PATH DETAILS:
Start: 08:00 (starting from Kirkmerdiven)
Finish: 17:00 (all breaks are included)
Total distance: 19 km. (Myra-Gurses 10 km., Gurses-Cayagzi/Kapakli Road 4 km., Cayagzi/Kapakli Road- Cayagzi 5 km.)
Water: There is no visible water source like stream, fountain, cistern etc. However at the settlement areas you’ll are are able to fill your bottles. Distance between settlements are not so far so you do not need to carry more than you need. Fill your bottles at Sumeli (small residential area) after you leave Myra Castle. After Sumeli, Gurses is not far. No worries, ask for water even you cannot see any public fountain. Even if you do not get water in Sumeli, then you have to you make it till Gurses where there’s a small grocery by the motorway. Fill your water bottle here as there’s no more water source till Cayagzi/Andriake. (except Eseler Village at the end of the valley if you able to meet with people there). Briefly, water is not a problem compared with Demre-Alakilise-Finike Routes, but carry some between Gurses and Cayagzi/Andriake.
Accomodation: The trail is one day long walk, so if you plan to camp on that trail somehow you have to carry your tent with you. Plain areas of Myra Castle where there is a panoramic Demre view and feel yourself far away from crowd, valley that connect you to Cayagzi/Kapakli Road after Gurses and plain areas after Eseler Village before you go down to Cayagzi beach are the best camping areas. Other options are so close to motorway, crowded and will make you bored.
You may plan to camp in Cayagzi. However, there’s no pension in Cayagzi but there is a very good place to put your tent. Andriake Camping (www.andriake.com - +90-242-8713130 - +90-535-5010532 - +90-535-2264936). Keep in mind that there is no pension on the whole route. In case of an emergency, please note the mobile phone number of a friendly taxi driver Ismet Duran (+90-542-5871972 - +90-536-3720856) in Demre and would gladly to help you for economic transportation.
Difficulty: This is a day route. If your plan to complete the whole Lycian Way by foot you need to complete this route otherwise skipping (Myra/Demre to Cayagzi by taxi or foot. 4 km. only) this route is not a big loss.
After Myra ancient city there’s an ascent to the castle where there are fine panoramic views. After the castle, to Sumeli Mahallesi, we can’t tell you how we struggled to find the route, even the path itself. Dense thorny bushes will not allow you to hike and find your way and waymarks as well. Legs will bleed if you walk with shorts or knickers. We suppose that this part of the Lycian Way is rarely hiked so the markings are lost sometime later. Markings are available but not visible. This thorny jungle is around 1-1.5 kilometres long (even it can be called as torture!!! L). Always try to find the markings, otherwise you get lost in a wall of thorn labyrinth. This torture ends in Sumeli, a small settlement that connect you to Demre/Kas motorway. As the motorway is new and organised recently, it destroyed some part of the route along with waymarkings. After ascending a short while on the motorway you come across paths that connect you to old and unused motorway afterwards. It’s not the motorway itself that destroyed the route, newly built greenhouses destroyed the original route as well. If you think you’re going to struggle to find the waymarks and do not have a GPS, you may follow the motorway and arrive Gurses. This is an alternative action as well. Briefly, between Sumeli and Gürses route and waymarks are poor.
Starting from 2016 there is an alternative route is being planned starting from Cayagiz to Kumluca where it covers this path, Myra, Finike too.
As you leave Gurses, be patient and follow the motorway, don’t even look for a sign. After a 3-4 km. of walk, on the left had side inside, you’ll see yellow Lycian Way sign. Even this old sign may vanish someday, we can say that look for the driving school and nearly ruined school building and trainig track with traffic signs to identify the path you’ll be walking. The path goes down to the valley around this building. At the beginning, a downhill walk would be steep in some places, but after all these, bad memories of the last few hours will be forgotten the path become more beautiful and plain in every step you walk.
The path becomes more visible and plain as you approach to the base of the valley. Waymarks become regular and visible too. After a 3km. of walk you’ll again reach to another motorway, that connect Demre and Ucagiz. This is Cayagzi/Kapakli road and not that much crowded like Gurses. As you walk on the motorway to Kapakli/Ucagiz direction, after 2 km. you’ll meet yellow Lycian Way waypost that directs you to Eseler, in other words to the sea direction. In this small settlement there are waymark problems. The waymarks begin after the last house and the greenhouse below. The path will take you into a small forest and finally you’ll meet with beautiful view of Kekova and Cayagzi. There’s no marking problem after the Eseler. After Eseler you have a long but easy route to Cayagzi.
Path Elevation Graphs and Photos: Please refer to our sister site www.likyayolu.org.
For this path, you can find some detailed information on this LINK. Although site is in Turkish, photos will give you a direction how the paths look like.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. We'll be happy to help.