8 days
trekking & culture
mın 2 - max 14
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After meeting at Erzurum Airport at a designated time we take off towards Heveg. We will take photographs of Tortum Lake and waterfall on our way. Without losing much time we will continue for lunch. After taking a shopping break in Yusufeli we will travel on winding roads towards Heveg with the Barhal Stream on the roadside. We will reach our guesthouse in the late afternoon and settle in before dinner. We will take a short walk around our guest house to get ready for tomorrow.
Accommodation: Altunay Pansiyon
Walk: Optional
Drive: 5.5 hours
After meeting at Erzurum Airport at a designated time we take off towards Heveg. We will take photographs of Tortum Lake and waterfall on our way. Without losing much time we will continue for lunch. After taking a shopping break in Yusufeli we will travel on winding roads towards Heveg with the Barhal Stream on the roadside. We will reach our guesthouse in the late afternoon and settle in before dinner. We will take a short walk around our guest house to get ready for tomorrow.
Accommodation: Altunay Pansiyon
Walk: Optional
Drive: 5.5 hours
Today we need to prepare our backpacks with clothes and belongings for the next 2 nights and 3 days. After breakfast, we will set out on foot, followed by mules carrying our backpacks. We will first visit Olgunlar Village and then take a break at a café where two streams meet before starting our long ascent towards Dilberdüzü basecamp. We will start with a slight inclination which will become steeper as we get higher. This path is one of the easiest paths that goes up to a mountain and it is full of water and flowers. Kaçkar is one of the most beautiful mountains that you can visit during the summer months, especially if you are approaching it from the south. After approximately 4-4,5 hours we will reach the basecamp at 2950 metres. This is the last stop for those who will climb up to the Kaçkar Peak. The tents will be pitched by an ice-cold stream. The name Dilberdüzü (literally ‘flatland of the pretty woman’) derives from a legend, but it is sure a flat area… After settling into our tents that will be ready on our arrival, we will rest and have tea and snacks. We will witness the excitement of those who will climb the peak. This might be your first time in a tent, and surely your first time in a tent at 2950 metres. Don’t think it will be your most comfortable night but it will definitely be one to remember. We will have dinner all together at the campsite.
Accommodation: Tent, Dilberdüzü Basecamp
Walk: 5 hours uphill
Drive: –
After breakfast everybody will share their tent/camp experience with one another. Today we will make another ascent up to 3380 metres to visit Deniz Gölü (literally Sea Lake). The trek will be steep and rather tiring but the help of our guide, without any rush it can easily be done. After 1,5 hours it is now time to rest. The brave ones will not miss the change to swim in this ice-cold lake. After having our packed lunch we will start walking down again from the same path.
Alternative:
Those who choose to rest can spend the day at the base camp. They can walk around, enjoy the views, chat with companions, have lunch, read books or even help our cook for the preparations of the evening meal.
Accommodation: Tent, Dilberdüzü Basecamp
Walk: Optional, 1-4 hours.
Drive: –
After a relaxing breakfast we say good-bye to our campsite and start walking down towards Heveg, accompanied by mules to carry our extra belongings. The path that took 4,5 hours going up will now take 2,5 hours going down. We will have lunch at the same café at Olgunlar village. After a nice rest we will walk another hour to reach our guesthouse and take a nice hot shower to rest our tired bodies. It is now time to rest for our next trekking adventure tomorrow.
Accommodation: Altunay Pansiyon
Walk: 4 hours
Drive: –
Today we will have an early breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us. We will be trekking from the southern to the northern skirts of Kaçkar. After breakfast we will load all our belongings to our vehicle (or mules, depending on the weather) and once again drive up to Olgunlar village from where we will start our trek with our small day-pack. The beginning of the walk has a slight ascent, just like the Dilberdüzü trek. After 1,5 hours of trekking we reach Dobe Yayla (Highland). After a long break here we continue to ascend and start the steep part of the day. We will have our packed lunches at an altitude of 3220 metres. We will have a nice rest and continue our trek downhill, arriving to Karadeniz Lake in 2 hours. We will start ascending again towards Kavrun Pass and reach the lakes within half an hour. Here we will have time to swim in the lakes. The ice-cold water is the best thing to rest our tired bodies. After this break we will start our steep descent towards Kavrun Yayla (highland) where we will find our guesthouse and take a dip in the stream next to it. We have another long trek tomorrow.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Walk: 7-8 hours
Drive: 15 minutes
After breakfast we will give our luggage to our driver and start our walk with our small daypacks. Our trek begins with a stream and a slight descent and then gets steeper like in all valleys. We will be walking for 5-6 hours on a 13 km path today. Here too we will encounter another Kavrun Pass. While ascending to the pass at 3150 m, if the weather allows, we will be watching the beautiful northern slopes and glaciers of the Kaçkar Mountain if the weather is clear. At the pass we will have our packed lunch and start the descent. We will walk downhill until the Apivanak Yayla. Here we will meet our vehicle. If it is too foggy, we might have to walk another 1-2 kilometers. After meeting our minibus we will pass through Palovit Yayla and continue towards Amlakit Yayla. Since our guesthouse is not near the road, we will load our luggage on a small home-made cable car known as “varangele”. It is time to have a nice rest.
Accommodation: Ufuk Pansiyon
Walk: 5-6 hours
Drive: 30 minutes
After breakfast we will start our walk towards Samistal Yayla, the highest yayla that is still being used for animal breeding. Here we will have time to chat to the locals and take plenty of photographs. We will then start our walk down towards Hazindak Yayla. If the weather is clear we might even see Pokut, Sal and Gito Yaylas from afar. We will have lunch at a yayla house in Hazindak. After lunch we will walk through one of the last non-asphalted paths of the area, going through a thick forest almost reaching Amlakit Yayla. This is one of our favorite trails with the occasional stone paving. This path will bring us to the recently opened dirt road that will take us straight back to Amlakit Yayla.
Accommodation: Ufuk Pansiyon
Walk: 3-4 Hours
Drive: –
After breakfast we will say goodbye to Amlakit Yayla and start our journey towards Trabzon taking photo breaks at Kale-i Zir and a box tree forest. Our last lunch will be at Çamlıhemşin and we will arrive at Trabzon Airport at ca 5 PM.
- This tour is NOT a mountain climbing tour. Everybody who has some outdoor hiking experience can join this tour.
- Our first aim is to walk around the skirts of the Kaçkar Mountain. We will also spend two nights in DILBERDÜZÜ in a tent to experience the basecamp atmosphere.
- Our guides themselves are experienced certified mountaineers who are aware of the fact that the participants of this tour will not be mountaineers.
- Wearing layers is always an advantage and provides comfort in the outdoors.
- You will learn all about the yayla (highland) culture of the Black Sea region.
2 Nights (1. and 4.) Heveg: Bungalows
2 Nights Dilberdüzü Bas Camp: Tent
3 Night Amlakit Highland: Bungalows
- Hotels as indicated in the itinerary
- All transfers
- 7 night full board accommodation (2 nights at tent)
- All meals as indicated (B/L/D): 7 breakfasts, 8 lunches (4 packed lunches), 7 dinners (2 camp meals)
- Professional mountain guide
- Mules to carry equipment and bags
- Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, mat)
- Guide, tour leader and driver expenses
- Parks and toll roads
- Hotel tips
- Entrance fees
- Compulsory TURSAB travel insurance (not health or travel insurance)
- Professional and high quality service by Başka Rota
- VAT
- Flights or busses to Erzurum and back from Rize(new airport)
- Travel insurance
- Compulsory health insurance
- Visas
- Drinks
- Any extra activities and excursions
- Tips and gratitudes for local staff
- Personal expenses
- Backpack:You should have a minimum 25 liter backpack for essential items such as a jacket, fleece, flask or bottle, sunscreen, cream, shorts etc. City type packs with no back support might cause you to experience back pains.
- Walking Pole:Using a walking pole requires some experience. If you are an experienced user it will help with conveying the weight of a heavy backpack down towards the arms and thus will lighten the pack. However, if you do not have much experience it will cause more harm than good, especially on uneven surfaces while trying to place the tip properly on the ground. The best thing is either to use just one pole or to ask us to find a suitable tree branch from the nature.
- Trekking boots:As our trail will generally be on paths and uneven surfaces, the trekkers should wear hard soled trekking boots with high enough necks that will protect the ankles against sprains. Actually these are essential items, so they are a “must” rather than a “should”. Your feet carry the whole weight of your body and walking on uneven trails without proper footwear is like diving without a scuba tank.
- Gaiter:It will keep snow, mud, sand and dust out of your boots. You do not need to buy expensive ones at the beginning.
- Raincoat (poncho): The best thing to do is to acquire a rainproof and breathable jacket (Gore-Tex or similar brand). It is an expensive item but you will use it for many years. Poncho-style raincoats are impermeable but they will make you sweat on long walks and thus cause you to get wet from the inside. You should prefer to get %50 of yourselves wet instead of 100%.
- Headgear:Sunglasses and a sunhat are essential for sunny days.
- Trousers:You should prefer quick-drying trousers that are especially made for trekking. Even better if they have zip-off legs that turn into shorts. We definitely do not recommend denim jeans.
- Bottle or Flask: We do not recommend plastic bottles for health reasons but for beginner trekkers they are probably the best thing. You could also acquire a 50 cc metal bottle or thermos flask.
- First aid kit:Your guide will have a general first aid kit but if you need special medication or any sort of special first aid that you might need for certain circumstances such as allergic reactions, do not forget to have them with you.
- Swimwear: You will have many chances to swim in the sea if weather permits. So don’t forget to bring a swimsuit and towel.
