The Black Sea highlands

On the Black Sea coast, between Trabzon and the Georgian border, Turkey no longer looks the way people picture it. The mountains drop almost into the sea, covered in forest and tea plantations, and the rain keeps everything deep green all year. Above Rize, the valleys climb towards the high pastures, the yayla, where herds are taken in summer, and towards the peaks of the Kaçkar Mountains.

Ayder and the Kaçkar Mountains

Ayder is a high plateau above Çamlıhemşin, in Rize province. It is the gateway to the Kaçkar Mountains, the region's great hiking massif, which walkers cross from valley to valley. Other plateaus, such as Avusor, disappear into the clouds and keep their wooden huts.

The food of the highlands is best tasted at breakfast: cheeses, butter, Anzer honey, molasses and muhlama, cheese melted with cornmeal, with Rize simit and tea.

The Fırtına valley and Zil Castle

The Fırtına stream runs down from Çamlıhemşin towards the sea. 15 km south of the village, Zil Castle stands on the western slope of the valley; it is one of the most distinctive monuments in the region. Lower down, towards the coast, tea plantations cover the slopes: you can smell the fresh leaves and try picking by hand. Rize is also the home of feretiko, a hemp cloth woven on a loom, and of the anchovy, which goes into bread, rice and pancakes.

Towards Trabzon: Sumela and Uzungöl

The highlands combine with the sights around Trabzon, two hours away by road.

Sumela Monastery clings to the cliffs of Mount Karadağ, above the Altındere valley, 46 km from Trabzon. Dedicated to the Virgin, it is on UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list. It is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm, local time, ticket office closing at 4:30 pm; admission is €22 from 1 April 2027, audio guide included.

The mountain lake of Uzungöl is 96 km from Trabzon, 1 h 20 by road. The highland pastures of Trabzon province lie at around 2,000 m and above.

In Trabzon itself, the city museum occupies the Kostaki Mansion, built in the early 20th century by Italian architects for a banker, where Atatürk stayed; it is closed on Mondays and will cost €5 from April 2027. St Anne's Church, rebuilt in the 9th century under Emperor Basil I, is the oldest in the city and free to enter. A good way to start the day is with kuymak, Trabzon's cheese melted with cornmeal.

Getting there

Rize-Artvin airport is 35 km from Çamlıhemşin and linked to Istanbul by Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus. Trabzon airport has flights from Istanbul and direct flights from Düsseldorf, and seasonally from Cologne and Munich. By road, Ayder is 2 h 05 from Trabzon. Kars and the site of Ani are nearly 6 hours by road: Kars and Ani can be combined with the highlands.

Climate

The Rize coast is very wet: 2,310 mm of rain falls each year, more than 140 mm every month except April and May, and over 300 mm in October. Summer is mild, with highs of 27 to 28 °C in July and August by the sea; the plateaus, higher up, are cooler. Winter stays mild on the coast, around 11 °C in the afternoon, and the heights are snow-covered. The best season is June to September.

The hotel in the Sabaro selection

Seyr-i Cennet Dağ Evleri brings together nine wooden suites and bungalows on the Ayder road, 5 km from Çamlıhemşin. All have a jacuzzi, most a fireplace and a balcony over the valley; breakfast, with muhlama, is included. Price on request.

What the foreign ministries say

The region is under heightened vigilance for most European ministries, with no specific advice. Some mention a risk of floods and landslides in the north-east of the country, and a tick-borne fever on the Black Sea coast. The "Travel advice" table on this page gives the advice for your country.