25 day Itinerary review / suggestions / help - lycian way & istanbul

Damn! forgot to ask the important questions:

What do you think of the Lycian way segments chosen? Should I look into a few other segments for a little more diversity?

I am planning to do the Lycian way from Antalya - reverse direction. Would that be a problem in anyway?

I have chosen the segments on the way that are manageable in a day. Please correct me if I am wrong here.

Do the segments where I plan to take a bus look realistic? Specifically, is it easy to take a bus from Karaoz to Myra? Cayagiz to Kas?

Is there a direct transport from Bodrum to Selcuk?

Is my budget of 2500 USD realistic for the above itinerary? This is excluding the flight tickets but includes for scuba diving open water.

Thanks!

I'll leave the Lycian part to someone like Hobbit who lives near Kaş and can advise you best for that(he is also good to know for diving too!).I'm just going to pick holes in the rest of it LOL!Hopefully I can gain you a little extra time for Istanbul too.
You can knock a day off both Antalya and Olympos to use better elsewhere(Istanbul?)
Why go from Kaş to Bodrum?Nothing there worth it for the detour-bit pricey too.Go from Kaş direct to Pamukkale and then from there to Selçuk.Maybe fit in Aphrodisias whilst at Pamukkale too,very special site.If time and money allow perhaps also fit in a day or two around Fethiye which has some nice places to see.
This would free up 2 or 3 days for you to use either to see extra places or to extend the Istanbul section.Budgetwise yes,you should have enough even allowing for your O.W.C.
Hobbit!all yours........

Thanks for replying Sarikanarya. Must add, great job compiling all the tour reports. Very resourceful. Many thanks for that.

About the itinerary:

I placed a buffer day at Antalya for river rafting at Bridge canyon - but was undecided about it. so left it as a buffer day. I'll add this to Istanbul should this go against the plan.

Yes, i could knock off a day from Olympos and add that to Fethiye. I am a bit concerned about rushing from place to place. It's a holiday after all and I wanna be able to wake up late on the no-hike days at least :) Also, I read in one of the threads here that Olympos would require at least two days to explore. Is that true?

Isn't the route from Kas to Selcuk/pamukkale long? I was taking the detour to Bodrum to avoid a really long journey. But I guess, it would make little difference anyway. Aphrodisias is a bit out of the way, no? I thought I could accommodate it when I do Cappadocia - next trip some time soon - I dunno, now that you mention it's doable.... gonna look into it now... But yes, I think I'll go from Kas to fathiye - spend two days in and around fethiye/oludeniz and then move on to Selcuk. Thanks for the suggestion - i was in two minds about it.

Although, I am working on an itinerary for reference, it's going to have to be flexible - especially, if I like a place, I am the sorts to extend the stay there by a day or so - and vice versa - so if you think there are other places along the planned route, say that are more suited for an adventure, please do mention it... especially, if you think there are other - may be better - places to experience local life, culture or more opportunities to come in contact with the local people...

A few other queries about the lycian way and diving:

any suggestions for a dive centre to do my OWC?
Do I need carry a tent or will there be accommodation at the pit stops planned? What about the light house at Gelidonya - any pensions there? #wishful.. really would like to travel as light as possible...

rajiv

Ah,okay didn't know you had an extra thing planned for Antalya.If it doesn't happen then you can use the day elsewhere.
Kaş to Denizli(for Pamukkale)is around 7 hours allowing for bus changes and approx 5 hours from Fethiye so not so very far.Both routes nice and scenic too,not boring.
I think you have got Aphrodisias mixed up with another place.It is close to Pamukkale,approx 1½ hours away that's all and there are day tours from Pamukkale if you want.
I understand your idea of a loose itinery-and love it!Some people plan every day to the last second with no chance(or intention) of changing anything :(
You can find good clean family run pension accomodation in all the places you mention.It will be early enough in the season that you won't need to book either,you can just wash up on doorsteps and be sure of finding a bed.This flexibility is good for your plan too.B&B's and pensions here almost always include a good open buffet breakfast in the price so that will help your budget along.
For help with the diving question wait until Hobbittr comes along.Not only does he live in Kaş(which is probably THE best diving area in Turkey)he is an experienced diver himself and will be able to recommend a safe,reliable company for you to use.He usually checks in here most days so hopefully in the morning he'll reply to you.
In the meantime you could go onto his profile page and read up some of his previous posts and links
on the area.
Glad you like the trip review sticky,seemed like good idea to me too :)

Doesn't the PADI Open Water Diver course take about 5 days?

Thanks again sarikanarya - i checked on Aphrodisias again - I think it's possible to tie that in with Pammukkale. And glad to know about the accommodation too. Thanks. rest, i'll just wait till Hobbit has a look - i did read several of his posts too when figuring out the itinerary.

DavidM1: yes, it does. That's why I will be staying at Kas for 6 nights... hoping to complete it there!

Possibly not a good idea to go diving and paragliding on the same day?

Hi DavidM1:

i had scheduled it to coincide with the pool sessions early on - which won't take more than half a day - but now that I will be going to Oludeniz, I will do the paragliding there :) thanks for pointing it out... it's a mad thing to plan it that way i realise.. was a bit greedy.. anyway the itinerary looks now like this:

Day 1 - 4 Antalya with side trips to Perge, Aspendos & Bridge Canyon
Day 5, 6 Olympos (will hike Mt. Tahtali, Cirali & Chimera)
Day 7 Hike to Adrasan
Day 8 Hike to Gelidonya - camp at the lighthouse
Day 9 Hike to Karaoz
Day 10 Transfer to Myra
Day 11 Hike Myra to Cayagiz
Day 12 - 18 Kas (including OWC, day trips to Patara & Xanthos if possible, hike to cukurbag)
Day 19 Fethiye & Oludeniz
Day 20 - 22 selcuk / ephes / pammukkale / aphrodisias
Day 23 - 25 Explore Istanbul
Day 26 Fly back to Kabul

really looking forward to some comments on the lycian way..

Thanks.

Hi atasal:

You just brought in so much clarity to my idea of the lycian way! - Thanks. Although, i aint gonna set my itinerary in stone - many times i have just landed in a country and gone with the flow of things there... but i plan to hike this long a distance for the first time... so planning a little and with all the foreign names, its not been easy organizing it all...

I have revised the plan based on your suggestions and kinda like it better - thanks.

But, do you think I will need to carry a tent? i wanna travel light - not particularly athletic! guess, sleeping bags would do?

thanks for the heads up about food availability on the adrasan - karaoz leg. I couldnt find any details about the pirates harbour in karaoz. Do you have a link by any chance?

How is the hike from Myra to Cayagiz?

I moved Patara and Xanthos out of Kas plan. But since I want to do my OWC there, I have to spend five days minimum. Any suggestions for activities in Kas - apart from a sea kayak to Kekova / simena?

Also, will it be a problem in terms of route navigability doing the hike reverse, from Antalya as opposed to from Fethiye? I don't have a GPS...

Any suggestions for a dive centre in Kas to do OWC?

Day 1 - 4 Antalya
Day 5 Travel to Mt. Tahtali via Tekirova - take the cable car to Tahtali and hike down to Beycik
Day 6 Hike Beycik to Olympos through Cirali
Day 7 Hike Olympos to Adrasan - after visiting the ruins at Olympos
Day 8 Hike Adrasan to Karaoz - via Gelidonya. Camp at
Day 9 Travel to Myra and then to Kale / Cayagiz
Day 10 - 15 Kas
Day 16 Dolmus to Akbel, hike to Patara / Gelemis
Day 17 Dolmus to Xanthos and then to Faralya
Day 18 Hike Faralya to Ovacik, through Oludeniz
Day 19 Oludeniz for half day & travel to Selcuk
Day 20 Ephesus
Day 21 Pammukkale Aphrodisias travel to Istanbul
Day 22 - 25 Istanbul

Cheers