The best adventures come from the most modest ways of travelling. For example, camping in nature fosters a deep connection with both nature and you. Imagine being able to camp and travel at the same time: that is what caravan adventures are. 

Let’s go on this experience together, on the Mediterranean. This 6-Day Mediterranean Caravan Route covers all the beautiful ancient sites of the Mediterranean, and almost every one of them is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List because of their spectacular quality and international significance.

Your voyage begins in Patara, the former capital of the Lycian League and one of antiquity's most important harbour cities. If you were to visit today, you could still enter the ancient city through the Roman Triumphal Arch, a majestic and epic marble arch. During your route through the ancient city, you will pass by the Patara Theatre, restored in 147 BCE and step inside the Parliament Building, where Lycian assemblies were once held, reflecting the earliest forms of democracy. Remember that Patara was also home to Apollo's oracle, the departure port for the Apostle Paul's journey to Rome, and the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, the character behind Santa Claus. It goes without saying that the city had a profound impact on ancient people. 

Exploring Patara by caravan has its own pace. Camping near Gelemiş village puts you close enough to Patara to walk among the ruins in the morning before returning to your camper for a shaded lunch. In the afternoon, you can take a short ride to the 18-kilometre-long Patara Beach, where endangered Caretta caretta turtles still nest. As dusk falls, travellers frequently drag their chairs onto the sand, prepare a modest meal beside the caravan, and watch the sunset over the dunes, the kind of relaxed ending that makes Patara an outstanding first stop on the road. For more detailed information, please refer to our article on Patara: Patara Cultural Journeys.

Good morning on your second day on the caravan route in the Mediterranean. Travelling east, your caravan lands at Antiphellos, the ancient name for today's bustling town of Kaş. And the Hellenistic Antiphellos Theatre is Antiphellos' best-preserved structure. While eating breakfast with a view of the sea, you witness a breathtaking sight of the Mediterranean landscape. Then, take a walk around, and you will see the surrounding hills are lined with rock tombs and sarcophagi with Lycian and later Latin inscriptions. The Lion Tomb, built in the 4th century BCE and featuring carved handles, has become a symbol of Kaş.

Kaş is also a great place to try Mediterranean cuisine. Campsites and parking areas nearby allow you to explore on foot, wandering from tombs and temples straight into narrow streets filled with cafes and local shops. Try the delicious food Kaş offers, put on the shiny jewellery in the handicraft shops and just embody what Kaş is: it’s simply perfection. As evening falls, the harbour glows with the sound of chatter and clinking glasses. Why not unwind here, then go back to your caravan, where the rhythm of waves makes for a peaceful night.

Your caravan journey continues to Aperlai, a small but significant Lycian harbour city located between Kaş and Kekova on the Sıçak Peninsula—the remains of Aperlai span from the beach to the Acropolis. You will see two small Eastern Roman (Byzantine) churches in basilica form among the ruins. At the same time, bathhouses and harbour structures are partially buried beneath the sea, giving Aperlai a fascinating spot to swim or snorkel over history. Diving in Kaş is a must-try experience. Click here to uncover: Mediterranean Diving. This means that if you want to see truly magnificent underwater remnants, you need to bring your diving or snorkelling equipment. Caravan visitors typically park near Üçağız or the Sıçak and take a short boat ride across. In the evening, they can easily return to their camper for dinner with a sea view, closing the day surrounded by the peaceful waters of Kekova. For more, discover The Islands of the Mediterranean.

The caravan route continues inland to Kyaneai, which sits on a plateau between Kaş and Demre near today's Yavu settlement. The name of this lovely ancient city comes from Greek and means "dark blue". Like the name, the city has quite the blue energy since it's known as the “city of sarcophagi”, with the largest concentration of Lycian tombs in the region. We know that the city remained important during the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) era, when it became a bishop's residence before being abandoned in the tenth century. You will see that the site remains striking today, with surviving fortification walls, three ancient gates, and traces of public buildings, including baths, a granary, fountains, and cisterns, within the Acropolis. Park your caravan nearby and spend the day exploring at leisure, with plenty of shaded spots for a midday break. As evening falls, the atmosphere here is quiet and peaceful, ideal for a simple caravan dinner overlooking the landscape and the timeless tombs that earned Kyaneai its enduring title as the necropolis of Lycia.

On the road to Antalya, your next stop is Phaselis, founded in the 7th century BCE by colonists from Rhodes on a narrow peninsula that reaches into the Mediterranean. You will see, the city owed its wealth to trade, supported by three natural harbours — one to the north, another to the northeast, and a third along the southern shore. Walking through Phaselis feels like stepping into a city where the sea and forest share the same breath. 

The three harbours embrace the peninsula like sheltered blue mirrors, their waters still and clear, edged by pale stone quays that once welcomed trading ships. When you walk around, you will see between them runs the ancient main street, shaded by pine trees whose resin scent mixes with the salty air. The lush forest presses in from the slopes, softening the ruins with patches of wildflowers, while the forest seems to lean toward the water as if drawn by its blue light. 

Have a swim, rest on the warm pebbles of Phaselis Bay, pause here not only for the ruins but for the setting itself: bays framed by fragrant pines, warm shallows perfect for a swim, and the calm that comes when history, sea, and woodland merge in one view.

Driving inland from the coast, the caravan route reaches Aspendos, set on a plain near the Köprüçay River, once known as the Eurymedon. The theatre is Aspendos’ beating heart with its stage walls still rising intact, and the acoustics are so precise that even a whisper can be heard across the rows. Surrounding the theatre are the ruins of an agora, basilica, monumental fountain, council hall, and a Hellenistic temple, while the aqueducts span the plain with their massive pressure towers.

​​On the last day of your Mediterranean caravan route, exploring Aspendos offers a different rhythm than a day trip. You can wander through the theatre in the morning before the tour buses arrive, then return to your camper for lunch by the river, where the breeze cools the air. In the afternoon, turn your wheels towards Manavgat to the Boğaz Motel. Stretched along the Taurus Mountains, Manavgat is the destination in your trip to serenity and solitude. At the Boğaz Motel, caravan travellers often park for the night, enjoying the quiet of the countryside and the sense of camping, with the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and a gentle breeze.