Black Sea Highlands

Rent a car in Trabzon. This is the day the route opens up, and from here on a car is what makes the highland valleys reachable on your own schedule.

Drive east along the coast, then turn inland up the Firtina Valley to Camlihemsin, around two and a half hours total. Stop in Rize on the way, this is tea country, and the steep coastal hills are covered in plantations that climb almost to the snowline. If you want a tea garden built for visitors, Ceceva (Haremtepe) in the Cayeli district is the photogenic one, neat geometric tea terraces around a wooden Black Sea house, popular for photos rather than a working plantation. It sits a short detour off the coast road.

Base in Camlihemsin or one of the guesthouses up the valley. This is the better highland base than Ayder, quieter and central to everything you will want to reach over the next two days. The food here is excellent, especially muhlama (also called kuymak), the cornmeal and cheese dish that is the regional staple.

Settle in, eat well, sleep early. Tomorrow is a full highland day.

A full day up the valley from Camlihemsin. The road follows the Firtina River through forest and mist, with stops along the way.

Zilkale first, around 13 kilometres up, a medieval castle perched on a ridge above the river gorge. Then the Simsir Ormani (boxwood forest) and on to Palovit Waterfall, reached by a side road off the Cat junction. The falls drop around fifteen metres through dense green forest.

Continue to Elevit Yaylasi, a highland plateau at around 1800 metres, about 35 kilometres from Camlihemsin. Wooden houses scattered across grass slopes with peaks behind, this is the classic Black Sea highland scene.

This is a full day on its own with the driving up and back, so do not try to add the Pokut side of the valley today, that is a separate trip. Mist descends fast up here in summer and can close the views in minutes, so start early and be flexible. Back to Camlihemsin for the evening.

Start early with Pokut Yaylasi, one of the most photographed plateaus in the country, wooden houses scattered along a ridge above the cloud line. The road up beyond the paved sections is steep and unpaved, so arrange a local 4x4 and driver through your guesthouse, it is the safe and easy way up. Pokut can be very foggy and rainy even in summer, and mist can close the views entirely, so check conditions with your driver the day before and be ready to be flexible.

Come back down by midday. If you are feeling good and the weather holds, drive yourself up to Ayder Yaylasi, around 17 kilometres from Camlihemsin on a paved road that any car can manage. Wooden chalets, grazing cows, and the green slopes the region is known for. Ayder gets lively in the evenings in season, so it can be a fun place to end the day.

Stay in Camlihemsin or Ayder for the night. Tomorrow you move east.

Drive back down to the coast and east toward Artvin province, basing in Borcka rather than Artvin city centre. Borcka is the better base for everything you will do tomorrow, closer to the lakes, the valleys, and the waterfalls.

The coast road is scenic, with steep green hills above and the sea below. Stop in one of the small coastal towns for lunch on the way. Settle into Borcka in the evening.

Start with Borcka Karagol, a landslide lake set in deep forest around 25 kilometres from Borcka, the still black water reflecting the trees around it. The platform above the lake gives you the panoramic view. Mornings are best, both for the light and the quiet.

Then into the Macahel (Camili) valleys, the chain of villages along the Georgian border that sit in some of the densest forest in Turkiye. This is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with primary forest still standing. Visit the Iremit Mosque, a historic wooden mosque built without nails, and the Maral Waterfall, which drops dramatically through the forest. Macahel honey is dark mountain forest honey, distinctive and worth taking home if you have room.

The roads here are narrow and winding, take your time. Back to Borcka for the evening.

Drive up to Savsat and Savsat Karagol, a second landslide lake inside the Karagol-Sahara National Park, set even deeper in forest than Borcka Karagol. The drive up through the Coruh valley is part of the experience.

Late afternoon, head to Yavuzkoy for sunset. The viewpoints here look out over the mountains and valleys, and the light at this hour is the photograph the region is known for.

From here, begin the return. Depending on your flight, you can drive back to Trabzon (around five hours) or fly out from the closer Artvin-Rize Airport on the coast if the schedule works. If you plan to drop the car at Artvin-Rize rather than return it to Trabzon, confirm with the rental company in advance that a one-way drop there is allowed and what it costs, sort this out when you pick the car up in Trabzon.