At nights With little light in the valley, when you  walk on the only road to the sea, you could smell the familiar odours, accompanied by cheerful conversations, that would be only interrupted to greet you and would keep on as you pass by. Once you reach the beach under the moon light, milky way would shine on the mediterrenean and provide one of the best backgrounds for cheerful conversations (If you think even tiny amount exaggeration blended in the sentences of mine I would like to tell you that even once my friend witnessed a Nymphe coming from the sea, needing cover ).

There are many many activities that can be done, but I feel so relaxed in the valley once I am there I hardly leave the place

Submitted by:

Erdinç Sevim
Ghent, Belgium

When most people hear “Olympos” they think of the mythical house of gods, knowing little about the actual ancient settlement located in Antalya, Turkey.

Olympos is one of the cities on the former Lycian trade route and present-day trekking route. Lycians were the first ones to use money as we know it. After inventing the mother of all problems, of course they started to create bigger trade networks. Olympos started as a Greek colony in the Hellenistic age and enjoyed the luxury that came with the Lycian trade networks for a quite a while. Being a cradle of civilization, Anotolia nurtured Olympos for around 2,000 years (coins date back to the year 2 BC). However, the city could not survive the turbulent times after 1000 AD (formation of different trade routes, invasions, etc.) and it was abandoned in the 15th century.

Olympos - The beach

Tourism in the area is actually a new thing in Olympos – it all started not much more than 15 years ago, when backpackers walking the ancient Lycian route discovered the amazing valley, and started telling others about it when they went home. This attraction, of course, yielded the local ventures. The hostels are actually bungalows, since the area is a National Park and concrete buildings are strictly forbidden.

Today Olympos is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions on the west coast of Turkey, with plenty of activities provided by the hostels owned by local people. When I was in college, the place was still a region reserved for young people, where people went in Spring for a vacation or even just a weekend, to reset the mind and to enjoy the orange tree blossoms and the amazing sea settled just in front of the ruins of the ancient city. This relaxed environment is further furbished by the delicious local foods (in most hostels, breakfast and dinner is included in the package) and the friendly environment created by people from all over the world.

Olympos - Relaxing by the ruins

At night, with little light in the valley, you can walk in the dark on the only road that leads to the sea, smelling the familiar odor of smoke and hearing cheerful conversations, which are interrupted only to greet others. Once you reach the beach under the moon light, the Milky Way shines on the Mediterranean and provides one of the best backgrounds for lively discussion. If you think I’m exaggerating even a little bit, I would like to tell you that once my friend even witnessed a Nymph coming from the sea, seeking cover .

I have stayed in most of the hostels in the valley and I can easily say that they are all good and have similar packages. However, the most known are Kadir’s Tree Houses, which were the first ones in the valley. Kadir’s provides a nice atmosphere, but let me warn you it is also the farthest from the sea. You can also go on daily tours to Yanartaş (or the Flaming Rock, where natural-gas flames come out of cracks in the mountain) or sail to the nearby beaches. Climbing, biking, hiking, scuba diving, and paragliding are also possible in the region. I am not even mentioning the ruins, because you have to go through them everyday anyway if you want to swim. There are many many activities to partake in, but I feel so relaxed in the valley that once I am there, I hardly feel like leaving.

Olympos - Tree houses

Night life is also another experience in Olympos. You can go to one of the 3 bars (it was 3 last time I was there) and enjoy different kind of music around the huge camp fires and try to get drunk – I say “try” because the fresh air and amazing environment put up extra resistance against intoxication, not to mention hangovers. I would suggest to end the night in the beach though.

Olympos - One of treehouse bars

Getting to Olympos is quite easy from downtown Antalya. You can take a mini-bus (called dolmuş; a van for around 10 people) going in the direction of Kemer. I suggest you ask in advance if it goes until Olimpos. It will leave you by the main road close to Olympos, from where you will have to take another shuttle down into the National Park.

Olympos – Wikipedia

Map of Location – Google Maps

Olympos – Wikitravel

Photo credits: Beach and bar photos courtesy of kenyew1; photo of ruins courtesy of nilgun erkiz; treehouse photo courtesy of eßru.