Stage 6 · Route 6
Bel to Karadere through Pydnai: down to the delta
Updated: 2026-09-07
The day the mountains let go. Bel to Gavurağılı is a measured 6.9 km of descent; beyond it the trail flattens into the delta and reaches Pydnai, a fortress whose walls are still standing because nobody ever bothered to take them down. From there it is beach and scrub to Karadere, where a single pension sits behind the dunes at the quiet end of Patara.
The total is commonly given as 14 to 16 km. We have not found a single GPS figure for the whole stage, only for the first leg, so treat the length as approximate until we re-walk it.
Want this walked with bags moved and beds booked? Plan it with us ↓
- Time
- 5–6 h
- Grade
- Hard
- Terrain
- Down from the plateau to Gavurağılı, then through the walls of Pydnai and along the shore of the Eşen delta to Karadere beach. Rough underfoot in places; the guidebook grades it hard.
- Sleep at the end
- Özlen pension at Karadere; Likya Inn at Gavurağılı if you stop short
- Water
- Limited; fill at Bel and again at Gavurağılı, and watch for loose dogs near the farms
- Getting there
- Dolmuş stop at Karadere on the Eşen road
- From Kaş
- About 1.5 h by road
Ghost cities on this stage
- Pydnai — a Hellenistic fortress on a knoll above the delta. Unrestored, unfenced, and the trail passes straight through its gate and out the other side.
Highlights
- The descent off the plateau with the Eşen delta spread out below
- Pydnai’s intact walls with nobody in them
- Karadere beach, the long empty northern end of Patara sands
Dogs, farms and the delta
Trip reports on this stage mention loose farm dogs around Gavurağılı and the delta smallholdings more than on any other western stage. Walk with poles, do not run, and give the greenhouses a wide berth. The delta is also where the trail is least well marked, because it crosses working farmland; keep the map open.
Plan this with us
Tell us your dates, how many of you there are and how far you like to walk in a day. We reply within a day with a plan and a price from a licensed local agency — guided or self-guided, luggage moved, beds booked. No payment on this site.
Questions people actually ask
Is Pydnai on the Lycian Way?
Yes, the trail goes through the fortress itself. No ticket, no gate, no facilities.
Can I stop at Gavurağılı instead of Karadere?
Yes. The Likya Inn there takes walkers and splits the descent from the delta walk.