FALL

FALL, WINTER AND SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAMS AT ARCADIA
Arcadia is open all year round. We offer special holiday activities from October to April. Naturally many of these activities are also available during the summer months. However the period between October and April provides ideal conditions for activities such as long walks in the mountains, enjoying nature and scenery. We have two large in-door restaurants with fireplaces. They also serve as places for relaxation, reading and games on cooler evenings or rainy days. Our rooms are equipped with air conditioning which provides heating when needed.

1. HIKING AND WALKING IN NATURE

The mountains around Cirali rise up to 1500 metres. Many of our guests like hiking in the mountains especially in the spring and fall when the tenıperatures are ideal for long walks. There is a variety of paths good for all ages and people with different physical conditions. There are 3 branches of the Lycian way, one of the world's best long distance trekking paths, that lead out from Cirali. The guide-book is available in our library for detailed descriptions of the Lycian way. The following are some examples of other possible hiking tours:

A: Village of Cirali: Cirali is a unique holiday location because it combines family-operated small scale tourism with farming. The village has been spared from big hotels and touristic developments. During a stroll, you will witness villagers working on their fields, growing many vegetables throughout the year (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchinis) and fruits (lemons, oranges, tangerines, peaches, avocados). On the beach, you will see small metal cages which mark the turtles' nests. If you prefer bicycling, we provide bicycles (no charge).

B: Cirali-Yanartas(Chimaera): One-hour. The fire-breathing monster, Chimaera, is an important symbol of the ancient Lycian civilisation and it is in Cirali. The path is good and the climb itself is not steep. We believe that visiting Chimera is a must. We recommend that you go there in the evening to see these flames eternally burning on the side of the mountains.

C: Ulupinar-Chimaera(Yanartaş)-Cirali: 3 hours. The walkstarts from the village of Ulupınar. We can arrange your transportation to the beginning of the walk. The village of Ulupınar has many restaurants located on waterfalls. They serve fish and other traditional Turkish dishes. After the lunch, you descend to a valley, then climb up to the Chimera and down to Cirali . On this tour, you will also see a smaller group of flames at a higher altitude than the Chimera. It is relatively easy since it involves very little climbing.

D: Cirali-Chimaera--Ulupinar-Cirali: 5-6 hours. Starts in Cirali. On the way to the village of Ulupinar on the main road from Antalya, you will pass through Chimaera, pine forests and follow a stream with many watersfalls. This walk can be classified as medium difficult.

E: Cirali-Olympos-Adrasan-Cirali: 8 hours. This is the longest hike, and you should be fairly fit since it involves considerable climbing up and down the Mount Musa. It starts from the antique city of Olympos located by the beach in Cirali . After a 4-hour climb through the woods with spectacular scenery on all sides, you have a picnic prepared for you. In Adrasan you take a taxi back to Cirali. We believe this would be one of the most spectacular hiking tours you would make in our area.

F: Cirali-Maden Beach-Tekirova: 7-8 hours. It starts near Arcadia. You see the signs to Tekirova/Lycian way on the right. The path is well-marked. The hike will take you along the shoreline, up hillsides and down to beaches for about 3 to 4 hoıırs until you reach the Maden Beach. Maden is mineral in Turkish. There were chromium mines in the old days. You still see many old mine shafts and buildings. At that point, you may retrace your steps back to Cirali or go on to Tekirova (a major touristic area), another 3 to 4 hours. In Tekirova, you can take a mini-bus (dolmus) back to the Cirali exit.

G: Highland of Beycik-Peak of Mount Tahtali: 5-6 hours. The hike is not done during the winter months when there is snow on Mount Tahtali (January to March), the highest mountain in the region. You take transportation to the highland of Beycik and start the climb there. The most challenging of all the hikes with the most spectacular scenery of the region and the sea. Recently a restaurant/cafe has been built at the peak and there is an aerial cable car which will take you down to the main road. It is truly a breath taking ride! Once on the main road, you can either take a taxi which we can send or use public transportation back to Cirali.

H: Yaylalar (Highlands): Not far from Cirali are several highlands at altitudes of more than one thousand meters. You can hike to a number of them from Cirali and we can arrange transportation to take you back. On these highlands you will observe traditional nomadic living as well as now almost extinct cedar trees. We can organize a full day trip for you, including walks and traditional nomadic food.

I: Such hiking/ walking trips would provide great opportunity for photography: you can take beautiful shots of nature coming back to life from February to April. Also you can spend hours collecting mushrooms in November and December. You can make many of the walks by yourselves. We will provide you with detailed directions. However some walks require guides whom we can provide.

2. VISITING HISTORICAL SPOTS

Cirali is located in a region which was part of the ancient Lycian civilisation. You can spend several days visiting these cities where you will also see the later remains of Roman, Hellenic and Byzantine periods.

A. Olympos: Only a 20-30 minute walk from the hotel. The city is located by the sea and an ice cold stream coming down from the mountains runs through the middle of it. Olympos was part of the Lycian League of about thirty city-states. It is completely covered by tall fig and bayleaf trees. There are numerous remains such as the theatre, temples and sarcophoci as well as the ancient city walls and fortresses.

B. Phaselis: It is half an hour drive from Cirali in the direction of Antalya. It is right on the sea and has lovely small coves and beaches. Instead of fighting Alexandre the Great, the people of Phaselis treated him as a hero and gave him the city as a gift.

C. Arycanda: On the road to Elmali from Finike which is to the west of Cirali. The city is perched on the side of a mountain surrounded by pine forests, 650 meters above the sea level. In addition to an almost intact amphitheatre and odeon, you will also see one of the best examples of Roman baths anywhere in Turkey. You can then drive on to the town of Elmali, only 20 kilometres further. Elmali is a typical old Turkish town with many houses depicting Ottoman architecture, a very old mosque and several Ottoman tombs which are still considered sacred.

D. Kekova area: The Kekova area is one of the most stunning places in Turkey. It is beautiful and haunting. Ancient sarcophagi, partially submerged in the sea, rising above the blue waters, are on many posters and postcards. There are several antique settlements in the area and many deserted coves which are only accessible by boat. The best way to get to this region is to drive to Demre/Kale and take a regular boat tour from there. Demre is also the home town of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children. The remains of Myra, the ancient city, lie on the outskirts of Demre. You may want spend a few hours to visit the ancient city and the old church of St. Nicholas. This trip would require a whole day. We can help organise such a day, including transportation, lunch and boat tours.