Ayşe Arman Route

After breakfast, we begin our tour. Today, we'll visit four beautiful plateaus. First, we'll go to Pokut and Sal Plateau.

Sal Plateau & Pokut Plateau

Depending on weather and road conditions, we’ll travel to Pokut and Sal Plateaus with a suitable vehicle. These plateaus, which have been featured in newspapers, magazines, and are a must for Instagram shares, are two stunning plateaus at an altitude of 2,000 meters. All the houses in these plateaus, established at the top of the hills, are made entirely of wood. Surrounded by untouched wilderness, these plateaus offer breathtaking scenery.

After an approximately one-hour drive from the hotel, we reach our first stop, Sal Plateau. The wide grassy area at the front of the plateau and the row of plateau houses behind it present a unique beauty. Sitting on the bench atop Sal, watching the surroundings, and breathing in the fresh air is an experience that words cannot describe. After our time at Sal Plateau, we continue to Pokut Plateau.

The half-hour gentle forest walk between the two plateaus adds another delight to our day. After this short walk, we enjoy the view of Pokut Plateau — on one side the sea, on the other Kaçkar Mountains, and if we’re lucky, a sea of clouds with mountain islands poking through. Surrounded by untouched ancient forests, you won’t want to leave Pokut. During our break to admire the scenery at Pokut, we’ll offer you some surprise refreshments. After exploring and enjoying the plateau, we'll enter the forest between the plateau houses and reach Eynetap. Here, we’ll relax in the meadow and take a short break. After the break, we start walking towards Hazindak Plateau.

Hazindak Plateau

Hazindak is a small, charming and very well-preserved plateau situated on a summit where the paths of four plateaus intersect. After about a 2-hour walk from Eynetap, we reach the plateau. We’ll have lunch here, spend some time among the plateau houses, then set our route to Amlakit Plateau.

Amlakit Plateau

This part of the walk is easy and gentle. Along the way, giant stone stairs placed on the trails by human hands and icy springs accompany us. Located at around 2,000 meters of altitude and established by the stream, Amlakit Plateau, one of the largest in the Hemşin Plateaus, welcomes us with hospitable people and tranquil silence. After a short tea break in Amlakit, we meet up with our vehicle and return to the hotel.

After breakfast, we set off towards Trovit Plateau, which is 1.5 hours from our hotel.

Trovit Plateau & Yıldız Lake

Trovit Plateau is located at an altitude of 2500 meters, nestled in a valley, and consists of wooden and stone houses. After a short photo break in the plateau, we begin our climb to Yıldız Lake. Walking along the valley where a stream runs through the middle, we take a roughly one-hour, flat hike, then ascend to the right for about half an hour, reaching Yıldız Lake at 2900 meters.

Here we encounter a glacier lake of considerable size. The color and shore of the lake may make you feel as if you are at Lake Salda. We’ll stay here for around one and a half hours, enjoying a lunch break and, for those who wish, swimming in the lake, before heading back via the same route.

Elevit Plateau & Çat Bridge

After descending the valley and meeting again with our vehicle left at Trovit Plateau, we drive down to Elevit Plateau, at an altitude of 1800 meters. Once one of the most visited plateaus and the most spirited venue for the Vartivor festival, the now "population unknown" Elevit Plateau misses its lively old days. Following the walks and photo breaks on the plateau, we head back to our hotel. And of course, we don’t miss the chance for a photo stop at Çat Bridge on the way. :) After leaving Çat, we return to our hotel.

After breakfast, we set off towards the foothills of Verçenik Mountain, the second highest peak in the region at 3,711 meters.

Verçenik Plateau & Kapılı Lakes

We follow the rivers and streams that form the Storm Valley to their sources. The end of the road is Verçenik Plateau. From here, we continue on foot along the trail. The path is generally gentle, but gets steeper as we approach the lakes, forming switchbacks that climb up. At times, we walk on grassy patches, at other times between rocks, crossing small streams to reach the deep blue Kapılı Lakes, scattered beneath Verçenik Mountain at 3,000 meters altitude. The tiered lakes stacked like steps and the reflection of the mountain in the water are a treasure for photography enthusiasts. Of course, swimming in the lakes is quite common. To avoid regrets later, it's wise to bring along your swimsuit and towel. After a long lunch break by the lake, we return the same way, meet our vehicle, and head back to our hotel.

After our breakfast in the morning, we set off towards Kale Plateau.

Kale Plateau, Kale-i Bala

The plateau is small and the valley is beautiful, but its main feature is that the sibling of Zil Kale (Kale-i Zir - Lower Castle) is here. Its name is Kale-i Bala, meaning Upper Castle. Unlike Zil Kale, it hasn't reached the present day as intact, but you might want to climb to the top for a 360-degree panoramic view. After leaving behind this castle and its scenery, seen by very few, we move on to Çiçekli Plateau.

Çiçekli Plateau

After arriving at the plateau and resting for a while against the view, we set off on a walk accompanied by unique landscapes towards the place where we will meet our vehicle again. Afterwards, we meet our vehicle, descend to the valley floor, and head for lunch. After the meal, we continue our journey towards Rize Airport. We arrive at Rize Airport around 18:00 and say goodbye to you until we meet again on another Bukla Tour.