St Paul Trail Hiking and Trekking Tour Details

One week Trekking – Hiking and Camping programme on the St Paul Trail From Antalya -Alanya-Side-Belek-Kemer-Manavgat

The route follows the Köprülü Canyon and river from north tosouth.
Walks are all on waymarked paths, parts of the St Paul Trail, with spectacular views over the huge canyon,through forest, villages and meadows. In places the route is on Roman road; it passes historical sites at Selge and Asar Tepe and natural rock formations at Delisarnıç. Plenty of contact with local villagers; opportunity to see local wildlife and to swim. Optional white-water rafting on the Köprülü river, a well-known rafting destination.
A one-week medium-difficulty trekking programme starting and finishing at Antalya airport, flights not included. Rafting is an optional extra. Available May to October 2015.

Tour Itinerary: 8 -Days
Day 1.Kasımlar
Fly to Antalya You will be met at Antalya aiport or Pick up from Alanya-Side-Manabgat-Belek-Antalya-Kemer hotels and transferred to the village of Kasımlar and St PaulYolu Pansiyon, which has views over the north end of the Köprülü canyon and Sarp mountain or camping . (Dinner on arrival) Transfer time 170 km (3 hrs)

Day 2. Kasımlar to Kesme
Start your walk from the pension, down through the village and on zigzag paths to a bridge over the Köprülü river below. From here, a clear track takes you up a long climb to a pass and over a small area of sharp limestone rock. A little further on are shepherd encampments, where you could stop for tea. There are rock formations and amazing views along your route, which runs mostly level and takes you to the large farming village of Kesme.
Here you will stay in a village house with rooms on one floor, with terrace for outdoor dining, kitchen and shared bathroom facilities or camping. Dinner/breakfast included. 5-6 hrs walk: ascent 500m descent 350m

Day 3. Kesme – Çukurca.
This short route takes you downhill on a Roman road/staircase, past Asartepe (where you can explore the Roman ruins). It crosses a tiny gorge, where the original Roman bridge has been washed away, so we use a rope to cross a short difficult area. 4.5 hrs walk: ascent 100m descent 300m. Dinner and overnight at the village of
Çükürca, with lovely stone houses or camping.

Day 4. Çukurca – Değirmenözü.
This walk crosses a stream then takes you uphill on an old track to a hilltop viewpoint over the canyon, close by an old watchtower. It then contours to the village of Yeşilbağ and descend the donkey road (an old paved road) then through forest to the village of Değirmenözü, right by the Köprülü river. You could swim in the river. Stay in the old village school; dinner and breakfast provided by local women. 5.5 hrs walk: ascent 300m descent 500m.

Day 5. Değirmenözü to Çaltepe.
This route takes you across the river then along the bank of the Köprülü river, partly over old road, partly over steep paths on limestone hills and partly along the river banks, to the farming village of Çaltepe. Opportunity to swim. Look out for wild goats on the slopes. The people of Çaltepe harvest oregano from the mountain above the village and export it to Italy and other places. Here you will stay in new en-suite bungalows overlooking the river or camping,
7 hrs walk: ascent 200m descent 300m

Day 6. Çaltepe to Selge.
This walk is the hardest but also most beautiful. It climbs the Sarp Yolu, an old paved route which takes you to the village of Delisarnıç (meaning well-in-a-hole). Here, holes between the rock formations have been waterproofed to make almost bottomless wells. Roman roads now take you up and down hill to the ruins of Selge, where
you will stay in a village house close to the ruins or camping . 7 hrs walk: ascent 700m descent 200m

Day 7.  Exploring Selge – Beşkonak
Today explore the ruins of the old city (the theatre is especially well-preserved), and walk to the edge of the canyon, through rock formations similar to Cappadocia. Take a minibus for 9km down to the Roman bridge. Here you can go white-water rafting on the Köprülü river (May-Oct) followed by lunch Dinner (not provided) and night in a pension or camping  in Köprülü Canyon.

Day 8. Home
Transfer to the airport or  Antalya -Alanya -Side-Belek Hotels

Note: we can also run this program in reverse (south – north) or as a camping trip. For larger groups the accommodation options may be different

Duration of Tour: 8 Days
Walking Grade: B/C
Best Season: 15th May to end of October Every Week
Group Size: Minimum 6, maximum 16 persons
Includes:Airport transfers; all transfers and baggage transfers en route; 6 days half-board in bungalows, pensions or village houses (double rooms; some with en-suite bathrooms). 1 night bed-breakfast (Antalya); plenty of restaurants around. Local English-speaking guide. Lunchtime picnics either provided or arranged by your host.
Accommodation: half-board – the traditional breakfast includes eggs, cheese and honey, dinner usually includes soup, a cold starter, a main course, salad and a sweet or fruit. Tea and coffee are free; soft drinks, beer and wine at reasonable prices.

For Camping Option:Camping Gears Provided By Fam Tour Travel Agency
Dome tents per two persons.
Thick mattress per person

All camping gears


• The terrain of St Paul Trail is rugged and hard under foot so walking boots or strong shoes with good ankle support are essential
• Also required are a day rucksack (20-40 litre), full waterproofs (early spring and autumn), fleece top, walking poles if used and a warm hat for the mountains
• Sun Protection: wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and high factor sun-cream
• Dress Code: shorts and T-shirts are fine for the warmer months- clients should not walk through villages with their tops off out of respect for Turkish and Islamic culture
• Picnic Lunches: are divided out amongst the group so everyone carries a share.
•Medicine or supplies. Please bring your belongings in a soft kitbag or rucksack. You should arrange travel insurance.

•Weather: In May daytime temperstures reach the low twenties C, mostly sunny but still chances of rain. Evenings can still be quite cool. In June the temperature rises to the upper twenties and there is less chance of rain. From mid September through October, mainly sunny day with temperatures in mid twenties and warm evenings cooling down later in the season.

Additional information:

A minimum of 6 people is needed for this tour. If this number is not reached, you will be notified 14 days before the scheduled tour date.

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  • Adult Price: 499€
  • Tour Language: English & German
  • Grup Size Minimum 6, maximum 16 pers