Understand
Ancient Lycian ruins, an isolated Mediterranean beach, accommodation in treehouses and flames that mysteriously burn from the side of a mountain are some of the attractions of Olympos Olimpos in Turkey's south.
The modern "village" is named after the Lycian/Roman city that now lies in ruins on the beach, which in turn is named after nearby Mt. Tahtalı, the highest mountain of the vicinity and, along with some other 20-odd noticably high mountains in northeastern Mediterranean basin, known as Olympos in antiquity.
A hippie haven until recently, the completion of a surfaced road from the main highway in summer 2009 means that there are many more people including families with children heading there compared with only a few in years past. In summer weekends when many day- and night- trippers pour in, Olympos is similar to many other resort towns. However, former habitués report that during autumn when everyone else quits the scene, Olympos can be just as beautiful as it used to be.
