St. Paul Trail & other Hiking Opportunities

(Combining “St. Paul Trail and daily walks” and “Daily Walk Tours”)

Passing ancient ruins, beautiful mountain scenery and traditional old villages. The St. Paul long-distance trail offers everything that will make keen hikers happy. But it´s not just about St. Paul Trail – the whole area around Eğirdir offers a lot of different other trails, diverse landscapes and challenging peaks.

St.Paul Trail

The St Paul Trail is a way-marked footpath from Perge, 10 km of Antalya, to Yalvac, northeast of Lake Egirdir. The route totals about 500km. It's a wilder route than the Lycian Way, starting at sea level and climbing up to 2200m, with two optional peaks at around 2800m. 

Since it also passes Eğirdir, take the chance and lace up your hiking boots! You can either choose to do some day hikes, or even follow the trail for several days to do some long-distance-hiking.

Some highlights of the St. Paul trail are: 

• The Aksu river crossing and the waterfalls at Ucansu
• The huge pines and firs on the route above Oren
• The views from the route above the Candir canyon
• The Roman road at Adada
• The medieval paved road around Sarp peak
• The beautiful village of Beydili
• Following a Roman aqueduct into Yalvaç and the ruins of Roman cities
• the hospitality of the villagers, the quaint old houses in deserted corners, the deep forests and white waters of the canyons
• And of course: staying by Lake Egirdir (at Lale, Charlys or Fulya Pension) ?

More information: The St Paul’s Trail trek book, with detailed descriptions of the route, can be bought at our Pension.

Recommended Day Hikes around Eğirdir:

Following, you will see some recommended day hikes, among them also sections of the St. Paul Trail. If you wish we can also organize transport to/from any hike you choose! Please let us know the evening before so we can do the necessary arrangements.

1.Çandır - Sütçüler (2 nights, 2 days)

Day one: From Eğirdir take a minibus (Dolmuş) to Çandır in the afternoon. Have a dinner at the restaurant next to the Çandır canyon and stay overnight at the campsite nearby.

Day two: Since it will become pretty hot in the afternoon, start your day early and hike to Çuruk, where you will stay the second night. (hiking time: about 6-7 hours)

Day three: The final destination of the hike is Sütçüler. This day is less exhausting then the one before – however you will also need about 6-7 hours to reach the village. From Sütçüler you can take a Minibus (Dolmuş) back to Isparta/ Eğirdir

Getting there and back:

Getting to Çandır: Minibus from Eğirdir

Getting back to Eğirdir: Minibus from Sütçüler

2.Adada – Sipahiler (1 day, hiking time: 5-6 hours)

A great day-hike close to Eğirdir. Take a Minibus in the morning direction Sütçüler. After one hour you arrive Adada where you can visit the roman ruins before starting your hike. The beautiful trail passes several plateaus and finally leads to a small canyon.

Some parts of the trail are a little bit tricky – steady footedness is required. In the afternoon you can take a minibus from Sipahiler to get back to Eğirdir

Getting there and back:

Getting to Adada: Minibus from Eğirdir

Getting back to Eğirdir: Minibus from Sipahiler

3. Dedegöl Mountain (1 day, one night, altitude: 2.992 m)

Take a taxi to Melikler Yayalasi, the basecamp of Dedegöl Mountain, at 1.600m. Stay there over night in your tent. Important: start your ascent to the peak in the early morning, before sunrise! The hike up to the peak takes about 4-5 hours and is not technically demanding – no climbing equipment is necessary.

From the top of Dedegöl you will have an amazing 360° view, including Eğirdir, Lake Beyşehir and surrounding mountain ranges. The way back to the basecamp will take another 2,5-3 hours. From there, take a taxi back to Eğirdir

Getting there and back:

There is no public transport to Melikler Yayalasi. If you wish we can also organize transport for you! Please let us know the evening before so we can do the necessary arrangements.

4. Bedre-Barla (1 day, hiking time: ca. 8 hours)

Take a taxi to Bedre (ca. 15 minutes). Arrange with the taxi driver to pick you up later on in Barla to take you back to Eğirdir. From here, follow the St. Paul Trail to the village of Barla. The trail is technically easy, but long.

Please make sure to take enough water with you – within five hours there won´t be any possibility to buy it. Along the way you will probably meet nomadic cultures (Yörük), dogs and goats. After enjoying the traditional cute village of Barla, take back the taxi to Eğirdir.