The Carian Trail walking holiday in Turkey
Two centre walking holiday on the southwest Turkish coast featuring luggage transfers, detailed trail notes and secluded bays from where to cool off.
Bozburun Peninsula ancient cities of Hydas, Amos and Loryma Kumlubük Bay Bay of Marmaris Loryma Bay seaside town of Selimiye Akyaka Mount Sakar Datca Peninsula
Price
£645 excluding flights
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More info
Included:
Detailed holiday information pack including road notes; maps;
7 nights accommodation;
7 breakfasts;
4 dinners;
Luggage transport and transfers on walking days;
Transfers to/from Dalaman airport;
24/7 assistance by phone.
Description of The Carian Trail walking holiday in Turkey
This self guided week of walking in Turkey is split into two halves with seaside accommodation in firstly Bozburun and then Akyaka providing a couple of hand-picked bases from where to set out on the Carian Trail.
Luggage transfers, transport to trail heads, detailed maps and walking notes allow for a relaxed itinerary, with daily distances of around 12kms ensuring you get to experience southwest Turkey in your own time, at a pace that suits the sea breeze.
Although the entirety of the Carian Trail stretches for over 800kms this certainly isn’t going to be achieved over the course of an eight day walking holiday. However, you will be invited to make the most of shaded pine forests, as well as numerous secluded bays and beaches, which is good news for walkers wishing to cool off during the warmer months. From dramatic cliff faces to pearl white rocks rising out of the Aegean, the Carian Trail conjures up a quintessential southwest Turkey coastline, ideal for walkers who like their trails with a touch of sandy scenery.
Although the Carian Trail was only officially opened in 2013, and now features a series of signs and markers, its heritage leads back to the mule paths connecting communities in ancient Hydas, Amos and Loryma, which makes for a fascinating back story to accompany the sea views.
Map
Price information
£645 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Included:
Detailed holiday information pack including road notes; maps;
7 nights accommodation;
7 breakfasts;
4 dinners;
Luggage transport and transfers on walking days;
Transfers to/from Dalaman airport;
24/7 assistance by phone.
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Walking holidays are the oldest form of tourism known to man. For centuries people have travelled by foot whether it is was for a pilgrimage or just f...
Reviews
1 Reviews of The Carian Trail walking holiday in Turkey
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 25 Jun 2019 by Carol Grazebrook
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Parts of the Carian Trail were spectacular, we particularly enjoyed part I and II of the Lorymer walk.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Check the timings you are given for each walk each day - we found these to be unrealistic and not all the trails have been updated.
One section we didn't do as we were advised that many walkers have got lost and not finished their walks before dark, despite this being reported nothing has been done about updating the trail.
The time of year you go is important, June is too late; heat and snakes can be a big problem, March -mid May is better and Sept to end Oct. Make sure you know exactly what condition the hotel you are offered is currently in. The transfers to collect us for the holiday and return us at the end were on time and excellent, the local one in Bozburun was worse than most, we had countless near misses with everything from lorries to goats.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local people benefit if you spend money with them.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We enjoyed our holiday for the most part, the walks were in an interesting area, offering spectaular views and an insight into the area with some history thrown in, the geography of the area fascinating. The timings we were given were not realisitic for two fit and experienced middle aged walkers. The trails had not been updated in several places which lost us time in finding the correct route. The first hotel although friendly was not particularly clean and the food very basic, the hotel driver would not have passed any sort of driving test, by contrast the second hotel was very good, nice room, clean throughout the hotel and very friendly helpful staff. We knew the first town, Bozburun and met friends there which allowed us to escape the hotel a little. Akyaka was new to us and very enjoyable, so much to expolore and do as well as a friendly atmosphere. It was a shame we had a bad experience on our last walk but we are sure it was due to the time of year, in all our years walking in Turkey and other countries we have come across snakes fairly reguarly but never been attacked by one before, it was a very frightening experience and we feel we should not have been exposed to the possibility in the first place.
Read the operator's response here:
Dear Carol,
We are glad that you enjoyed your holiday overall and thank you for the detailed feedback. We will review again our road notes regarding walking times. In this area, especially with the start of the holiday season it is sometimes hard to find the perfect accommodation but regarding the driver issue there are no excuses and we will make sure that this driver is not used on any of our future trips.
Regarding the snake encounter - we feel relieved that nothing worse happened but this is wild country and possibilities of wildlife encounters are beyond our control. Thanks once again for the honest review.
We are glad that you enjoyed your holiday overall and thank you for the detailed feedback. We will review again our road notes regarding walking times. In this area, especially with the start of the holiday season it is sometimes hard to find the perfect accommodation but regarding the driver issue there are no excuses and we will make sure that this driver is not used on any of our future trips.
Regarding the snake encounter - we feel relieved that nothing worse happened but this is wild country and possibilities of wildlife encounters are beyond our control. Thanks once again for the honest review.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
Through our local office in Turkey we are supporting the maintenance of the hiking trails in the area where this walking holiday takes place. We encourage the guides and hotel owners in the area to participate in trail maintenance, as volunteers. If there are rubbish-strewn sections, we go out and clean them. When way marking, we try to only refresh the old marks and not intervene unnecessarily by installing big metal or plastic signs. We use paint on rocks and so that the effect on nature is minimal.We are also cooperating with local non-profits and communities and have successfully stopped the construction of dams and water power plants on the rivers in the area, which include some of the last free flowing rivers in Europe.
We encourage our clients to use the info packs and maps in electronic format and not print everything; we are gradually introducing a smartphone app which will contain both the maps and route notes and will make the printed route notes obsolete.
People
For our services along the Carian trail, we are hiring local people from the villages along the route. For the transfers, we use local drivers and thus share our profit with these people, as we are earning our money in their area and we use locally owned and operated, small hotels.This cooperation gives us also the opportunity to get closer to the locals, understand their needs and if possible support them further. It’s also the best way to get a cultural exchange between our customers and the local people.
A part of our profit made from this itinerary is used for supporting poor children´s university studies from beginning to the end of their study, especially supporting of girls, which have a very limited access to education in rural Turkey.
We are regularly maintaining the trails with the help of local volunteers, thus making them more engaged and as part of the maintenance we teach them about trail orientation and specifics, so in the future they can be hired as local guides on guided trips provided by other companies.
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