Logistics

Sunset from Antalya looking at the hills you will reach in the last week. 

I am assuming a West to East direction, and that the reader is visiting Turkey from elsewhere. The logistics are very simple:

• Get to the start: Fly to Istanbul. Fly to Dalaman. Bus to Fethiye.
• Walk from Fethiye to Geyikbayiri. Hitchhike to Antalya.
• At the end: Fly to Istanbul from Antalya. Fly home. Optionally spend time in Istanbul en route.

However...

Having said that, it turns out that I am going to do something quite different. As I will be on an extended and somewhat indefinite journey, I will fly to Antalya, stay for a couple of nights, leave some travel stuff at the hostel for later in the journey and then take a bus to Fethiye from Antalya. The bus takes only 4 hours via the mountain route. The coast route is longer, and I would rather see it when on the trail itself.

Istanbul has two widely separated airports. Therefore it is worth choosing flights that both arrive and leave from Ataturk airport (the main international airport). Otherwise it is a lengthy trip between the two (one in Europe, the other in Asia) and means an overnight stop is inevitable in most cases. 

I am allowing 5 hours between my flights. Being on different airlines, they are not connected. This should be ample time to arrive, pass through immigration*, collect baggage and then check in to the onward flight. 

An alternative transit time of 2h:40m might well be fine right up to the moment that the first flight departs an hour late. This seems like a recipe for getting stressed for the first flight and potentially missing the second one. The adaptation to slowing down and taking one’s time might as well start on the first day.

* There is a very simple and clear online visa process. Many people will get a 90-day multiple entry tourist visa to be used within a 180-day period. It costs about $20.

Update: This went entirely as planned, though the wait in Istanbul airport was tedious and not especially comfortable. Getting into the centre of Antalya is quite simple by tram (I think it’s daytime only) or by bus. 

However you need a scannable card to pay for a bus or tram ride (which I hadn’t realised). I was very lucky and a kind local person paid for me on the bus (about €0.50). 

I did not see where one could buy the disposable (but rechargeable - three times) travel cards at the airport. During daytime there might be a kiosk, but my flight had landed late at 22:00. 

In town these cards can only be refilled at kiosks which close at 6pm. This is not very user friendly. The automatic machines only recharge permanent cards. There is one 150m south of Ismetpaşa tram stop, near where the two tram lines are closest to each other. 

Getting to Fethiye was simplicity itself. I took a “new tram” to Otogar station. I found a bus leaving at 10am and was there by 2pm (30TL).

Hitching back from the trail head at Geyikbayiri was relatively quick - maybe a 15 minute wait then a 45 minute ride to Antalya.

So that only leaves you the walking section to deal with...