The Leleg Way

Trail / Route

A waymarked trail linking the settlements of the Leleges, the peninsula’s people before the Greeks — a journey through time between dry-stone walls.

Long before the Greeks and Romans, the Bodrum peninsula was the land of a people the ancient sources call the “Leleges.” The geographer Strabo speaks of eight Lelegian settlements on the peninsula. Their most visible legacy today is the dry-stone walls running for kilometres across the hills: built without mortar, the stones locked into one another, they have stood for thousands of years. The Leleg Way is the waymarked walking route that links these settlements and remains.

The trail runs among pine forests, olive groves and maquis. Along the way you pass dry-stone walls, tumuli, cisterns and abandoned vineyard houses; its most important stop is Pedasa, the peninsula’s largest Lelegian city. The route forms part of the wider Carian Trail network, and you need not walk it all — it can be tasted in half-day stages.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons; in summer the shadeless stretches and heat can be punishing. Sturdy shoes, a hat and enough water are essential; follow the waymarks, avoid straying onto goat paths, and light no fires because of the fire risk. From our hotel, a short drive brings you to the Konacık–Pedasa stage of the route.