Day 1: Arrival — Erzurum Airport to Barhal Village
Day 2: Barhal to Yaylalar — Korahmet Valley Warm-Up
Day 3: Uzumlu — Modut Valley Day Trek
Day 4: Yaylalar to Dilberduzu High Camp
Day 5: Summit Day — Mount Kackar 3,937 m
Day 6: Dilberduzu to Barhal / Yaylalar — Transfer to Yusufeli
Day 7: Barhal Churches — Transfer to Erzurum — Departure
HIGHLIGHTS :
The Kackar Mountains are among the most rewarding and least-visited trekking destinations in Turkey. This tour is structured to acclimatise properly before the summit attempt on Day 5 — the valley walks and warm-up stages in Days 2 and 3 are not filler, they are essential preparation for a summit day that starts before dawn and gains over a thousand metres. You will share the trail with local families moving their flocks to summer pastures, encounter wildflowers that carpet the high meadows in July and August, and sleep in both village pensions and high-altitude camps depending on the stage. Come prepared for all mountain weather conditions; the Kackar creates its own climate.
Alpine Meadows
Mystical Environment
Discover North of Turkey on Foot
Experience Authentic Local Villages
Handpicked Comfortable, Unique Stays
Airport Transfers and Luggage Support
DAY 1 Arrival – Erzurum to Barhal (Altiparmak) Village
Type | Transfer Day |
| Meals | Dinner included |
Drive | ~185 km, approx. 2.5-3 hrs |
| Accommodation | Pension, Yusufeli / Barhal |
Region | Yusufeli County, Artvin Province |
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The transfer from Erzurum to Barhal is itself an introduction to the landscape you are about to walk through. The road descends from the high Anatolian plateau through increasingly dramatic river gorges, the Coruh River running fast and green below the road as you head northeast toward Yusufeli. Barhal — properly called Altiparmak — sits at the foot of the Kackar range in a narrow valley of pine and walnut forest, the village church a reminder that this corner of Turkey was Georgian territory for centuries. Dinner with your group is the time to meet your guide, ask questions, check your kit, and get an honest briefing on what the next six days will actually involve. Sleep well — the first full walking day is long. |
DAY 2 Barhal -> Yaylalar | Korahmet Valley Warm-Up
Süre | 6-7 hours total |
| Max Altitude | ~2,400 m (Korahmet Valley) |
Distance | ~16 km |
| Trail Type | Forest path, stream valley, alpine pasture |
Difficulty | Orta Zor |
| Accommodation | Pension or high camp (~3,000 m), Yaylalar |
The day has two distinct parts. The morning walk from Barhal to Yaylalar follows the valley floor along streams fringed with alder and hazel, climbing gradually through terrain that feels almost Alpine — the flora is dense, the air is cool even in midsummer, and the sound of water is constant. Yaylalar is the highest permanent settlement on this side of the Kackar, a yayla village of stone and wood houses where families spend the summer months with their cattle. After lunch, the afternoon warm-up trek into Korahmet Valley is where the mountains announce themselves properly: the Bulut range rises in a wall of broken ridgeline ahead, snow still lodged in the north-facing gullies well into July. This is also your first chance to gauge your guide’s pace and assess how your legs are acclimatising. Those who want the full mountain experience can camp on the pasture above the village at around 3,000 m — cold at night, extraordinary in the morning. |
DAY 3 Uzumlu – Modut Valley Day Trek
Süre | 5-6 hours |
| Max Altitude | ~2,800 m |
Distance | ~14 km |
| Trail Type | Alpine valley, glacial moraine, wildflower meadows |
Difficulty | Orta Zor |
| Accommodation | Pension, Yaylalar |
If Day 2 showed you what the Kackar looks like, Day 3 shows you what it feels like. Modut Valley is one of the most beautiful day treks in the entire range: a broad, U-shaped glacial valley carved out by ice and now carpeted in summer with wildflowers — orchids, gentians, saxifrage — at densities that stop you every few minutes. The technical difficulty is low, which is entirely beside the point. This is a day for moving slowly, looking carefully, and understanding why people come back to the Kackar year after year. You will likely have the valley largely to yourself. Return to Yaylalar for dinner and a proper sleep ahead of the physically demanding two days that follow. Your legs should be feeling good by now; if they are not, tell your guide tonight. |
DAY 4 Yaylalar -> Dilberduzu High Camp (2,900 m)
Süre | 4-5 hours |
| Max Altitude | ~2,900 m (Dilberduzu camp) |
Distance | ~10 km |
| Trail Type | Glacial stream path, steep pasture, moraine |
Difficulty | Moderate-Challenging |
| Accommodation | Camping, Dilberduzu meadow |
Today is the approach day and it deserves to be treated as such — move at a pace that leaves you feeling strong at camp, not finished. The trail follows the stream that drains the glaciers above, climbing steadily through the last of the tree cover and then out onto open high terrain where you are fully exposed to whatever weather the Kackar is producing. Dilberduzu is a flat meadow at 2,900 m, the stream running through it cold and fast, the surrounding ridges steep enough to create a natural amphitheatre. Camp here is basic and beautiful. You may share the meadow with herders who bring their animals up in summer, and if you are lucky, with the extraordinary wildflower bloom that turns the grassland vivid in July. Drink plenty of water, eat a good meal, and sleep as early as you can. Tomorrow starts in the dark. |
DAY 5 Summit Day – Mount Kackar (3,937 m)
Süre | 8-10 hours round trip |
| Ascent | ~1,037 m from camp |
Distance | ~12 km |
| Trail Type | Rocky path, snowfield, scramble to summit |
Difficulty | Challenging |
| Accommodation | Camping, Dilberduzu (return) |
Max Altitude | 3,937 m — Summit of Mount Kackar |
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The alarm goes off before first light. That is the signal that today is serious. Breakfast is early, layers go on in the dark, and the group moves out of camp as the sky begins to turn. The ascent from Dilberduzu to the Kackar summit takes five to six hours at a reasonable pace — the trail moves through rocky terrain to a snowfield that must be crossed regardless of the season (bring gaiters and poles), then a final scramble to the summit cairn at 3,937 m. The climbing is not technical, but altitude, loose rock, and the possibility of sudden weather change demand full attention throughout. The summit view is genuinely extraordinary: the entire Kackar range visible in both directions, the Black Sea coast visible to the north on a clear day, and Mount Ararat rising from the Anatolian plateau to the southeast. For those who choose not to attempt the summit, the lakes below offer excellent day walking and swimming in water cold enough to cure whatever ails you. Return to Dilberduzu by mid-afternoon. |
DAY 6 Dilberduzu -> Barhal / Yaylalar | Transfer to Yusufeli
Süre | 4-5 hours walking |
| Max Altitude | 2,900 m (start of day) |
Distance | ~10 km descent |
| Trail Type | Reverse descent, stream valley, forest path |
Difficulty | Orta Zor |
| Accommodation | Pension, Yusufeli |
The walk back down from Dilberduzu feels different from the walk up — less focused, more expansive. With the summit behind you, there is space to notice things you missed on the way through: the way the light catches the meadow in the morning, the noise of the stream, the sudden reappearance of trees as the valley narrows below. The descent to Barhal or Yaylalar is steady on well-worn path, the legs doing what legs do well when the gradient is in your favour. A transfer to Yusufeli from the valley completes the day. Yusufeli means a hot shower, a proper bed, and dinner that involves a table and chairs rather than a camping mat. Both feel like considerable luxuries after two nights at high altitude, and both are very welcome. |
DAY 7 Barhal & Oshk Vank Churches | Transfer to Erzurum | Departure
Type | Cultural Visit + Transfer |
| Meals | Breakfast included |
Drive | ~185 km back to Erzurum, approx. 2.5-3 hrs |
| Altitude | Return to ~1,800 m then Erzurum plateau ~1,900 m |
Visits | Barhal Church, Oshk Vank (Osk Vank) Georgian Church |
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The final morning belongs to the churches. Barhal Church and Oshk Vank are both 10th-century Georgian Orthodox structures — beautifully cut stone, carved reliefs, and an atmosphere of extraordinary quiet that feels earned after six days in the mountains above them. These are not tourist sites; they are buildings that have been standing in this valley for a thousand years and will likely stand for a thousand more. Take your time inside. The drive back to Erzurum retraces the road you arrived on, but everything looks different now. The Coruh gorge, the plateau, the city — all filtered through a week that started in a valley and climbed to nearly four thousand metres. Erzurum airport sees you off. Until the next one. |
* Airport Transfers – * Luggage Transfer
* Entrance Fees – * Trekking Guidance
Let’s make your
Lycian Way Experience
Unforgettable
