About this stage
The longest and most demanding cut on the western Lycian Way, and the one most often misjudged. There is no waymarked coastal path from Kalkan to Kaş: the red-and-white line turns inland, climbs from the harbour to the plateau village of Bezirgan, runs east through Sarıbelen and Gökçeören across the Yörük highlands, and drops through Çukurbağ to the bohemian diving town of Kaş. Walked end to end it is 55 km with about 1,900 m of ascent. The Culture Routes Society's guidebook walks it in four sections (5.01–5.04, about 22½ hours on foot), with nights at Sarıbelen, Gökçeören and Çukurbağ; fit walkers take three days. The six-hour walk that Google Maps shows from Kalkan to Kaş follows the 27 km D400 coast road, not the trail; the dolmuş drives that road in about half an hour. Kaş has a spectacular Hellenistic theatre overlooking the Greek island of Kastellorizo and is the best resupply point on the entire trail.
Stage highlights
- Bezirgan plateau and its wooden granaries
- Sarıbelen spring and village
- Gökçeören, the natural overnight halfway
- Phellos ruins above Çukurbağ
- Descent into Kaş harbour
What to expect on the trail
This is highland walking rather than a shore path: mule tracks and village lanes climbing out of Kalkan to Bezirgan, then open plateau, oak and pine, and long stretches of stony limestone between Sarıbelen, Gökçeören and Çukurbağ before the final steep descent to the sea at Kaş. Expect uneven rock underfoot and little shade on the tops.
The Bezirgan fountain and the spring at Sarıbelen are the listed water points; refill at every village you pass and carry at least 3 litres, because the gaps between sources run to two or three hours.
Shops: supermarkets in Kalkan and Kaş; in between only small village shops at Bezirgan (km 10), Sarıbelen (1 km off the line, km 15) and Çukurbağ (km 48), and none at Gökçeören, so carry each day's food.
You'll move between roughly 7 m and 1,029 m above sea level — 1,859 m of ascent and 1,913 m of descent over 55.2 km, around 16–17 hours of walking by our reckoning; the guidebook allows about 22½.
Do not try to walk this in a day. The guidebook's four sections end at Sarıbelen (14.5 km from Kalkan), Gökçeören (12.4 km on), Çukurbağ (20.7 km on) and Kaş (7.5 km on); fit walkers make it three days by joining the last two. Each stop has somewhere simple to sleep, so book ahead. Start each day at first light and carry more water than you think you'll need.
Getting there
Kalkan and Kaş are linked by a dolmuş every 30 minutes, and Kaş is about 26 km (about 30 min) by road from Kalkan, so the stage is easy to reach from either end and easy to bail out of by returning to the coast road. Gökçeören, the halfway village, is reached by taxi or a pension transfer from Kaş.
Where this stage fits in the trail
This is stage 9 of 26, part of the Central Coast & Kekova section — the central section linking the harbour towns of Kalkan, Kaş and Üçağız with the sunken city of Kekova. It connects stage 8 (Patara to Kalkan) to stage 10 (Kaş to Limanağzı), and works well as part of a multi-day section walk.
Best time to walk this stage
The Lycian Way is best walked in spring (mid-March to mid-May) or autumn (mid-September to mid-November). October and April offer the most reliable weather: mild temperatures, clear skies, wildflowers in spring or olive harvest in autumn, and far fewer hikers than the shoulders of those windows. Summer (June-August) is generally too hot for comfortable walking — coastal stages routinely exceed 35°C and water sources dry up. Winter (December-February) brings rain to the coast and snow to mountain passes; the trail is walkable but conditions are unpredictable, especially on the higher inland stages.