Hiking in Turkey – Mount Olympos (Tahtali mountain), Antalya
The hike up Mt Olympos — also called Tahtalı dağı — is part of the Lycian Way, Turkey’s first long-distance walking trail. The views from the mountain top are fabulous. The Mediterranean Sea stretches as far as you can see on one side, while the other side is a carpet of forest crowned by the snow-covered peaks of the Olympos Bey Mountains.
The best part is that once you walk back down, you can cool off with a swim in the Mediterranean Sea.
Distance: ∼15 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Highest point: 2,366 m (Mt Olympos)
Height gain: +1,330 m/-1,330 m
We did it: April 2004
Photos from our hike up Mount Olympos
How to get there
Mt Olympos is in Olympos Bey Mountains National Park in Turkey’s Antalya Province, near the low-key beach resort of Çirali on the Mediterranean Sea. We started and ended at Beycik, a small village at around 900 m altitude. We organized drop off and pick up with our pension in Çirali.
You could alternatively catch the cable car up and then walk down to Beycik, or else start and end the hike in Çirali. This will add another 10 km each way and 900 m in height gain.
Hiking trail description – Mount Olympos in Antalya, Turkey
The hiking trail was good and well-marked when we were there. The only issue was the snow on Mount Olympos, which covered the trail and made the walk slightly more dangerous. It’s very exposed at the top, so I imagine the hike is also dangerous in bad weather.
There were no restaurants or shelters on the hiking trail when we did it, but now there is a restaurant at the cable car station on the summit.
From Beycik you walk up through forest on a good track, zig-zagging ever more steeply up to the Tahtali saddle. From the saddle, the path up to Mt Olympus continues up a steep scree slope on the right that was well-marked with cairns. After that I’m not sure about the track as it was covered in snow when we were there — although it was obvious where to go. If there is snow, be very careful of the cornice as there a cliff on the other side.
The return walk is the same path down to Beycik.
Links
The Lycian Way
Story & photos from our hike up Mt Olympos in Antalya, Turkey
Mt Olympos from the beach in Cirali
Sea to snow: conquering Turkey’s Mt Olympos | The trail is part of the Lycian Way — Turkey’s first long-distance walking trail, which even has its own guide book. Unfortunately, we’ve managed to leave this behind at home. Read more »
7 comments
Hello
I am thinking about hiking to the summit of mount olympos in a few weeks. does anyone know of any local hiking guides or is possible to do it solo?
Is there cycling / MTB biking trail ?
Hi Sari – there wasn’t a specific MTB trail when we were there, and the top was steep and rocky so not sure how easy it would be to cycle to the top. If you end up going, please let me know about the MTB options!
HI im going to turkey in 2 weeks and really looking to do this walk. Was wondering roughly how long it took to complete ? Thanks
It took around 7-8 hours, but it was slow on top because of the snow. Enjoy your trip!
was there any snow in april on the mountain range?
We were there in April, and yes there was still snow at the top of Mt Olympos, above the Tahtali saddle. But this was 14 years ago – weather conditions may have changed since then! It was also before the cable car, so I don’t know how that affects the trail. Enjoy your trip there!