Stage 8 · Route 8
Xanthos to Patara: delta villages and the aqueduct
Updated: 2026-09-07
An awkward stage that most through-walkers shorten. The official route wanders through Çavdır, Çayköy and Üzümlü across the flat delta before climbing to the ridge above Patara; the guidebook gives 19 km to Üzümlü, and the measured legs add up to considerably more if you continue to Gelemiş. Many people take a dolmuş across the delta and rejoin the trail at Üzümlü or Akbel for the aqueduct and the descent to the beach.
Whichever way you do it, arrive at Patara with time to spare. The site and the beach deserve a full afternoon.
Want this walked with bags moved and beds booked? Plan it with us ↓
- Time
- 5–7 h
- Grade
- Moderate
- Terrain
- Delta villages, then the low hills above Patara and the Delikkemer aqueduct, finishing on the great beach or in Gelemiş village.
- Sleep at the end
- Gelemiş (Patara village) has many pensions and is used to walkers
- Water
- Village taps at Çavdır and Çayköy; carry for the hills
- Getting there
- Dolmuş Gelemiş–Kalkan and Gelemiş–Kınık; the Fethiye–Kaş bus stops at the Patara junction
- From Kaş
- About 45 min by bus
Ghost cities on this stage
- Patara — Lycia’s main port, birthplace of St Nicholas, with a restored parliament building, a theatre half-buried in dunes and a lighthouse being rebuilt stone by stone. Entry about €15 on the 2026 list; the ticket covers the beach.
- Delikkemer — a Roman siphon aqueduct of interlocking stone pipes that carried Patara’s water over the ridge. The trail walks along the top of it.
Highlights
- Eighteen kilometres of sand with no buildings on it
- Walking on the aqueduct
- Patara’s parliament, restored to the roof
The honest version of this stage
Delta walking is lanes between greenhouses in full sun, and the waymarks are worst here. The good part begins at Akbel, where the trail climbs to Delikkemer and walks along the aqueduct itself before dropping to Patara. If your days are limited, spend them there and not on the plain.
Patara beach is closed to overnight stays from March to the end of October to protect nesting turtles, and the site gate takes the €15 entry whether you come for ruins or sand.
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 far is Xanthos to Patara on foot?
The guidebook gives 19 km to Üzümlü on the official loop; reaching Gelemiş village adds more. Most walkers cut the delta by dolmuş and walk only the Akbel to Patara section.
Can I camp on Patara beach?
No, not between March and the end of October. It is a turtle nesting beach and is patrolled.