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Gelidonya Lighthouse - Lycian walk Oct.2009 | by canmom ( Carrie )
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Gelidonya Lighthouse - Lycian walk Oct.2009

Cape Gelidonia, Five Islands and Lighthouse:

 

Gelidonia Lighthouse, located to the west of Antalya between the Adrasan and Karaoz inlets, was built by the French in 1936. The lighthouse scans the area using three powerful lights that rotate every 10 seconds. The road leading to the lighthouse is also used for trekking and ends at the seashore, where the Bes Adalar (Five Islands) is located.

 

Gelidonia Lighthouse is also situated on the ancient Likya Road, making it a favorite route for tourist trekking tours. After a long, tiring but pleasing trek it's possible to swim in the sea surrounding the Five Islands.

 

The lighthouse is located on a peninsula rich in fauna, trees, flowers and herbs.

 

The Five Islands, which are ideal for diving and sea sports, is the scene of a shipwreck that occurred around 120 B.C. Between 1960 and 1980, the ship was raised from the depths by a crew led by George F. Bass, professor emeritus and previous holder of the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Chair in Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University. He is one of the leading pioneers in the field of underwater archaeology.

 

 

(*) The Gelidonya Lighthouse was built on the historical Lycia route between Antalya, Kumluca, Taşlık forelands in 1936. It is the highest lighthouse in Turkey, with an altitude of 227 meters. Being located over steep rocks, it is quite difficult to reach there and even today, it is operated manually due to the difficulty in supplying electricity.

 

There can be few more beautiful day walks (allow six to seven hours) than that between Cape Chelidonia and Adrasan to the north, where there's plentiful accommodation for hikers. From the lighthouse, the trail winds up bluffs, skirts ridges and twists steeply down valleys as it negotiates the eastern flank of the cape, which forms the western boundary of the Gulf of Antalya. Ever present to the right is the sea, turquoise or aquamarine according to depth, almost white in areas where freshwater springs feed in. Sunlight diffuses through a canopy of pine trees, pine needles crunch underfoot, the air is resinous, waves thump gently on rocks, the odd gull cries plaintively out to sea and jays chatter noisily in the undergrowth. The path is well marked by red and white flashes painted on handy rocks and, more rarely, trees, making route finding fairly straightforward. Despite its scenic splendor, this section of the Lycian Way is remarkably unspoiled, and you're unlikely to run into many other hikers.

 

Another highlight in the village is, perhaps the prettiest but definitely the highest lighthouse of Turkey. It is called “Gelidonya Lighthouse” and set up on 237 meters above the sea and located at the end of the Taşlıkburnu Peninsula. The peninsula starts just right where the villa settlements are. From there, you can hike about 2 kilometers to the marking point of the lighthouse. The road here is not asphalt but forest road and vehicles can drive comfortably. On this way, you pass two bays called “Priest and Pirates” These bays are magical fairy – tale beauties. Don’t be surprised if you see private yachts, fishing, diving or snorkeling people here. There is an ancient city ruins, called Melainippa, in complete jungle, overlooking Pirates’ beach. When you come to the marking point of the lighthouse, you need to hike 1 kilometer uphill. When you are there, you will see an unbelievable, fairy-tale beauty. 5-Islands, the view of the sea from the Mountain and the lighthouse itself will be a picture always in your mind.

 

GELİDONYA FENERİ;

 

Akdeniz kılavuz fenerlerinden biri olan Gelidonya deniz Feneri 1934 yılında Antalya’ nın Kumluca ilçesi Taşlık burnunda Tarihi Likya yolu üzerinde inşasına başlanmış 1936 yılında hizmete açılmıştır. 227 metrelik rakımıyla Türkiye’ nin en yükseğe konumlanmış feneri olan Gelidonya Feneri sivri kayalıklar üzerine ulaşımı oldukça zor olan ve günümüzde bile elektrik ulaştırılamadığı için elle kurularak çalıştırılan bir deniz feneridir.

 

Fenere ulaştığınız zaman denizin beş adalarla ( Gelidonya adaları ) birlikte oluşturduğu alabildiğine gizemli ve vahşi güzellikler karşısında ürpermemek mümkün değildir. Tarifi zor duyguların yaşandığı bu noktada zamanın durduğunu hissedersiniz. Belki de burası adı henüz konmamış bir masal ülkesidir. Doğanın yalnızlığında çam ağaçları kokuları arasında Akdeniz güneşiyle yıkanan Gelidonya Feneri,

Türkiye’ nin en etkileyici en güzel manzaralı deniz feneridir.

 

 

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Taken on October 30, 2009