Black Sea Region

The Black Sea and Highlands

In summer the eastern Black Sea is where Turkish travellers go to escape the coastal heat: the Ayder, Pokut and Sal highlands, the lakeside at Uzungöl and the Sümela monastery clinging to its cliff form the core of the region.

The region is green, wet and cool — a completely different trip from a coastal holiday. Tea gardens, highlands under cloud and wooden houses along the streams are its character.

The roads are mountainous and distances take longer than the map suggests, which is why the Black Sea is usually programmed as a guided tour in daily stages. Rize, Trabzon, Artvin and an extension to Batumi across the Georgian border are frequently combined.

Highlights

  • The Ayder highland
  • Uzungöl
  • Sümela Monastery
  • The Pokut and Sal highlands
  • The Fırtına valley
  • Tea plantations

When to go

June to September. The highland roads are usually closed before late May.

Getting there

Trabzon Airport (TZX) is the main gateway; Rize-Artvin (RZV) is closer for the eastern highlands.