7 Days / 6 Nights Eastern Black Sea Tour

General information

Destination
Trabzon, Turkey

Program details

A fantastic journey through the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, visiting the 4th Century Sumela Monastery and Altindere National Park, Borcka Karagol, ancient Georgian Churches and Erzurum Castle. We will also visit kiwi and tea plantations in this very agricultural region and pass by countless villages.

A fantastic journey through the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, visiting the 4th Century Sumela Monastery and Altindere National Park, Borcka Karagol, ancient Georgian Churches and Erzurum Castle. We will also visit kiwi and tea plantations in this very agricultural region and pass by countless villages in the Pontic Mountains, staying in wooden bungalows high in the mountains in Uzungol.


Day 1: Trabzon (dinner included).

Arriving at Trabzon International Airport, transfer to hotel, dinner and brief information about the trip, and overnight.


Day 2: Trabzon, Sumela Monastery, Zigana, and Karaca Cave (breakfast and dinner included).

Depart for Sumela Monastery, visit the 4th century Sumela Monastery which clings to a sheer cliff face in a deep forest, and relax beside a fast-flowing stream at Altindere Valley National Park followed by a lunch stop. Travelling along the old Silk Road through the Zigana Mountains will then take us to Karaca Cave, considered the most beautiful in Turkey for its colours and formations. We then return to Trabzon and have dinner in the hotel & overnight.


Day 3: Trabzon, Uzungol (breakfast and dinner included).

Depart for a tour of Trabzon visiting St. Sophia (Ayasofya), a 13'th century church and see an extraordinary collection of Byzantine frescoes, Gulbahar Hatun Mosque and Atatürk's Mansion. We then drive to Boztepe for a panoramic view of the city before moving on to Uzungöl, one of the most photogenic locations in the region. A lunch stop is given at a fish restaurant. Continue sight-seeing before checking into the hotel at Uzungol. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Rize, Firtina Valley, Ayder (breakfast and dinner included).

Depart for Ayder, visit a botanical garden and have a panoramic view of Rize before driving to Camlihemsin through the beautiful Firtina Valley, passing spectacular scenery with many waterfalls, stone bridges and lush green forests on the foothills of the magnificent Kackar Mountains. Lunch stop in Ayder and sightseeing before checking in the hotel in Ayder. Dinner and overnight.


Day 5: Ayder, Borcka-Karagol, Artvin (breakfast and dinner included).

Drive to Artvin and visit Borcka Karagol and the ancient Georgian Churches Dolishane and Yeni Rabat (Shetberdi) Church in Ardanuc. We’ll drive beside the River Coruh, the fastest flowing and best rafting river of Turkey. Dinner and overnight in Artvin.


Day 6 - Yusufeli, Erzurum (breakfast and dinner included).

Driving through the River Coruh Valley will take us to other Georgian Churches, Ishan, Oshk-Vank and we also visit the Tortum Waterfalls on the way and stop for a lunch break before continuing to Erzurum. Dinner and overnight in Erzurum.


Day 7: Erzurum (breakfast included).

In the morning we visit Selchuk and Mongolian monuments in Erzurum, these include the Cifte Minareli Medrese, a theological school named after its’ towering twin minarets and Yakutiye Medrese, built by the Mongolian Prince Olcayto in 1308 and topped with a richly tiled minaret. We also see Ulu Mosque and Erzurum Castle before the transfer to Erzurum Airport and the client’s onward flight. The tour ends at Erzurum Airport.




Meeting/pick-up point: Pick-up at at Trabzon International Airport.

Duration: 7 days.

Pick-up time: According to client’s flight time.

Drop-off time: According to client’s flight time.

Start/opening time: Daily tours start approximately at 9am and finish approximately at 5pm.

Languages: Private tour: English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. Shared tour: English.

Others: Included: return airport transfers, 4 star and Boutique Hotels in each area, 2 nights hotel in Trabzon including breakfast and dinner, 1 night hotel in Uzungol including breakfast and dinner, 1 night hotel in Ayder including breakfast and dinner, 1 night hotel in Artvin including breakfast and dinner, 1 night hotel in Erzurum including breakfast and dinner, all entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary, transportation in a fully air-conditioned, non-smoking coach.
Not included: international flights, personal expenses (lunches, extras at hotel or additional meals), tips for guides and drivers, all types of insurance.

Location
Starting point:
Hotel pickup

Guiding options
Guiding type: Guide