# Water on the Lycian Way: stage by stage, from Kaş Updated: 2026-09-07 — https://ghostofkas.com/guides/lycian-way-water-sources/ The Lycian Way is not short of scenery, beds or ruins. It is short of water. Springs that run in April are dry in October, cisterns need treating, and there are two stretches where there is nothing at all for a day or more. This page pulls the water notes from every stage into one list, with the rule of thumb first: three litres from every village, five on the mountain stages, and fill at every tap you pass whether you need it or not. ## The rules that hold everywhere Village mosques have taps and they are the most reliable water on the trail; every village on the route has one. Springs marked on the map run from March to early June and often not at all from July into October. Cisterns, the stone-roofed tanks near ruins and shepherd camps, hold rainwater that needs filtering or treating. Pensions and beach bars sell bottled water at village prices. Streams near the coast are not drinking water. Carry a filter or tablets on any stage where the notes say cisterns. Carry electrolytes in the warm months. And treat the fake waymarks near Kaş and Boğazcık as a water problem too: a detour to a business is an hour in the sun you did not plan for. ## West: Fethiye to Patara Ovacık to Faralya: fountains at Kozağaç and Kirme, nothing before them; leave with two litres. Faralya to Kabak: the Kabak village fountain runs all year and is the last easy water for two days. Kabak to Alınca: mid-route fountains are seasonal and have been dry in autumn; Alınca has a well. Alınca to Bel: the mosque taps at Dodurga and Bel are the only running water reported between Kabak and Kınık; the coastal variant by the lighthouse relies on cisterns. Bel to Karadere: limited; fill at Bel and Gavurağılı. Karadere to Xanthos and on to Patara: village taps throughout the delta. Details on each stage page. ## The inland stages: Kalkan to Kaş Patara to Kalkan: no springs reported; carry from Gelemiş. Kalkan to Bezirgan: fountains in both places, nothing between, and the last stretch before Kalkan is badly marked. Bezirgan to Gökçeören: the spring at Sarıbelen runs all year and is the one dependable source on the inland route; fill there. Gökçeören to Çukurbağ over Phellos: seasonal only, nothing reliable, and it is the longest stage in the west at nearly nine hours; carry four litres. Çukurbağ to Kaş: the mosque fountain in Çukurbağ, then the town. ## The Kaş peninsula: the Boğazcık rule Kaş to Limanağzı: a fountain at the mosque by Büyük Çakıl beach as you leave town, then only what the beach bars sell at Limanağzı. Limanağzı to Boğazcık: nothing reliable on the coast; the Boğazcık village fountain at the end is the last dependable water before Üçağız. Boğazcık to Aperlai: the cisterns at Aperlai are marked and not to be trusted; the pensions have water for guests. Apollonia’s cistern on the side trail is reported as the only water on that hill. Aperlai to Üçağız: very little on the shore path; village water at both ends. Kaleköy to Demre: a year-round spring at Çayağzı near Andriake; carry for the headlands. So: fill every bottle at Boğazcık, and again at Üçağız. Two days of the best walking on the trail depend on it. ## The two waterless crossings Demre to Finike over the Alaca Dağ: a fountain at Belören near the start, then cisterns and seasonal springs that have been dry in October, for two or three days with no village. Five litres, a filter, and the willingness to turn back. The Tahtalı pass from Beycik: no surface water at all; the cable-car café near the summit is the only top-up. Four litres from Beycik. ## East: Finike to Antalya Finike to Karaöz: towns throughout. Karaöz to Adrasan: a spring on the saddle reported to run from March to November, nothing else confirmed; carry a full day. Adrasan to Çıralı: one spring reported near the top of Musa Dağı. Çıralı to Tekirova: streams are seasonal; carry. Kuzdere to Göynük Yayla: village fountains at Gedelme. Göynük canyon: streams in the canyon, carry for the plateau. Göynük to Hisarçandır: limited; carry from Göynük. Hisarçandır onward: village fountains at both ends of each stage. ## What we will add Everything above comes from published stage notes and trip reports, cross-checked against each other, with the sources listed on each stage page. From this autumn we will re-walk the Kaş stages each season and add the date each fountain and cistern was checked, so that the line about Boğazcık says checked on a date rather than reported. If you walk a stage and find a source dry or running, email us and we will add it with credit. ## Questions people actually ask ### How much water should I carry on the Lycian Way? Three litres from every village as a rule, four on the long inland stages, five on the Alaca Dağ and Tahtalı crossings. Fill at every tap. ### Can you drink from the cisterns? Only filtered or treated. They hold rainwater and are shared with animals. ### Where is the last water before Kekova? The village fountain at Boğazcık. Nothing reliable between there and Üçağız, including the cisterns at Aperlai. ### Are the springs running in autumn? Often not. Springs are reliable from March to early June; by October many are dry. Mosque taps and village fountains are the safe sources.