Walking and Cruising the Carian

Walking and Cruising the Carian Overview

A tour that combines a cruise along this beautiful and undeveloped coast with walks along the recently opened Carian Trail, one of Turkey’s most spectacular footpaths.

With its herb-lined paths, traditional villages and hills swathed in pine, Turkey’s newest long-distance walking route, some 500 miles long, will give you a real sense of remote, undiscovered Turkey. You’ll follow some of its very best stretches, averaging about 5-6 miles walking a day with a traditional gulet ever present offshore, providing elegant transport, dining and accommodation.

Aboard our traditional and stylish Turkish gulet, our ever changing horizon is a wild, remote and mountainous landscape cut into long peninsulas, deep inlets, and secluded coves, perfect places for swimming, snorkelling or kayaking.

On foot we will be able to discover many remote archaeological sites and wonders, like Hydas an ancient town perched on a hill top; the ghost village of Karamaka, abandoned by the Greeks after the exchange of populations in 1923; and Sogut, one of the most romantic and picturesque areas on the Turkish coast. From shepherds’ trails to forest tracks, goat paths to ancient roads, we’ll be walking back through time with beautiful views at every turn.

You’ll come across seemingly lost Byzantine churches in dramatic settings, Ottoman cisterns in forgotten valleys, and a myriad of ancient tombs. This stretch of coast has been a vital and strategic thoroughfare throughout history and the wealth of archaeological sites is testament to its importance. You’ll explore beautifully preserved Knidos, a monumental marbled city arranged around a double harbour, one of the greatest archaeological gems on Turkey’s southwest coast. You’ll also encounter a great many sites like Theangela and Phoenix, that have yet to be properly studied, yet to receive any excavation or detailed survey. More often than not we’ll be the only people exploring the historic ruins on our journey.

This tour weaves together a cornucopia of simple pleasures: magnificent sites, quiet coves, wondrous walks and glorious swims. As with all our gulet cruises in Turkey, delicious Turkish food is a key component. We’ll enjoy beautiful lunches and dinners onboard freshly prepared by the gulet’s cook, delicious picnics amongst ancient ruins and sumptuous meals at traditional local restaurants.

From rocky coastal paths and wooded paths cushioned with pine needles to stepped roads cut into the bedrock by ancient hands, this is a trip packed full of fascinating antiquities, superb swim stops and breath-taking panoramas.