Hiking to Sandıma

Paul from gumusluk villa has provided his route for visiting Sandıma from Yalikavak.  He recommends you do this walk on a Thursday, when it is market day in Yalikavak — a perfect place to buy your picnic, before you set off.

Yalikavak – Sandıma – Yalikavak

 

Distance	About 3 miles
Time	Allow 2 1/2 hours
Grade	Walk is easy although slightly overgrown and stony in places on the path back from Sandima.

 

Remember: water, sun hat, long trousers,socks, walking shoes, (picnic?)

By Car : …. park in the car park on the right a few yards after the dolmus station.

By Dolmus: …. to the dolmus station in Yalikavak in front of Yalikavak Belediyesi (town hall).

• Start the walk at the car park (next to the market) next along from the dolmus station, with Yalikavak Belediyesi (town hall) facing you (opposite Yali Electric), walk towards the town hall, then keep it on your left and an Internet café on your right.

• At blue signpost at crossroads, keep straight ahead on a modern paved road, signposted ‘Sandima’.  Houses and orange groves line the road.  Soon there is a dry riverbed / ditch on your left.  Continue straight ahead uphill.
• After 10 to 15 minutes, when the paved track turns left (signposted Alda Everi), keep straight ahead up an unmade road.  There is a water cistern to you left in a dip.
• After another 5 to 10 minutes you pass eucalyptus trees and a drinking trough on your left and after another 200 yards a large open area appears to the left of the path and there is a large white drinking fountain.

You have reached Sandima.

Take time to explore the village of Sandima by continuing straight ahead at the water fountain.

• To return to Yalikavak take the path downhill by the drinking fountain, with the graveyard on your right.  The path is clear but rocky in places and winds downhill towards Yalikavak.  You cross the dry riverbed to the other side of the gorge.  The path follows the gorge downhill (gorge now on your left), becoming a sunken track with cobbled stones.
• After a big rock / boulder keep a wall to your left and the path is again sunken and cobbled with a wall to each side. Next to an old well, either continue on the sunken path or go into a field and keep to the right edge, beside the sunken path, rejoining the path at a gate after 200 yards, just before a stone outhouse.
• You soon pass under a water pipe and there is a wall of a new development to your right.  Keep left.  Just before you reach the river (see it 5 yards ahead) turn left and climb over a wall.  Then follow the path to your right.
• In 4 minutes climb over scrub barrier, continue downhill following the gorge to the right of a new development. At the end of a development the road bends left.  Ignore this and continue straight ahead down a dusty track towards Yalikavak. (dry riverbed on right and wire fences to each side) Dry riverbed crosses to your left in 150 yards.
• Go through more new developments until you reach a T-junction.  Turn right and you are back on the road you started on.  In a few minutes you will reach the car park.

Posted by kind permission of Paul at gumusluk villa

 

   

 

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© Feature Photo of  Sandima provided by Shanti Padmanaban