Saint Paul Trail

Hiking in the mountains of Turkey from Isparta to Antalya. Bottomless canyons, carr labyrinths and wild trails without tourists.

This journey is the most interesting (in our opinion) fragment of the great "St. Paul's Trail". The original Saint Paul Trail (Turkish Aziz Paul Yolu) is designed for a whole month of travel and has a length of about 500 km. We plan to cover about 170 km in about a week. The trail was developed and presented in 2008 by the well-known Kate Clow, the ideological inspirer of the creation of the Lycian Trail.

The original route starts from the Mediterranean coast and goes deep into the continent, roughly repeating the apostolic voyage of St. Paul. Although it is unlikely that he actually climbed the rocks, because there were normal roads nearby. We will go in the opposite direction - we will start in the mountains and go down to the sea. This will make it a little easier both from the point of view of the height difference and purely psychologically.

Trek plan

The plan is very tentative and has only a distant relation to how the route kilometers will be distributed in reality

• Day 1 gathering in Antalya in the evening
• Day 2 transfer to Isparta and Egirdir, climb to Davraz Dagi
• Day 3 Yukari Gokdere, Aksu
• Day 4 Erenler, moving to Kasimlar, Kesme
• Day 5 Asar Tepe
• Day 6 Altin Kaya
• Day 7 Koprulu Kanyon
• Day 8 Aspendos
• Day 9 moving to Antalya
• Day 10 flight home

Features of the route

• the length of the route is >170 km, you need to walk more than 20 km per day
• maximum altitude 2100 m, average altitude 1000 m
• start height 920 m, finish height 180 m
• there is water every day, but with long breaks
• poor markings
• several rocky areas, almost crawling
• shepherds, sheep, dogs
• gardens, fruits, grapes
• marble quarries, dump trucks
• thorns, dirt after rain
• no normal stores

Weather

It will almost certainly be hot during the day from +25 to +35. At night the average is +15, but you need to be prepared for the fact that in case of bad weather the temperature will drop to +5. Rain is very likely at the end of October. By nature, these will most likely be summer thunderstorms - powerful, warm and fleeting.

Equipment

Briefly: we bring all the equipment and most of the food with us from Ukraine, we sleep in tents, we boil water for food on a jetboil, we collect water for drinking in villages or filter it from “cisterns”.

In order to complete the route in 7 days, backpacks must be light - less than 15 kg at the start (including food and water). See the list of equipment that the guide plans to take on the St. Paul Trail.

Map

Tour cost:

The tour price includes:

• instructor services
• three meals a day on the route (sublime meals)
• public equipment: boilers, burners, repair kit, group first aid kit
• consultations on preparation and assistance in purchasing tickets

The tour price does not include

• health insurance
• flight to Turkey (about $200)
• visits to paid attractions ($20-30)
• buses and other transfers on the route ($30)

Payment procedure: To reserve a place in the group you must pay prepayment - 30 euros. In case of refusal to participate, the prepayment is not refunded, but is stored in the “account” to pay for our other tours in the future. The remainder of the tour cost is paid in cash (in any currency) upon meeting in Turkey. In the event that a participant leaves prematurely route, recalculation is not made, money is not returned. 

Tour conditions

All overnight stays along the route are planned in tents. Before starting the hike, we will spend the night in a hotel in Antalya. The instructor is in charge of organizing meals and purchasing food for the hike. Most of the products are purchased in Ukraine before the trip and sent to participants by Nova Poshta. It will be necessary to bring these 5-6 kg of products to Turkey. Please keep this in mind when purchasing tickets (and luggage).

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the route depending on weather, group condition and other factors. 

Hiking schedule in Turkey

Application for participation