Turkey
Olympos
Lycian ruins tangled in wild fig roots where a forested valley opens onto an empty beach.
The path to Olympos beach in Turkey passes through the ruins of a Lycian port city — columns wrapped in wild fig roots, sarcophagi tilted at odd angles in the undergrowth, stone walls held together by nothing but the grip of climbing plants. The forest canopy closes overhead, then opens suddenly onto a long, empty beach where the Mediterranean runs out flat and glassy to the horizon.
The ancient city of Olympos was a major Lycian port before its abandonment in the 7th century. Unlike most archaeological sites in Turkey, the ruins are unfenced and largely unexcavated — you walk through them, over them, around them, as part of the route to the sea. Tree-house camps and eco-lodges in the valley operate on solar power and candlelight, with no generators. The beach at the valley's end stretches 4 kilometres and is accessible only via the forest path through the ruins. The eternal flames of Yanartaş — natural gas vents that have burned on a nearby hillside since antiquity — are a 30-minute hike away through pine forest. Olympos sits on the Lycian Way, Turkey's long-distance coastal trail.
Solo
Sleep in a treehouse, walk through ruins no one has tidied up for tourists, and hike to the eternal flames at dusk with nothing but your own footsteps for company. Olympos self-selects for travellers who prefer rawness to polish.
Friends
The treehouse camps are communal by nature — shared breakfasts under the pines, evening fires, cold beer on the beach after exploring ruins all day. It is the kind of place groups remember twenty years later.
- The ancient city of Olympos was a major Lycian port before being abandoned in the 7th century — the ruins are unlocked and unguarded.
- Tree-house camps and eco-lodges along the valley run without generators — solar and candlelight only.
- The beach at the valley's end is 4km long and accessible only via the forest path through the ruins.
- The eternal flames of Yanartaş are a 30-minute hike from the valley via a marked trail through pine forest.
Treehouse pension breakfasts of menemen eggs, olives, honey, and fresh-baked bread under the pines.
Grilled corn and pomegranate juice from beach vendors as the sun drops behind the ruins.
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