Back in the saddle

1984: the ranch

We were among the pioneers of riding activities in Kemer. That early history is part of our own memory of Erendiz. The word ranch meant something very practical: guests came to ride and get to know the surroundings on horseback. Our connection with the landscape dates back to that time and still matters today.

A new beginning

Over the years, our immediate surroundings changed. A residential neighbourhood developed around the property. A riding business needs space and suitable routes, while the life of a growing community was moving closer. A hotel can adapt to such changes; a ranch cannot simply carry on unchanged under different conditions.

Around 2000 we therefore began a new direction. Erendiz developed into a garden hotel. Another chapter opened: the same place, a new purpose and different ways of welcoming guests. The garden became central to a stay, while riding retained its place in our history.

Traces in the archive

Our former website has survived too. The Wayback Machine holds a homepage for erendiz-ranch.de dated 18 October 2000. A riding page archived in 2001 describes a riding enclosure within the grounds. Its photographs show horses among fences, trees and gardens; the leisure page explicitly lists riding and carriage rides. These traces give our ranch memories a visible setting. Archive dates record when files were saved, not when the photographs were taken.

An older Familien-Welt article brings this period of change into focus. Its report “Türkei: Wohlfühlen auf der Erendiz-Ranch” includes holiday offers for 2007. It describes Ellen Gerleigner’s enthusiasm for horses and plants, and three horses in a paddock beside the hotel. Riding outings and carriage rides are also mentioned.

This is a valuable detail in our history: for a time, the garden hotel and horses belonged to Erendiz together. The change of direction was therefore not a sharp break after which the ranch existed only in name. The three horses in this later account represent a different moment from the 16 at our founding. Those holiday offers belong to this historical look back.

For our guests, this partnership makes getting started straightforward. Tell us at Erendiz about the ride or riding week you have in mind. We coordinate your enquiry with Hilal Ranch. The ranch runs the riding activities and assesses which programme suits your experience.

A travel report from 2023

This connection also appears outside our own account. In her November 2023 report, Elisabeth Hambrügge, product manager at Pegasus Reiterreisen, describes arriving at Erendiz Garden Hotel before a trail ride. She names Halina as the guide and İsa as the organiser. For the start with the horses on that particular trip, she names Berke Ranch in Kuzdere.

It is a tour operator’s personal account of one journey, rather than evidence that the arrangements remain unchanged today. For our story it is nevertheless a lovely find: Erendiz appears as accommodation for riders setting off from Kemer into the mountains and towards the coast. Combining a hotel stay with riding already has a lived history here.

The Culture Routes Society describes the Lycian Way region as a landscape between steeply rising mountains and a rocky coast. Pines are among the trees found lower down, with juniper and cedar appearing higher up. This helps explain the appeal of longer tours: you move between different landscapes even though the sea never looks very far away on the map.

Your first forest ride

Hilal Ranch’s short tours include forest rides and longer options featuring mountain scenery or villages and gardens. Among them are a one-hour forest ride and a two-hour outing with forest and mountain sections. On its website, the ranch recommends that people with no riding experience initially choose no more than two hours. An introduction in the arena can come before the ride.

A manageable start also makes sense after a long break from riding. When enquiring, explain when you last rode and how confident you feel now. Memories of earlier lessons are a good beginning; current experience determines the choice of tour.

Kesme Boğazı

If you want a longer day outdoors and already ride confidently, Hilal Ranch lists a day ride to Kesme Boğazı gorge, with a packed lunch. Kesme Boğazı is in Kemer’s hinterland and is a different place from Göynük Canyon farther north.

The ranch places its longer day rides and multi-day tours in the experienced-rider category. If you are secure at walk, trot and canter, you can enquire about a suitable date. If you are still building that confidence, lessons and shorter outings provide a sensible way towards it.

Gedelme and Ovacık

Hilal Ranch’s multi-day options include a two-day ride to Gedelme with an overnight stay in a local house. It also lists the Ovacık uplands near Kemer for longer options. These tours combine time on the trail with simple accommodation or camping; the precise arrangements are agreed with the ranch.

Gedelme adds a historical dimension to the landscape. Kemer Municipality describes a surviving medieval Byzantine fortress there, used for storage for the surrounding area. A name on a tour list thus gains another meaning: a chance to discover some of the hinterland’s history.

Around Tahtalı

For experienced riders, Hilal Ranch describes its multi-day Pegasus Trail with stages around Kuzdere, Gedelme, Ovacık and Beycik, continuing towards Çıralı, Tekirova and Çamyuva. The landscape around Tahtalı is central to the journey. Depending on the version, the programme lasts seven or eight days. The operator also mentions sections where riders dismount and lead their horses.

The name Lycian Way raises expectations. The famous cultural route is primarily a marked long-distance walking trail. A guided riding trail in this region follows a route selected for that purpose. The name does not mean every walking section is ridden, or that the entire Lycian Way forms part of the journey.

Towards the coast

The coast also features in the offer: Hilal describes day rides to the sea and multi-day coastal options. Horses and beaches naturally make a powerful holiday image. Which stretches and activities are possible depends on the chosen programme and local conditions.

For short outings, it pays to read the description closely. The ranch’s three-hour sunrise programme combines time at the beach, a transfer and a forest ride. It does not mean three continuous hours riding beside the sea. Knowing the difference helps you choose the experience you actually want.

Phaselis and the coastal landscape near Tekirova also appear in the trail description. A visit to ancient sites or a swim with a horse should only become part of your personal plans once the ranch has confirmed it for your particular tour. An appealing wish starts the conversation; a suitable itinerary grows from what is possible on the day.

The Light riding week includes five individual lessons of 45 minutes each and a one-hour forest ride. Learning becomes a regular part of the holiday, with time left for other activities. It can be a suitable enquiry for beginners and people returning after a break; the ranch makes the final assessment.

The Intensive week comprises ten lessons of 45 minutes over five days. According to our programme overview, a forest ride and an agreed additional activity are included. Guests wishing to work on their riding can explain their goals: greater confidence, a better feeling in the saddle or preparation for longer rides. What can sensibly be achieved is discussed individually.

The Nature week combines arena work, a longer forest ride and day outings to the gorge and the coast. Prior riding experience is required, with the appropriate level assessed in advance. It places more emphasis on getting out into the countryside and suits guests who want to discover different sides of the area.

If you used to ride a lot, describe the break as well as your experience. Perhaps you want to rebuild confidence. Perhaps you simply lack opportunities to ride regularly. Both are valid starting points, without the first holiday day having to involve the hardest tour.

If you ride regularly and confidently outdoors, the questions become more specific: how long will I spend in the saddle each day? Which paces does the terrain allow? How big is the group? Where will we sleep? Experienced riders particularly benefit from precise answers because they know what matters to them on a tour.

Clothing, weather and horses

Season and weather deserve particular attention on longer outings. Spring and autumn are natural starting points when planning in this region; the Culture Routes Society also recommends these seasons for longer walks. This is not a guarantee of riding dates. In summer, discussions with the ranch should pay particular attention to the time of day, heat and duration.

Preparation includes suitable clothing and equipment. The ranch specifies long trousers, appropriate footwear and a riding helmet; its offer states that helmets are provided. Ask beforehand if you are missing anything. Age and weight limits can vary by programme and should be discussed individually.

Much has changed since 1984. Erendiz Ranch became a garden hotel, and open surroundings became an established neighbourhood. Today’s riding possibilities bring something closer again that belonged to us from the beginning. That makes us very happy.

Your next ride

Our riding page presents the programmes and lets you enquire. Tell us your travel dates, your experience and whether you are interested in lessons, an outing or several riding days. We coordinate the possibilities with Hilal Ranch. You receive a specific offer with services and conditions; daily departures or a particular weekly place are only established by confirmation.