Leleg Way emergency & health guide: hospitals, 112 and fire-season rules

Emergency numbers

There is no mountain rescue service as in the Alps, but the trail is never far from a road, and an ambulance or gendarmerie team can usually reach a nearby track within an hour. Say "Leleg Yolu", the nearest village and your GPS coordinates. Carry travel insurance that covers private hospitals.

Rules to know

• No permit or fee is needed to walk the Leleg Yolu. The main route is marked with red-and-white paint and signposts, the connectors too, but some signs have been turned or removed: carry the GPS track.
• Fire: lighting a fire in or near a forest is a crime under the Forest Law (No. 6831). Do not smoke on the trail, carry out all rubbish, including glass, and report any smoke on 112 at once.
• Forest entry bans: in hot, windy weather in the fire season (roughly June to October) the Muğla Governorship can ban entry to forests at short notice, and it has done so in recent summers. Check mugla.gov.tr or ask your hotel before you set off.
• Ancient sites such as Pedasa, Theangela and Syangela are protected. Do not climb on walls or tombs and never take stones, pottery or coins: it is a crime under the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Property (No. 2863).
• Camping: camp only at campsites or the spots set up for the trail, and ask locally. Wild camping in state forest needs permission from the forestry service.
• Dogs: farms and shepherds keep guard dogs, and stray dogs live near the villages. Keep your distance, do not run, and keep your own dog on a lead near goats and sheep.
• Hunting: wild boar are hunted in the hills in autumn and winter. Wear something bright and keep to the marked path.
• Drones need registration with the civil aviation authority (SHGM), and flying is restricted near Milas-Bodrum Airport. Do not fly unless you are registered.
• Heat and water: from June to September temperatures in the hills often pass 30 °C and there is little shade. Start at dawn, carry 2 to 3 litres of water, and do not drink from cisterns.

Before you go, download the official route: the South Aegean Development Agency publishes the coordinate list, the elevation profile and the connectors on guneyegeturkiye.com, and Go Türkiye has a page on the Leleg Way. Minibuses (dolmuş) link Bodrum with Konacık, Ortakent, Gündoğan, Yalıkavak, Gümüşlük and Turgutreis; Etrim has no reliable service, so take a taxi to the start.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Health centres

Family health centres (aile sağlığı merkezi) in Turgutreis, Yalıkavak and Geriş treat minor injuries and illness on weekdays during the day. They are not emergency departments; at night and at weekends go to a hospital or call 112.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Dereköy
• ATMs:
• Shops: Bodrum
• Minibus (dolmuş) stops: Yalıçiftlik, Bodrum

Pharmacies (eczane) are in every town around the trail: Bodrum, Konacık, Ortakent, Yalıkavak, Gümüşlük and Turgutreis, and there is one at Yalıçiftlik bay. There are none in the hill villages on the route. At night and on Sundays one pharmacy in each area is on duty (nöbetçi eczane): its name and address are posted in the window of every pharmacy. Carry a first-aid kit, blister care, sunscreen and any medicines you need. There are ATMs in all the towns; carry some cash for minibuses, taxis and village shops.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.