Search teams are combing a 65-kilometre stretch of the Lycian Way between Kaş and Demre in Antalya province for a German hiker who has not been heard from since 14 October, the daily Sabah reported on Thursday.
The missing woman was named as Friederike N., 32. According to the missing-person notice cited in the report, she is 1.66 metres tall and has no tattoos. Her relatives in Germany have appealed on social media for help in finding her.
Gendarmerie, AFAD and mountaineers on the trail
A group of 35 people is taking part in the search. It includes the gendarmerie, which polices rural areas in Türkiye, the disaster and emergency agency AFAD, and local professional mountaineers, among them a team from Kaş-Kalkan. Drones are being flown over the rocky, steep terrain where ground access is difficult. The first day of the search produced no result, and teams are working through the route section by section, the newspaper said.
Hikers and residents who see her or have any information are asked to call the emergency number 112, AFAD or the gendarmerie.
A popular but demanding route
The Lycian Way is a waymarked long-distance trail of about 760 kilometres. It runs along the Teke peninsula from Fethiye in Muğla to Antalya, passing ancient Lycian cities, coves and mountain villages. Autumn is one of its busiest seasons, as summer heat fades and many foreign walkers arrive. Germany is one of Antalya’s largest source markets, as our report on Antalya’s nine-month visitor figures shows.
Sabah noted that hikers have had accidents on the route before, some with broken legs or ankles, but said this is reportedly the first missing-person case on the trail. On some steep sections a wrong step can mean a fall of 100 to 150 metres, the report added.
Safety advice for walkers
Officials and guides generally advise walkers to tell someone their daily plan, carry enough water, a charged phone and a power bank, and avoid walking remote sections alone. Mobile coverage can be patchy between villages. The single emergency number in Türkiye is 112, which also handles gendarmerie and AFAD calls.
For practical background on life in the area, see our guide to living in Kaş and Kalkan. Visitors may also want to check new digital rules for tourists, such as the passport-based e-Devlet requirement.
Sources
Photo: Oscar Sky / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
