Getting out to the premier climbing area - Geyikbayiri - proved relatively easy. An 8am minibus out of Olympos had me in Antalya in about 1 1/2 hours. The bus driver dropped me off on a main street where I waited (somewhat worriedly at first) for a bus to Cakirlar - a small cluster of houses outside fo Anatalya (neither 'village' nor 'suburb' is really appropriate in this case) From here there was apparently a daily bus at 1pm to Geyikbayiri, but after about 15 minutes I decided to just start walking. A sign indicated it was only 6km away, and I thought I could hitch. The sun was sweltering - it being mid-day, but I had my Ipod and was excited to be within striking disance. In the end I walked aobut 3 km before being picked up. A few km further down the road, I spotted some clean vertical cliffs right off the road and figured I must be close. Sure enough around the next bend was a sign for the JoSiTo's - the climbing camp where I was booked to stay for the next 4 or 5 nights.
I hadn't expected to get much (if any) climbing in the first day, so I was happy that I had arrived so early, and that a couple of local part-time staff (Boju and Sibel) offered to take me out to the local cliff after lunch. Once out there I soon met Micah, an American chef from California, and Christian & Steffi. Christian was a super-nice guy from Austria who was working as a dog-sled tour guide in Finland with Steffi (from Switzerland).
The camp itself is a beautiful secluded acreage. My 'bungalow' was very basic but I had a nice big, very comfortable bed, and the view out my front door was a stunning cliff dotted with climbing routes only about 50 metres away. At night a cool breeze flows through the windows, allowing me the first really good sleep I have had since I left Vancouver.
The most popular climbing area is also only a few
100 metres away - 'Trebenna wall' is in the shade all day and has dozens of routes to play on of all levels. The sun is scorching, but in the shade we only have to put up with the humidity, which seems to get worse in the late afternoon. The vegetation in the area is very dry, covered sparsely in cactus-like plants and grasses, thorns of which have the unfortunate habit of working their way into your shoes. There is a local river, however, which provides an endless supply of drinkable water and a small (though very cold) pool for having a refreshing dip.
The rock itslef looks very much like the Thailand rock - Limestone cliffs, featuring caves, tufas & a variety of textures ranging from sharp stucco-like pockmarked walls to polished marble. In the end, I climbed for four days straight, and returned to Olympos for a well-deserved rest day. (and where more stunning cliffs await if my fingers are up for it)
PS (there seems to be a minor problem uploading photos from my SD card here... will try another internet location to see if I can put a few more up...)
I hadn't expected to get much (if any) climbing in the first day, so I was happy that I had arrived so early, and that a couple of local part-time staff (Boju and Sibel) offered to take me out to the local cliff after lunch. Once out there I soon met Micah, an American chef from California, and Christian & Steffi. Christian was a super-nice guy from Austria who was working as a dog-sled tour guide in Finland with Steffi (from Switzerland).
 |  | |
| Christian | Micah |
The camp itself is a beautiful secluded acreage. My 'bungalow' was very basic but I had a nice big, very comfortable bed, and the view out my front door was a stunning cliff dotted with climbing routes only about 50 metres away. At night a cool breeze flows through the windows, allowing me the first really good sleep I have had since I left Vancouver.
The most popular climbing area is also only a few
100 metres away - 'Trebenna wall' is in the shade all day and has dozens of routes to play on of all levels. The sun is scorching, but in the shade we only have to put up with the humidity, which seems to get worse in the late afternoon. The vegetation in the area is very dry, covered sparsely in cactus-like plants and grasses, thorns of which have the unfortunate habit of working their way into your shoes. There is a local river, however, which provides an endless supply of drinkable water and a small (though very cold) pool for having a refreshing dip.
 |  | |
The rock itslef looks very much like the Thailand rock - Limestone cliffs, featuring caves, tufas & a variety of textures ranging from sharp stucco-like pockmarked walls to polished marble. In the end, I climbed for four days straight, and returned to Olympos for a well-deserved rest day. (and where more stunning cliffs await if my fingers are up for it)
PS (there seems to be a minor problem uploading photos from my SD card here... will try another internet location to see if I can put a few more up...)
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