first village is better for camping, and the second is better for booking accommodation. I prefer the first village because it is quaint and tucked away in the mountains. It’s also right after the climb up Babadag, father mountain. It makes sense to camp here if you’ve started your hike late in the day. I’ve camped here once before in this village on the mosque grounds, you can read about my story here.

The first village has an excellent gozleme, Turkish pancake, restaurant immediately after you exit the trail. You can order gozleme with a multitude of fillings like spinach or potato. I recommend grabbing a gozleme and a home-made ayran, a traditional Turkish Drink.

The second village on the way to Faralya has more accommodations and food options, but it’s much closer to Butterfly Valley cliff-sides(Faralya), so if you’ve reached the second village with a lot of time left in the day, then just continue on to camp at Faralya. Faralya will have a better view and more accommodation. Make sure you book everything for the Lycian Way ahead of time.

One of my favorite cafes here, Lemon Cafe, has a friendly staff and a great place to relax in the shade.

In Faralye(Butterfly Valley Cliffsides), there’s a general store and plenty of airbnbs with private swimming pools that overlook the beautiful valley. There is also a free camping place that overlooks the valley where most of the hikers will go to.

When you come out of the forest from the trail, you’ll see a road and across the street, there will be a general store. To the right of the store is a road that has a steep decline, follow this road to the camping spot. At this camping place, there is a family that looks over the bathrooms here and they will let you use the sink, toilet, or shower for a few liras.

Normally, hikers will reach Faralya on their first night. On the second day, they will hike to Kabak. My first time hiking the Lycian Way, I hiked in the summer so I took my time through these sections. I camped one night between Faralye and Kabak, right on the trail. There are absolutely beautiful wild camping spots, and it’s completely legal to camp anywhere on the trail in Turkey. So you can choose to stop somewhere along the way, or go straight to Kabak.

On the way to Kabak there is one village, Uzunyurt, where there are luxury resorts, hotels, and Airbnb. There is no place to access the beach here unless you stay the night at a luxury resort. There is no wild camping here.

There’s a great market and restaurant, Yigitolu Market, but you will have to hike up a pretty steep hill to the main road to access the market. The trail starts right on the beach past all of the luxury resorts.

In conclusion: the trail typically takes 2 days to get from Ovacik to Kabak, but you can stretch it out for longer depending on your plans.

How do I navigate on the Lycian Way?

The Lycian Way is covered in red and white paint streaks that show the path of the trail. It can happen that the markers seem to be everywhere, and then as soon as you’re in a pinch, you can’t find them.

That’s why I recommend getting the app TrailSmart. I’d say it’s almost a necessity if you don’t want to get lost.

Learn more about how to use the app TrailSmart for the Lycian Way here.

TrailSmart will show you the elevation changes, distances from point A to point B, water sources, hotels, and markets in the area so it’s an absolute game changer.

There’s a free and paid version. Normally I don’t pay for apps, but in this case, it’s definitely worth it because it will allow you to use the map offline. You don’t know when and where you’ll have cell service, so I recommend getting the paid version. It’s less than 10 dollars and worth the money.

Learn more about the people who make TrailSmart!

How do I reach the start of the Lycian Way in Ovacik?

Luckily this section of the Lycian Way is very easy to navigate too.

The first step is you want to get to Fethiye. If you’re coming from Istanbul or Antalya, you have three options a bus, flight, or renting a car. Flight’s and buses are relatively cheap. Oftentimes flights can be even cheaper than buses, so check carefully online.

Once you arrive in Fethiye you’ll need to make your way to Oludeniz. There’s buses and minibuses that can take you to Oludeniz, or you can go by taxi, but the taxi fare will be much more expensive. If you’re renting a car, you can just drive directly to Oludeniz and park in the blocks around the beach. There will be parking assistance that will charge you when you leave your spot, the parking is not too expensive but ask ahead of time.

Once you’re in Oludeniz, you can walk to the start of the trail or take a taxi. I recommend taking a taxi as it’s a pretty steep uphill trek and you’ll tire yourself out before you even reach the trail!

A good idea is to camp, Airbnb, or get a hotel in Oludeniz and start your trek fresh in the morning. There are many accommodations that are in walking distance of the start of the trail.

You’ll want to get an early start on the trail as many tour buses come and drop people off at the start of the trail for a day hike.

What’s Kabak?

Kabak is one of my favorite places to vacation. The vibe is great, it’s a backpacking hippie paradise. I recommend spending a few nights in Kabak as there’s so much to do. You can hike to a private beach, take a boat tour, hike to a waterfall, go dancing, chill at the many bars and restaurants, or just enjoy the view from one of the many sea-view bungalows.

You can book ahead of time for Kabak, or walk around to the many establishments and see which one you like best. There’s typically always a place to stay in Kabak, unless it’s a Bayram, a Turkish Holiday. The dates of Bayram change every year, so check online to make sure it doesn’t overlap with your planned stay.

You can also sleep on the beach in Kabak. You cannot set up your tent. There are people watching and they do enforce this rule, but they allow people to sleep on the beach with their sleeping pads and mats. So if you’re trying to save money, this is the best route to follow.

You can read more about Kabak here.

What is the itinerary for hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak?

Below is my recommended itinerary you can follow step-by-step

You can adjust your plans and go as you like, there’s no one way to hike the Lycian Way!

*Note: There’s an optional starting point in Kayakoy, an ancient roman ghost city. Read about it here.

Day 1

• Arrive in Oludeniz
• Check into accommodation in Oludeniz
• Go to the beach in Oludeniz
• Try the restaurants on the beach
• If you’re early enough you can even go for paragliding in Oludeniz

Day 2

• Get a taxi to the start of the Lycian Way
  • All you’ll need to say is Lycian Way and they’ll take you right to the starting point
• Hike up to the first village and have gozleme and ayran
• Make your way to the second village
  • There’s a cozy cay cafe here called Lemon Cafe
• Continue on to Faralya(Cliffsides of Butterfly Valley)
• Sleep in the free camping area or reserve an airbnb
• There’s markets here to grab a drink and enjoy the sunset

Day 3

• Trek to the first village of Uzunyurt
• Have a bite to eat at the restaurant up the hill on the main road
• Continue on to Kabak
• Walk around Kabak and find an accommodation that fits your vibe (Typically there should be available rooms or camping areas in Kabak unless it’s a Turkish holiday-check the calendar!)

Day 4-5

• I like to spend a few days in Kabak because it’s so relaxing with so much to do
• You can hike to the private beach
• Hike to the waterfall
• Go to the beach
• or relax and one of the many restaurants, bars, cafes, or yoga places

Whenever you’re ready to finish your vacation, you can take one of the many minibusses to Oludeniz from Kabak. They’re very popular, almost everyone uses these to get in an out of Kabak so ask your accommodation to take you to the bus stop and take the service back to Oludeniz.

To read more in detail about each section look here:

1. Hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Faralya
2. Hiking the Lycian Way from Faralya to Kabak
3. Optional Starting Point in Kayakoy to see ancient ruins

How do I get from Kabak back to the airport?

There are buses that take you directly from Kabak back to Oludeniz, this is what makes hiking this section of the Lycian Way so easy. There’s a bus station in Kabak valley that transports everyone to and from Kabak, so it’s a major hub.

To reach the bus station you walk up the street inside Kabak Valley. You can use google maps or ask your accommodation to point you in the right direction of the bus stop.

You’ll need to pay the bus driver some money and ask to be dropped off in Oludeniz. The rates have increased drastically in Turkey in the last few years, so bring around 50 liras per person to give the driver. You can ask your accommodation for the price of the minibus.

The bus will take you to Oludeniz, the beach in Fethiye. From here you will take another bus to reach Dalaman Airport.

Where can I get even more information?

I have lots of information about how to hike the Lycian Way.

If you want to know things like what to bring and what food to pack, visit link #1: The Most Comprehensive Guide for Hiking the Lycian Way

I recommend reading:

1. The Most Comprehensive Guide for Hiking the Lycian Way
2. Why You Should Hike the Lycian Way
3. A Complete Guide to Backpacking Kabak
4. Hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Faralya
5. Hiking the Lycian Way from Faralya to Kabak

If you want to add an optional starting point to the beginning or end of your hike, there’s also a beautiful hike that goes through some ancient ruins of Lycia in Oludeniz. I recommend reading this:

1. Hiking Kayakoy to Oludeniz on the Lycian Way

By choosing to hike the optional starting point, you’ll be able to see these ancient ruins:

If you’d like a visual aid check out my video on hiking the Lycian Way from Ovacik to Kabak