Guide
The Carian Trail is a long-distance hiking route in south-western Türkiye, divided into regional sections. On the Bozburun Peninsula alone it covers close to 150 kilometres of path.
The Datça section starts in Datça's old town and ends at Balıkaşıran, passing more than 50 beaches along the way. It is long and crosses country with almost no settlements, so it suits experienced walkers and those happy to camp. From Balıkaşıran, the Gulf of Gökova section, the longest of the whole trail, keeps climbing high above the shore and dropping back down to the water, passes the 'slow city' of Akyaka and continues on into Bodrum, with ruins, small villages and beaches on the way; you can camp or stay in small guesthouses.
Inland, a section from Akyaka finishes at ancient Stratonicea; on the way it takes in the Değirmendere Canyon, the ruins of Thera and a stop at the Belen Kahvesi teahouse, mostly on quiet dirt tracks with a few stretches of forest path. In the mountainous, secluded Latmos area, villages keep traditional Aegean architecture, customs and dress, among old roads and ruins; guesthouses cluster around Lake Bafa, and elsewhere walkers camp or stay in village houses.
In August 2021, wildfires that started at İçmeler destroyed much of the woodland along the Bozburun Peninsula's north side, along with parts of the Gökova area, and the trail's organisers closed the affected routes while the damaged forest was cleared. Check the trail's website or its Wikiloc page for the state of these sections before setting out.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Muğla as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 10.8 °C in January to 27.6 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, June, September, October and November; rainfall is heaviest in December (207 mm) and lightest in August (4 mm). Long-term means for 2001-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
