Zeus The Villager

This easy route showcases the most authentic villages of the Latmos Mountains and their more unfortunate fate: feldspar mines, following smooth dirt and asphalt roads with expansive views over the ridges, forests and villages of the area. The impressive stone architecture and colorful local clothing of the region makes not only this route’s nature, but also its culture unforgettable.

The route starts from the mountain village of Kılavuz, following a forested ridgeline up to Narhisar (ancient Narassa). Zipping through the narrow cobblestone streets of the village, we merge onto another dirt road, conturing the hillside down to İkiztaş. From here, the asphalt road skirts the two massive stone domes that gave İkiztaş its name, descending down to our next village. With its beautiful stone houses trimmed in colorful designs topped only by its local clothing, consisting of multicolor, layered skirts and bright headdresses adored with gold jewelry and flowers, Çomakdağ is one of the prized destinations of these mountains. We cycle through the village before descending for another 3.5 km and climbing back up for 6.5 km on asphalt to reach the village of Ketendere. From here, we turn onto a dirt road and continue climbing through serene forest for another 3 km before descending again. We glide all the way down to pass through one of the feldspar mines that in recent years has brought so much destruction to this one-of-a-kind region. Located just behind the ancient site of Labraunda, once the sanctuary where residents of the capital of ancient Caria, Mylasa, worshipped Zeus, this mine damages not only the nature, but the history of this rich area. On a more positive note :), we will end our ride in this ancient site and enjoy a homestyle lunch among the stately ancient ruins.