Events · Motorsport

Sea to Sky the Kemer hard enduro, from beach to summit

Three days of racing between the Mediterranean and the summit of Mount Tahtalı, and how to plan a trip around it.

Show Me Türkiye October 2026 6 min read

Field notes

Race week: what we tell friends.

01 It is a race, not the cable car. Tour operators also sell the Tahtalı cable car as "Sea to Sky". The race is the motorcycle event; the cable car is one practical way for spectators to reach the summit area.
02 Day one is the easy one to watch. The Beach Race runs on the shore in Kemer, close to town, and the crowd stands metres from the riders.
03 Days two and three are in the mountains. The Forest Race and the Mountain Race cross forest tracks and rocky ground above Kemer. Check the official programme for public viewing points before driving out.
04 Book Kemer early for race week. It falls in October, still a busy month on the Antalya coast.
05 Bring proper shoes. Even the beach stage means dust, sand and standing for hours, and the hillsides above town are rough limestone.

In this guide

Sea to Sky is an annual hard enduro motorcycle race based in Kemer, on the Antalya coast of Türkiye. Over three race days, riders go from the beach in Kemer, through the pine forests behind it, to the summit of Mount Tahtalı at 2,365 metres: from the sea to the sky. It is one of the toughest events on the international hard enduro calendar, and in recent seasons it has been a round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.

For a traveller, it is also an unusual way to see Kemer: a working beach resort that, for a few days each October, becomes the stage for some of the best off-road riders in the world.

01Current edition

Current edition.

1 min read

This is the only part of the page that changes every year. Everything below it explains the race itself.

Edition: Sea to Sky 2026
Event dates: 7–10 October 2026
Championship race days: 8–10 October 2026, as listed on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar
Status: Racing runs Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 October; check the official site for results
Base: Kemer, Antalya
Championship: FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, round 7 of 8
Format: Beach Race, Forest Race, Mountain Race, one on each race day
Programme: Daily times, spectator points and what happens on 7 October are published on the official site
Official site: seatosky.com.tr
Last checked: 6 October 2026

Recent winners, from the official roll of champions: Manuel Lettenbichler (2025 and 2024), Wade Young (2023), Matty Green (2022) and Graham Jarvis (2021).

02What is Sea to Sky?

What is Sea to Sky?

1 min read

Hard enduro is one of the most extreme forms of off-road motorcycle racing. Instead of a closed circuit, riders tackle long courses of rocks, roots, river beds and climbs so steep that riders often have to push, drag or lift the bike. Finishing at all is an achievement; many riders don't.

Sea to Sky is Türkiye's best-known hard enduro, organised from Kemer, and it draws factory riders and amateurs to the same start line. The championship brings the international names; the amateur classes keep it a riders' festival as much as a professional race.

03Why "Sea to Sky"?

Why "Sea to Sky"?

1 min read

The name is literal. The race begins on the Mediterranean shore and ends on the summit of Tahtalı Dağı, the highest peak on the coast above Kemer, at 2,365 metres. Few races anywhere climb that far, from sea level to above the treeline, within a single event.

The same summit is the top station of the Olympos Teleferik, the cable car above Tekirova, which tour companies also advertise as a "sea to sky" ride. That is why searches mix the two. Riders take the hard way up; for spectators, the cable car is one practical way to reach the summit area.

04How the race works

How the race works.

1 min read

Sea to Sky is run as three separate races on three consecutive days, and each one decides the starting order of the next.

Day	Race	Where	What it tests
Day 1	Beach Race	The shore at Kemer	Speed, sand, jumps; sets the start order
Day 2	Forest Race	Pine forest and river beds above Kemer, about 55 km	Technical riding and endurance
Day 3	Mountain Race	From near sea level to the Tahtalı summit, about 60 km	Climbing, navigation, stamina

The distances come from the organiser's own stage descriptions. Courses are set fresh each year, so treat them as typical, not fixed.

05The Beach Race

The Beach Race.

1 min read

The opening day runs on the sand at Kemer: a short, fast course of tight turns, jumps and water crossings. It works as a qualifier, because the results set the start order for the Forest Race. It is also the day built for spectators: the course is beside the town, and the organisers describe it as the race where the crowd gets closest to the riders.

If you only have one day, make it this one.

06The Forest Race

The Forest Race.

1 min read

On day two the race moves into the mountains behind Kemer. The organiser describes a course of about 55 kilometres through pine forest, rocky climbs and river crossings, where the ground changes every few hundred metres. Results set the start order for the final day.

A forested valley running down to the sea near Olympos, south of Kemer — The pine-covered valleys behind the Kemer coast: the country the Forest Race crosses (not the course itself).

For spectators, this is the day to follow the official programme closely. Viewing points are spread across the hills, roads are narrow, and some sections are reachable only on foot.

07The Mountain Race

The Mountain Race.

1 min read

The final day is the race the event is named after: roughly 60 kilometres from near sea level to the summit of Mount Tahtalı at 2,365 metres, on forest roads, rock paths, narrow passes and steep climbs. Route-finding and pacing matter as much as speed. The riders who reach the summit have earned the "Sky".

The summit is above the treeline and can be cold and windy even when the beach is warm. If you plan to watch the finish, carry a layer, and check whether the cable car is running to its normal timetable that day.

The beach is the race you watch; the mountain is the race you remember.

The Kemer coast from above: the sea end of Sea to Sky.

08Kemer as the base

Kemer as the base.

1 min read

Everything happens from Kemer, a resort town about an hour by road south-west of Antalya. The town has a marina, a promenade, a long beach and a large stock of hotels, so race week doesn't need special logistics. You stay in a beach town and drive or take a transfer up to the mountain days.

Where to stay: Kemer town for the Beach Race and evenings; Tekirova or Çamyuva for quieter beaches nearer the cable car; Çıralı for a slower village base south of the action

How to get there: Fly into Antalya Airport (AYT), then a transfer, taxi or rental car along the coast road

When to book: As soon as the dates are announced; October can still be busy on this coast, and race week tightens rooms in Kemer

Our Kemer guide covers the town, Tahtalı, Olympos, Phaselis and Göynük Canyon in detail, and our Antalya guide covers the wider region.

Kemer, the race base, in our own cinematic film.

09How to watch

How to watch.

1 min read

Free or ticketed: Check the official programme for the current year; we haven't confirmed entry arrangements for every stage
Easiest day: Beach Race, in Kemer
Hardest day: Forest Race, spread across the hills
Finish: Tahtalı summit; the cable car is one practical way up, if it is running to its normal timetable
Follow live: The official site and the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship channels

A practical rhythm for a spectator weekend is: Beach Race in town, a Forest Race viewing point chosen from the official map, and the summit for the Mountain Race finish. If you want photographs, the beach gives you riders at close range; the mountain gives you the landscape.

Respect the course. Stand where marshals tell you, keep off the racing line, and don't stop on narrow forest roads.

10Photography and filming

Photography and filming.

1 min read

The beach and the summit are the two easiest places to photograph. On the beach, low October sun and spray from the water crossings give you texture and light. On the summit, the riders arrive with the whole coast below them.

Drones are subject to Turkish civil aviation rules and the organiser's own media restrictions. Don't fly over the course unless you are accredited.

11What else to do around Kemer

What else to do around Kemer.

1 min read

The race week leaves time for the coast. Phaselis, a Lycian harbour city among pines, sits just south of Kemer. Olympos and Çıralı are a little further, with the Chimaera flames burning on the hillside above. Göynük Canyon is a short drive inland, and the Tahtalı cable car is worth riding on a clear morning even without the race.

Aerial view of the Phaselis theatre among pines by the sea — Phaselis, the Lycian harbour city among the pines just south of Kemer.

Antalya's old town, Kaleiçi, is an easy day out on the way to or from the airport.

12Next edition and official updates

Next edition and official updates.

1 min read

Sea to Sky runs every autumn, but the exact dates, programme and championship status are confirmed by the organiser each year. Before booking, check the official site, seatosky.com.tr, and the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar. We update the Current edition section above when the next edition is announced.

From the course

Watch Sea to Sky through our lens.

Our own short film from Sea to Sky: riders up close behind their goggles, the paddock before the start, and a winner swallowed by fans and photographers at the finish.

Make it a trip

Stay for the coast.

Our Kemer guide covers Tahtalı, Olympos, Phaselis and Göynük Canyon for the days around the race.

Read the Kemer guide →

Race week: what we tell friends.

12 chapters, one country.

Watch Sea to Sky through our lens.

Stay for the coast.

Plan the rest of the trip.

Kemer: Olympos, Phaselis and Mount Tahtalı.

Antalya: Kaleiçi, Aspendos and the day trips.

The Lycian Way: stages, route map and hiking guide.