TRANS KAÇKAR TREKKING TOUR Erzurum to Trabzon

DAY 2  YAYLALAR – KORAHMET VALLEY | Warm-Up Trek

The morning is given over to the transfer to Yaylalar village, and the afternoon to a gentle warm-up trek into Korahmet Valley, with the Bulut Mountains standing over the whole route. There’s a good chance to meet local villagers along the way before the group returns to camp for dinner.

DAY 3  UZUMLU – MODUT VALLEY | Day Trek

Widely reckoned one of the best day walks in the Kaçkars, the route through Uzumlu to Modut Valley isn’t especially demanding, but the scenery does all the work: this is the kind of day that reminds you why people come to the Kaçkars in the first place. The group returns to Yaylalar for dinner and a second night at the same camp.

DAY 4  YAYLALAR – DILBERDUZU | Into the High Pastures

Today’s trek climbs from Yaylalar up through high mountain pastures, following a stream fed by the glaciers above, with a good chance of passing the families who bring their flocks up here for the summer. Dilberduzu itself is a flat meadow camp at 2,900 m, hemmed in on all sides by steep hills.

DAY 5  MOUNT KAÇKAR SUMMIT DAY | 3,937 m

An early start and a five-to-six-hour ascent over rock, scree, and some snow bring the group to the summit of Kaçkar at 3,937 m — no technical climbing involved, but a genuinely demanding day. The view above the clouds takes in the whole Kaçkar range and beyond, with Mount Ararat visible on a clear day. Anyone skipping the summit has day-trip and lake-swimming options instead.

DAY 6  DUPEDUZ | Wildflower Trek

With the summit behind you, today’s trek to Dupeduz is a noticeably gentler affair — paths thick with wild alpine flora and constant views back across the Kaçkar range. Camp for the night is set up at Dupeduz itself.

DAY 7  YUKARI KAVRON – CAYMAKCUR PASS | 3,100 m

The trek to Yukari Kavron winds up toward Caymakcur Pass at 3,100 m, threading past a string of lakes tucked out of sight from the main routes. If the weather holds, there’s a chance to swim in Kara Deniz Lake before the group descends to Ayder for dinner and a proper bed for the first time in days.

DAY 8  DEREBASI LAKE | Glacier Lake Swimming

Today’s walk leads to Derebasi Lake, fed directly by glacial meltwater, with another good chance for a swim for anyone hardy enough for genuinely cold water. The group returns to Ayder for dinner and a second night in comfortable beds.

DAY 9  SAMISTAL – AYDER | Plateau Trek & Thermal Springs

A spectacular walk up to Samistal plateau, through fields of colour you won’t find anywhere else on the trek, with a full view of the Kaçkar range from the top. The route then drops back down into Ayder, where the day ends the way it should: soaking in one of the town’s thermal springs.

DAY 10  SUMELA MONASTERY – TRABZON | Cultural Day

The drive to Trabzon takes in Sumela Monastery along the way, one of Turkey’s most striking pieces of architecture, built directly into the rock face of a canyon. A city tour of Trabzon follows, taking in the largest harbour on the Black Sea coast, before dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 11  TRABZON – END OF TOUR | Departure

After breakfast, it’s a straightforward pickup from the hotel and transfer to Trabzon Airport in time for your flight home — eleven days after landing in Erzurum, with a summit, a handful of glacier lakes, and a great deal of highland hospitality behind you.

* Airport Transfers – * Luggage Transfer

* Entrance Fees – * Trekking Guidance