This morning drive to Termessos National Park (40m) a protected bio-diversity hot-spot and the archaeological site of Termessos, famous in the ancient world as the only city in Anatolia which did not surrender to Alexander the Great. An uphill 3 hour hike leads to the prominent acropolis of Termessos. Pass through dense and diverse coastal range vegetation rewarded by spectacular views and an impressive intact site with theater, the Odeon, agora, the phenomenal necropolis, and other temples of this ancient settlement.
Continue to Olympos and end the day in Çıralı, which is the home of the eternal flames of Chimaera. Bellerophon, the legendary hero of Lycian, is said to have killed Chimaera, the fire-breathing monster here. Spend the night in the village called Çıralı (meaning “flames” in Turkish), near the Olympos beach. Spend the afternoon enjoying the beach, then take a late afternoon hike through the beautiful pine forests to the Eternal Fires of the Chimaera (1.5 hrs) where the mythological hero, Bellerophon, road his winged white horse Pegasus, and killed the three-headed monster Chimaera. Today, 15-20 gas-produced flames burn perpetually from holes in the ground.