Chimaera to Olympos Hike

The Chimaera to Olympos hike in the Kemer District of Antalya Province combines mythological landscape with ancient ruins and a beach finish, making it one of the most rewarding half-day walks on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. The route begins at the Chimaera flames — known in Turkish as Yanartaş, meaning burning rock — natural vents in a hillside above Çıralı village where seeping methane ignites on contact with air, producing flames that have burned continuously for at least 2,500 years and inspired the myth of the fire-breathing Chimaera in Greek mythology. The trailhead is reached from Çıralı village by a well-signed road; a small entrance fee of approximately 30–50 TL applies at the site booth. From the parking area, a stone-paved path climbs approximately 300 metres of elevation through maquis scrubland of kermes oak, myrtle, and wild thyme. The ascent takes 20–30 minutes and the flames are reached at a rocky hillside platform with seating. From Chimaera, a footpath descends west and south through cedar forest following Lycian Way waymarks to the valley floor, passing through orange groves and entering the archaeological site of ancient Olympos — an overgrown Hellenistic and Roman city set within a wooded river valley. The Olympos site (entrance approximately 100 TL) contains theatre remains, Roman baths, a monumental gateway, and Byzantine and Genoese walls partially reclaimed by vegetation. The path continues through the ruins and emerges at Olympos beach — a long pebble strand edged by forested cliffs. Total round-trip distance from Çıralı car park to Chimaera, through Olympos, and back is approximately 8 kilometres. The full traverse to the beach works best as a point-to-point walk with return by taxi to Çıralı (around 100–150 TL). Afternoon departure times of 3–4pm allow visitors to see the Chimaera flames at their most visible against the darkening sky at dusk.