Forget Camino de Santiago and sign up for this bucket-list hike instead

"For Romans, going to the latrine was a social event," says our Turkish guide, Cahit Inal, gesturing to the remains of an alarmingly communal bathroom. He explains that men and women would share the facilities and be handwashed by slaves using water flowing in a communal channel. It takes all my restraint not to quip, "Gee, that sounds like a crap job..."

The ancient city of Phaselis is littered with the crumbling relics of Roman ingenuity, from a 20-kilometre-long aqueduct to a bathhouse with underfloor heating. Situated on a pretty pine-covered peninsula on the south coast of Turkey, it had three ports, a large agora (marketplace) and an impressive main street. Remarkably, it's only been excavated in the past 40 or so years (an endeavour that is ongoing) and one of its most impressive features - a large stone gateway dedicated to the Roman emperor Hadrian, has only been reconstructed in the past few years.

It's a revelation we encounter repeatedly on this eight-day Intrepid Travel hiking trip along the Lycian Way, a 760-kilometre-long trail that skirts the mountainous coastline of a peninsula stretching from Fethiye to Antalya. To be clear, we're not doing all of it, just some of the highlights, but most days include a visit to an extraordinary historic site that is still being painstakingly restored after centuries of neglect.

Even more surprising is that this is Turkey's first long-distance waymarked trail. Developed by British expat Kate Clow, it opened in 1999, retracing the footsteps of ancient civilisations along a mixture of Roman roads, mule tracks and old caravan trails.

As such, you won't encounter anywhere near the same number of people that flock to some of Europe's more popular multi-day hikes, such as the Camino de Santiago. During the trip, we pass only a handful of other groups and a smattering of independent hikers laden with towering backpacks. Most of the time, it's just us and the ghostly footsteps of more than 3000 years of human habitation.

Getting your head around the region's convoluted history is a bewildering task, but it's thought the peninsula was home to the Lycians from around the 14th century BC (hence the trail's name). After the 5th century BC, it ping-ponged between the Persians and the Greeks before becoming part of the Roman Empire in 168 BC. After the fall of the Romans, it was ruled by the Byzantine Empire until the Ottomans took control in the 15th century. Finally, the region came under Turkish rule when the Ottoman Empire was dissolved in the 1920s.

All of which means the area is littered with a remarkable collection of historical treasures, from Lycian rock tombs and Greek theatres to Byzantine monasteries and minareted mosques. Sadly, many of the sites' most arresting antiquities are now languishing in foreign museums, but as Inal says with unusual candour, "At least they have been preserved; we probably wouldn't have taken care of them."

One day we visit the ancient coastal settlement of Olympos, a 2400-year-old site that archaeologists are still unearthing. One of its most striking features is the monumental stone tomb of Marcus Aurelius Archepolis, who served as the head of the Lycian League, an alliance of 23 city-states that is thought to be the first democratic union of its kind. Each city was granted a certain number of votes based on its population - a system that is said to have inspired the American Constitution.

On another tomb, Inal points out a carved "pseudo-door", which represents the passage of the dead to the Hades underworld. The Greeks believed that in order for the deceased to cross the river Styx, they had to pay Hades' ferryman, Charon, which is why people were often buried with coins over their eyes.

Two days later we visit another Lycian League member, Myra, which is notable for its collection of rock tombs carved high into a soaring escarpment and a yawning Roman theatre that could seat 12,000 people.

Myra's oddest claim to fame is that in the 3rd century BC it was home to a bishop called Saint Nicholas, who is alleged to have performed numerous miracles and acts of goodwill, including anonymously dropping sacks of money through the open window of a local house to save three daughters from prostitution.

Centuries later, his acts of secret gift-giving are now cited as the inspiration for Santa Claus. In 2022, his tomb was discovered in a church in the nearby town of Demre, although most historians believe his remains were whisked away to Italy in the 11th century and are now in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari.

In fact, it's almost impossible to go for a hike around here without tripping over some historic relic. Later in the week, we stumble across remnants of the Delikkemer Roman aqueduct, a stone pipeline that used an ingenious siphon system to transport freshwater 20 kilometres across a valley to the ancient maritime city of Patara. How the Romans managed to cut, transport and seal thousands of 800-kilogram interlocking stone blocks is still a head-scratching mystery.

Our hiking exploits begin in Olympos National Park with a gentle six-kilometre meander through a forested valley flanked by towering coastal mountains. While descending on a rocky trail towards a dry river bed, Inal points out carob pods whose seeds were once used to weigh gold coins because of their unusually consistent size and weight. Allegedly, it's also where the term carat comes from for measuring gold and gem purity.

At the end of the hike we pass through Yanartas, a bizarre geological feature where dozens of small natural flames burn from openings in a rocky slope. The scientific explanation is that underground methane spontaneously combusts when it reaches the surface, but naturally the Greeks had a more elaborate account. Their version involves the mythical hero Bellerophon taking to a winged horse called Pegasus to defeat Chimaera, a fire-breathing monster that was part lion, part goat and part snake. When we visit, the site is busy with selfie-snapping tourists, some of whom are using the flames to toast marshmallows.

Over the next two days, the hikes get progressively more taxing, both in terms of terrain and exertion. A nine-kilometre out-and-back trek to the end of a peninsula near the ancient city of Olympos starts with a thigh-burning climb up a boulder-strewn hillside, but the eventual reward is a succession of viewpoints with glorious coastal panoramas. Looking back along the shoreline, we're greeted with a calendar-worthy medley of white sand beaches, sapphire-hued bays and the soaring peak of Mount Olympos.

The toughest outing is a 15-kilometre hike up and over a 700-metre-high ridge that starts with a three-hour ascent through a forest of pine and strawberry trees. Oddly, the region's woodlands are almost devoid of birdlife, so often the only sounds one hears are the footsteps of fellow hikers. Sadly, this library-like hush doesn't apply to the local villages' cockerels, whose pre-dawn aural assault is more than a match for any ear plugs.

Along the way, we stay in a variety of rustic guesthouses and small hotels. Most are either on or near a beach so there's the option of a restorative pre-dinner swim - a welcome tonic for hike-weary legs and feet.

Our main luggage is shuttled ahead each day in a van, allowing us to walk with just our daypacks. This also means there's transportation available for anyone who wants to skip a hike entirely. On the return hikes, there's often the option for people to sit out the most strenuous part and re-join the group later.

Our group of 15 is an affable mix of Aussies, Brits, Irish and Canadians. Inal handles the logistical shenanigans with ease but I'd suggest a group of this size needs two guides to accommodate people with different hiking speeds and interests.

In the pretty coastal port of Simena, we're given the option of a two-hour trek or a kayak or boat trip around the nearby islands. A few of us opt for the boat excursion and spend a blissful day alternating between lounging on the top deck and swimming in a succession of tranquil, Bombay Sapphire-coloured coves.

Our last hike is arguably the most dramatic, a seven-kilometre downhill amble from the small village of Alinca to our final accommodation, Turan Hill Lounge, a romantic huddle of wooden chalets on a hillside overlooking a sheltered beach. Descending on a rocky path dusted with pine needles, we snake downhill through an eerily quiet forest flanked by soaring cream and orange cliffs. Naturally, we celebrate our eventual arrival with a sunset dip in the sea.

All week we've been feasting on a variety of traditional Turkish fare, from lavish buffets of salads, kebabs and kofte to cheese-filled gozlemes cooked on a hot plate in an alfresco forest cafe. By far the most memorable meal is lunch at the home of "Fatma Anne" (Mother Fatma), a smiling, headscarf-wearing Turkish lady who lives in the same village as Kate Clow, the creator of the trail. On a verdant outdoor terrace, we enjoy a sumptuous spread that includes marinated eggplants, rice-filled capsicums and tender, slow-cooked goat.

When I ask Inal how I should express my appreciation, he suggests saying "elinize saglik", a lovely sentiment that means "health to your hands". Despite my ear-wincing pronunciation, she nods and smiles graciously.

Today, the settlement is a haunting ghost town of more than 700 abandoned and crumbling buildings. After it was evacuated, no one moved in and it's now been designated a protected site.

For Inal, it's clearly a troubling reminder of a tragic episode in the two countries' histories. "We lived together for 1000 years," he says. "We have the same culture, the same food, the same traditions. At the end of the day, we are the same people."

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Getting there: Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Singapore Airlines all fly to Istanbul. From Istanbul, it's an 80-minute domestic flight to Antalya.

Touring there: Intrepid Travel's eight-day Walk the Highlights of the Lycian Way trip runs from April to June and September to November. Starting in Antalya and finishing in Fethiye, the tour includes seven nights' accommodation, daily guided hikes, luggage transfers and some meals. Priced from $2960 per person. intrepidtravel.com

Explore more: goturkiye.com

The writer was a guest of Intrepid Travel.

Pictures: Shutterstock; Getty Images; supplied