Çoruh valleys. Caucasus forests. The edge of everything.
The northeastern corner of Türkiye, where the Caucasus meets the Black Sea: steep Çoruh valleys, Georgian-heritage villages, the Karagöl lakes and Macahel, the country's only UNESCO biosphere reserve, often called its temperate rainforest.
The province covers 7,393 square kilometres of almost entirely vertical terrain on the Georgian border: forested ridges above 3,000 metres, glacial lakes in clearings and high summer plateaus where villages still hold centuries-old cattle festivals. The Çoruh River runs through the middle of it. Its canyon between Yusufeli and Artvin was once known for long Class IV and V rafting descents, but a chain of hydroelectric dams now holds most of that stretch as reservoirs, and the Yusufeli Dam lake submerged the old town of Yusufeli in 2023. The gorges are still spectacular from the road.
Macahel is the old name of the Camili valley in the Borçka district: six villages closed in by mountains on three sides and by Georgia on the fourth. In 2005 it became Türkiye's first UNESCO biosphere reserve, and it is still the only one, about 25,000 hectares of humid Colchic forest, the temperate (not tropical) rainforest type protected across the border in Georgia as the "Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands" World Heritage site. Oriental spruce, black alder, Caucasian lime and hazel grow in heavy rain and mist, and the valley is one of the last refuges of the pure Caucasian honeybee.
Eight places worth your time. Tap a photograph, the map will follow.
A deep, V-shaped valley about 7 to 12 km from Artvin city, protected as a national park since 1994 and rising from around 170 metres to over 3,200 metres, which gives it an unusual mix of Black Sea and Mediterranean plant life. Its best-known feature is a glass viewing terrace bolted to the cliff above the Hatila stream, around 220 metres up and one of the highest in Turkey. The access road is narrow, so drive carefully. There is a picnic area down in the canyon below.
A dark glacial lake inside the Karagöl-Sahara National Park in the Şavşat district, east of Artvin, ringed by beech and conifer forest that turns deep orange and red in September and October. The reflection of the trees on the still water is the classic image of the place. The access road is partly unpaved and can need a high-clearance vehicle early in the season. Camping is possible near the lake in summer.
One of the historic wooden mosques of the Macahel (Camili) valley near the Georgian border, in the İremit area. Built in the local Georgian craft tradition without nails in the old joinery, its plain timber exterior opens to an interior covered in colourful hand-painted floral and geometric patterns. The wooden mosques of Macahel are among the most distinctive religious buildings in the eastern Black Sea, and the valley around them is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
A high mountain village in the Şavşat district, also known as Madenköy, set among meadows and forest with its own lake and waterfall reached by about an hour's walk. The surrounding Sakorya and Napurnev highlands and the Papart forests make it a base for plateau walking and photography. It is one of the quieter corners of the Artvin highlands, with traditional wooden houses and very little development. A 4x4 helps on the rougher tracks.
A landslide-dammed lake in a nature park in the Borçka district, surrounded by dense mixed forest that produces some of the most photographed autumn colour in the region. A walking path circles the water and the reflections on a calm morning are the main draw. It is usually combined with a trip into the Macahel valley nearby. The final approach road is steep and narrow.
A waterfall in the Karçal Mountains of the Borçka district, in the Macahel valley, dropping about 63 metres in a single fall and often described as one of the highest single-drop waterfalls in Turkey. It takes its name from the nearby Maralköy. Reaching it involves roughly an hour's walk from the village through forest, and the cold pool at the base is a popular summer swim. Combine it with the wooden mosques and villages of Macahel.
A medieval Georgian church in the Cevizli village of the Şavşat district, part of the rich Georgian Christian heritage scattered across Artvin from the period of the Bagratid kingdoms. The stone building stands among walnut trees and village houses, its carved details still visible despite centuries of weathering. It pairs well with the other Georgian-era churches of the area and the drive up to Karagöl.
A waterfall in the Murgul district west of Borçka, in a steep forested valley known otherwise for its copper mining history. The falls drop through mossy rock into a cool pool, with the surrounding woodland staying green and damp through the summer. It is a quiet local stop rather than a major attraction, usually visited alongside Borçka Karagöl on the way through the western part of the province.
Artvin's food is Black Sea and Caucasian in equal measure. The Georgian influence is present in the dairy, the walnut preparations and the corn-based dishes. The Black Sea coast tradition brings hamsi and tea. The highland tradition brings trout, wild herbs and honey from forest beehives. None of it is refined in the restaurant sense, but all of it is genuinely local and made from ingredients that rarely travel far.
Artvin's restaurant scene is small and local-facing. The best meals are at family-run lokanta in the city centre and the village tea houses near Yusufeli and Kafkasör.
A municipal restaurant set up on the Kafkasör plateau just above Artvin, with picnic tables, a small kitchen and an open view across the Çoruh valley. The strength is the location rather than fine technique: local trout, muhlama and breakfasts taken outdoors in cool highland air. Open primarily through the warmer months, when the plateau is at its best.
Trout, Muhlama, Plateau Picnic SettingA small family-run restaurant in the Çayağzı area of central Artvin, well-known locally for daily çağ kebabı, home-style stews and Arnavut ciğeri. Quick, generous, modestly priced, with unlimited tea after the meal. The kind of place residents send out-of-town visitors to without hesitation.
Çağ Kebabı, Stews, Arnavut CiğeriA family-run pension and restaurant in the Yusufeli area with its own trout pond and chickens, set in a green courtyard of wooden cottages. Trout pulled fresh, cornbread, salads from the garden, regional dishes prepared simply and well. A natural lunch or dinner stop for travellers heading into the Çoruh canyons.
River Trout, Garden Salads, CornbreadThere is no single fixed restaurant in the Macahel (Camili) valley; meals are arranged with village households who cook traditional Georgian-influenced food on request: walnut dishes, valley cheeses, forest honey, corn pastries, seasonal vegetables. Arrange in advance through your pension or a local guide. The setting is inseparable from the experience.
Walnut Dishes, Village Cheese, Forest HoneyA small soup place next to the governor's office on İnönü Caddesi in central Artvin, open around the clock. Tripe, lentil and meat-and-grain soups, plus a small list of grills and a notably good kelle paça. Honest pricing, fast service, the kind of late-night anchor a working town needs.
Soups, Tripe, Kelle Paça, 24/7A handful of small trout restaurants line the road between Borçka and the Macahel turn-off, fed by the Çoruh and its tributaries. The pattern is the same at each: grilled river trout, cornbread, a salad of valley herbs, ayran and tea. Pick one that is busy with local cars on a weekend lunch and you will not go wrong.
River Trout, Cornbread, Riverside SettingFrom Artvin it is about 33 km to Borçka, then roughly 48 km of narrow mountain road over the Macahel pass to Camili, around two hours each way and the only road in from Türkiye; the nearest airport is Rize-Artvin, about 120 km from Artvin city. Go between June and September, or late September to October for autumn colour. The pass takes heavy snow (drifts of six to seven metres closed it for over a week in January 2025) and landslides closed the road in September 2025, so check it outside summer. Meals are arranged with village households through your pension. Combine with the İremit Mosque, Maral Waterfall and Borçka Karagöl. Road details last checked October 2026.
The glacial lake at Karagöl in Şavşat district is surrounded by beech forest that undergoes one of the most dramatic autumn colour changes in Turkey, typically peaking between late September and mid-October. The combination of the still lake surface, the vertical colour of the surrounding trees and the silence of the national park setting is exceptionally good for photography. The access road requires a vehicle; the final section is unpaved. Go on a weekday to avoid the weekend photographers who have discovered this location in recent years. The drive through Şavşat district is worthwhile independent of the lake.
The Kaçkar Mountains - shared between Artvin and Rize provinces - have trail systems accessing high-altitude plateaus, glacial lakes and 3,900-metre peaks. The Barhal (Altıparmak) valley in Yusufeli district is one of the main access points, with marked trails to the Kavron and Dilberduzu plateaus and the main Kaçkar summit. Multi-day trekking with camping is the standard approach. Local guides based in Barhal village are essential for the high routes. The best trekking season is July through September. The flora includes endemic Caucasian species and rhododendron fields at altitude.
Choose which cookies you allow. Essential and analytics cookies are always on (legitimate interest, IP anonymisation). Your choice is saved on your device and you can change it anytime from the Cookies Policy page.
Required for core features such as remembering your language and that you have seen this notice. Always active.
Google Analytics with IP anonymisation, used to understand how the site is used in aggregate. Always active under legitimate interest.
Reserved for future use (e.g. retargeting). Off until you allow it.