Stage 21 · Route 21
Karaöz to Adrasan via Gelidonya lighthouse: the best eastern day
Updated: 2026-09-07
The reward for enduring the greenhouses. From Karaöz the path follows the cape south to the Gelidonya lighthouse, which stands above a scatter of islands where the Bronze Age shipwreck that rewrote Mediterranean archaeology was found, and then turns inland for a serious climb over the ridge and a long drop to Adrasan. GPS-measured at 20.4 km with almost 1,200 m up and the same down, around nine hours.
Many walkers split it: the lighthouse and back to Karaöz as one day, then a taxi to Adrasan, or the full stage with a very early start. The spring on the saddle is reported to run from March to November but should not be your only plan.
Want this walked with bags moved and beds booked? Plan it with us ↓
- Distance
- 20.4 km
- Ascent
- 1196 m
- Descent
- 1192 m
- Time
- 9 h
- Grade
- Hard
- Terrain
- Round the cape to the Gelidonya lighthouse, then a hard, thorny climb over the ridge with pitches above twenty percent and a long descent to Adrasan bay.
- Sleep at the end
- Adrasan has many pensions along the beach and river; most open April to November
- Water
- A spring on the saddle reported to run March to November; otherwise none confirmed. Carry a full day
- Getting there
- Adrasan is reached by dolmuş from Kumluca; the road bypass from Karaöz goes via Çavuşköy
- From Kaş
- About 2.5 h by road
Ghost cities on this stage
- Melanippe — a small Lycian harbour settlement on the cape, walls and cisterns in the scrub near the lighthouse path.
Highlights
- The Gelidonya lighthouse on its cape, one of the trail’s great viewpoints
- The Beş Adalar islands scattered below
- Adrasan, a long bay with pensions and a river
The lighthouse without the ridge
Karaöz to the Gelidonya lighthouse and back is the classic day walk on this coast and needs no commitment to the ridge. It is a coastal path with the islands opening up as you go, and the lighthouse keeper’s terrace is the place for lunch. If you want the full stage with a bag transfer to Adrasan and a bed waiting, write to us; it is one of the eastern sections we put together most often.
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
How hard is Karaöz to Adrasan?
Hard: 20 km, 1,200 m of climbing with pitches over twenty percent, and nine hours. The lighthouse section alone is a moderate day walk.
Is there water?
A spring on the saddle that runs roughly March to November according to reports, and nothing else confirmed. Carry a full day.
Can I avoid the ridge?
Yes. Walk to the lighthouse and back, then go round by road via Çavuşköy to Adrasan.