• Ease of Walk - Easy wide path with only a small incline to the top of the cliff but decent to ruins is more difficult due to loose rocks and shale.

• Distance - around 5 km there and back

• Type: - Circular or out and back

• Time of walk - Around 2 hours there and back excluding exploring and sitting watching the view.

• Admission charges - None

The Route

From Fethiye/Ovacik/Hisaronu/ take the Kaya Dolmus. It leaves Fethiye on the hour every hour during the day. It will arrive at Ovacik around 15-20 minutes past the hour and at Hisaronu about half the hour.  Get off right at the end of the Dolmus route – not in the village centre. The walk starts at the end of the Dolmus route by a small restaurant.

From there walk away from the Dolmus stop toward Gemiler. You will pass old buildings and the old Croquet club on your left and the tarmac road changes to gravel. After about 1km you will see a restaurant on the right with a large eagle gripping a fish. Carry on past for about ½km. You will come to a fork in the road by a house set back off the road with a very long pergola. You will see two yellow signs – one for Gemiler and one for Afkule. Follow the Afkule sign and the road to the right. This is a dirt track wide enough for a car through the pine forest.

Alternatively, you can take the Gemiler Dolmus in season and ask the driver to drop you at the junction.

If you have a car you can drive this next section but the road does get a bit rough in places.

Why is the sign pointing up - because someone tried to remove it purportedly so that walkers would need to ask directions and pay for a guide!

Keep your eyes open along the track for seasonal flora and fauna, e.g. butterflies, tortoises, porcupines, snakes, lizards, birds and a variety of plants and flowers. When we did the walk the tortoise had woken up from their winter hibernation.

Follow the track straight for about another 2 km. There is one fork in the track to the right after about 1 km – DON’T FOLLOW THIS. Carry on until you arrive where the track ends in a smallish circle – the car park.

Straight on

When you get to the car park, you will see a number of tracks heading off. 

For the short 'there and back walk'

Take the wide track on the right, it is marked with yellow and red stripes.

For the longer, circular walk

Take the track on the left and follow the gouged out tree markings, it will eventually take you to the sea.  Keep the sea on your left and you will come to the Monastery.

Right at the car park

Follow this path and keep to the way marks. After about 1km and a gradual climb you will arrive at the top of the cliff. The path down to the ruins is again 'way' marked.

Take care as you walk down this path as the surface is loose and it’s easy to slip! Take it nice and slow……..You will see the ruins of the Monastery start to come into view as you walk down.

The way markers are not arrows, so for example the one in the picture on the right shows a left turn.  Also some times you will see small cairns as well.

Example Waymark

A 'Turn Left' Waymark

If you are able bodied and not afraid of heights you can explore around the ruins and go into the old church. However, please be careful.

You can see how the inhabitants would have stored water and where they would have worshiped and lived. There are also some very small remains of the fresco’s that were  painted on the walls. The views from all of these buildings are amazing and the sound of the sea and the wind in the trees must have made it a great retreat for the inhabitants.

We haven't put in too many photo's here as we don't want to spoil the highlights for you!

The ruins

Every room has a sea view

To return to the car park follow the yellow and red markers.