Guide
Efeler Yolu is a 500-kilometre waymarked hiking route that sets off from Bornova in İzmir, crosses the Nif Dağı and Bozdağ ranges, circles the high pastures of Kiraz and carries on over the Aydın mountains to finish at Meryemana near Efes and Selçuk. It is planned as a culture route on the theme of the efe and zeybek tradition, using ancient paths and mountain passes to join up villages that have kept their cultural heritage alive.
The route is split into 28 stages, 27 main ones and one alternative, each 14 to 24 kilometres long and graded mostly moderate-to-hard or hard. The first stage runs from Kavaklıdere in Bornova to Nazarköy in Kemalpaşa and the last from Şirince to Meryemana, with Birgi, Bozdağ and villages around Kiraz, Beydağ and Tire in between. Main stages are marked in red and white and the alternative in red and yellow, while extra red marks lead off to summits, heritage sites and viewpoints. You can also follow the tracks on apps such as Wikiloc, FatMap and AllTrails.
Each stage is designed to end in a village where walkers can stay, and every one of these has at least one business signed up as an Efeler Yolu friend: it stamps walkers' passports on request, gives accurate information about places to eat and sleep (hotels, guesthouses or village homes) and suggests a suitable spot for anyone who wants to pitch a tent. A volunteer looks after each stage, walking it every year, trimming back growth and renewing the markings, and some volunteers also guide walkers. In 2023 the route was included in Green Destinations' Top 100 Stories.
When to go
- Climate
- Across İzmir as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 8.9 °C in January to 28 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in December (146 mm) and lightest in July (4 mm). Long-term means for 1938-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
