About Us
Welcome to Roots Adventure Travel, where the essence of exploration meets the luxury of discovery travel. We redefine adventure with a harmonious blend of biking, hiking, cultural immersion, and exquisite cuisine, creating a unique and unforgettable travel experience. Our journeys go beyond conventional tours, seamlessly weaving together the thrill of outdoor activities with the richness of cultural exploration.
Led by knowledgeable and passionate staff, our trips are not just about the places you’ll go, but the stories you’ll uncover. Join us on a journey that transcends boundaries, connects with communities, and indulges in the finest details of travel – where every step is a celebration of the world’s beauty and diversity. This is Roots Adventure Travel – where luxury meets sustainability, and every adventure is a masterpiece.
At Roots, sustainability is at the core of our ethos – each adventure is thoughtfully crafted to leave a positive impact on the destinations we visit. As lifelong travelers and lovers of nature, we realize the importance of protecting our earth and strive to reduce our waste and carbon footprint while still offering our guests a comfortable and fulfilling experience.
Founders
Altay
Altay is an adventure seeker, fueled by outdoor passion, and an insatiable curiosity for the world. Born and bred in the historic city of Ankara, Altay’s academic sojourn led him into the realms of American Culture and Literature where he found unexpected joy in exploring mythology, art, and literature
Altay quickly discovered his passion for the great outdoors after joining the mountaineering club during his studies. The club’s lecturers, all seasoned outdoor guides, painted vivid pictures of breathtaking adventures and exotic destinations. Despite having lived most of his life in Ankara and never venturing far from home, Altay harbored a deep desire to explore the world. Maps became his fascination, and the call of adventure grew stronger.
Enticed by the world of adventure sports guiding, he embraced a job opportunity in Kas, on the mesmerizing Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The company, a pioneering force in Turkish adventure sports, introduced Altay to the realms of sea kayaking, canyoning, and mountain biking. Four seasons of exploration, camping under the stars, and navigating the Mediterranean left an indelible mark on Atlay’s soul.
Teaming up with a friend well-versed in the archaeological wonders of the Aegean region, Altay brought a deep knowledge of the winding coastline gained during sea kayaking expeditions and together the pair founded the Carian Trail—an 850 km long-distance hiking trail that traverses the coast of ancient Caria (now Southwestern Turkey).
In addition to cementing Altay’s reputation as a route maker and hiking expert in Turkey, the Carian Trail was also the catalyst in him meeting Rikki. After years of adventuring and working together, they finally fused their passions, knowledge, and expertise to form Roots Adventure Travel.
Be it sea kayaking, biking or hiking, seeing places in slow motion with your own effort changes the way you perceive your surroundings! In a way, time expands and days become longer while the moments becomes engraved into your memory in a different way! The more you explore your own boundaries and limits, the better you outline map the world around you. This is a great way to see new places and is exactly the core of Rikki and I, and thus Roots Adventure Travel!
Rikki
Hailing from the frosty landscapes of Fargo, North Dakota, Rikki grew up spending as much time as possible outdoors; playtime interspersed only by her early fascination with foreign languages, cuisines, and cultures. This upbringing set the stage for a lifelong love affair with being active and a thirst for exploration.
After completing high school early and spending a brief stint in China, Rikki realized that her true passion lay in the world of culinary arts and redirected her path to Berkeley, CA, where she attended cooking school and honed her culinary skills in various restaurants before her wanderlust got the best of her again.
Since putting a pause on her culinary career, Rikki has traveled to dozens of countries, exploring many on two wheels or just her own two feet until ultimately settling in Turkey to pursue work as a cooking/travel show host.
After meeting Altay while volunteering on the Carian Trail, Rikki shifted her ambitions once again, this time focusing more on the tourism side of the spectrum and ultimately co-founding Roots Adventure Travel where she combines her love of the outdoors with all things cooking and culture.
My favorite thing is showing people how much of culture is tied into cuisine and how much there is to be learned about history through food. By explaining the origins of certain ingredients, traces of ancient techniques or flavors in a dish, or even the etymological origins of the names of dishes, you can understand the flow of goods, languages, and ideas that a place experienced over the course of history and come to truly understand the place you're visiting.
My favorite thing is showing people how much of culture is tied into cuisine and how much there is to be learned about history through food. By explaining the origins of certain ingredients, traces of ancient techniques or flavors in a dish, or even the etymological origins of the names of dishes, you can understand the flow of goods, languages, and ideas that a place experienced over the course of history and come to truly understand the place you're visiting.
Our Team
Melek Teksen
Operations Manager
Adventure and Hospitality Expert
Born in 1988 in the city of Kastamonu, Melek grew up surrounded by the beautiful landscapes and rich culture of Turkey. She completed her education at Marmara University, where she graduated from the English Language Teaching Department in the Faculty of Educational Sciences.
In her early twenties, Melek took a bold step and spent time in Olympos, Antalya, working as an extreme sports guide, where she truly embraced her love for adventure. Transitioning to a new chapter, she became a concierge supervisor for a London-based company, where she honed her skills in luxury boutique tailor-made tourism.
With a wealth of experience in event planning, Melek joins Roots Adventure Travel, ready to take her passion for nature and adventure travel to new heights, blending luxury with exploration.
Kadir Kelleci
Bike Mechanic and Guide
8-Turkish Mtb XCO XCE XCM Champion 🏆
Pro Mountain Biker & Olympic Rider
Hailing from the Southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, Kadir worked in a local bike shop as a child and set foot in the world of athletics at a similarly young age. By 19 he had begun to compete in MTB races and won his first national title (U23 Category Turkey Champion) by age 22. Continuing to improve and grow, Kadir’s winning streak lasted over a decade and resulted in him becoming MTB Turkish Champion a full 8 times. His rank as 33rd in the world in 2020 made him the first Turkish Athlete to enter the top 40 in the World MTB rankings. He then transitioned to road cycling and raced for Turkey’s best known cycling team: Sportoto. With his unmatched knowledge of mountain and road biking and years of maintenance and repair, Kadir handles all our bikes with the utmost care, preparing them as though they are about to be ridden in a world championship race.
Dean Livesley
Family Activities
Outdoor Adventure Guide and Author
Dean Livesley’s travels began as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy. After arriving in Turkey he decided to settle and pursue a career in tourism. Exploring the awesome landscape sparked an interest in ancient and natural history and after meeting his wife Ayse they set up a travel company organizing cultural and outdoor activities for an international clientele.
Dean has worked on a creative range of projects in Turkey including building and managing a treehouse camp in Olympos, researching and waymarking the ‘Lycian Way’’, founder member along with Altay of the ‘Carian Trail’ Turkey’s longest walking route. He is the author of several guide books to south west Turkey and used to write a column for a Land of Lights newspaper. Dean is a hiking specialist and sea kayak instructor, leading many expeditions along the Turkish coastline. As his daughter grows he has been channeling more energy into working with the younger generation using his unique imaginative blend of history, fun and adventure.
Vicent Beltran
Sports Consultant
Vicent brings a deep understanding of sports coaching and wellness consulting. Vicent is an internationally recognized endurance sports coach and holds a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science. Vicent has extensive experience in the field of high-performance sports and hosting seminars for athletes of all levels focused on multisport. Vicent manages various World Triathlon programs, including the Olympic Project World Triathlon Team.
Vicent has worked with a variety of hospitality brands and government initiatives to bring sporting events and sport amenities into large scale developments.
Kelly Reed
Marketing & Communications
Kelly Reed is a marketing and communications expert with a deep passion for travel, hospitality, and sports. Her career spans diverse industries, where she has honed her skills in building brand narratives, fostering meaningful connections, and delivering impactful strategies. Whether crafting campaigns that inspire wanderlust or promoting dynamic sporting events, Kelly’s enthusiasm for creating exceptional experiences shines through in her work. A natural connector and storyteller, she brings a wealth of expertise and creativity to every project she undertakes.
A former professional triathlete, Kelly has completed 14 Ironmans around the globe and is a 4X finisher at Ironman World Championships Kona.
Melchior de Missolz
Trail Builder, Instructor, Guide
Melchior was born in Paris but took his first steps high in the Alps. His favorite sports are skiing, parachuting and mountain biking. Having lived in China for 10 years in the 90's, the bicycle was the ultimate means of locomotion, but it wasn't until Melchior returned to Paris in 2008 that he got serious about MTB.
In 2012, the vagaries of working in the music industry brought him to Istanbul. He moved there the following year and met his future wife, Naz. After moving to Muǧla in 2018 in search of a slower pace of life, Melchior founded the Muǧla MTB association, dedicated to mountain biking but also to the discovery and preservation of nature. Today, in addition to mountain biking, Melchior's main activities include cultivating his garden and studying literature, anthropology, and philosophy.
Mehmet Kaşkır
Logistics
Born into a travel-loving family, Mehmet has been hungry for adventure since he was a child. Thinking that it would lead to a career on the road, he obtained a degree in Radio, Television, and Cinema and spent a brief period working on various commercials and documentaries. During college, his passion for travel led him to his university’s mountaineering club which allowed him to gain experience in the mountains of Antalya, the Anti-Taurus, and Kackar Mountains. In addition to mountaineering, he’s delved into trail running, open water swimming, bike touring, and birdwatching. After gaining interest in trail running, he began to volunteer in Turkey’s many local races, finally culminating in his participation in UTMB, a race encircling Mont Blanc that he reached from his home in Kusadasi via bicycle. Today, he continues cycle touring around Turkey in his off time and dreams of taking his touring dreams internation
Vankey
Videography
Sharing a passion of travel, culture and sports, Eran and Evren founded Vankey in 2015 in Istanbul, uniting their individually pursued photography and videography careers. They bought a van to use as a mobile office, fulfilling their dream to travel and work at the same time while experimenting with the boundaries of visual storytelling. This lifestyle of constant movement led them to discover and experience different adventure sports. Inspired by the challenging nature of capturing moments in action, they moved on to documenting a wide range of sporting events; from sailing races to international snowboard, kitesurf and cycling championships. After settling in the Gökova region, Eran and Evren began to expand their filmmaking projects to include compelling narratives rooted in local culture. They have been making video documentaries for international news agencies and non-profit organisations ever since.
As the leader in active adventure luxury travel, our selected hotels are among the finest properties in the Aegean region and beyond. We hand select properties have character, comfort and charm, and are ideal for our guests to explore, relax and experience the authentic culture of the region.
Unsure on which destinations? Not sure if you want to bike, hike or kayak? Get in touch and we’ll guide you every step of the way, creating a eco-friendly trip of a lifetime.
Know what you like but seeking a new area to explore for your holiday? Send us a message, and we'll get to work crafting bespoke itineraries in amazing locations just for you.
