Trans Kaçkar

After an early breakfast in the morning, we drive to the Palakçur Plateau. We leave our bags in the vehicle and start our hike.

Palakçur Plateau - Körahmet Crossing

After Palakçur, our 14 km hike begins. At first, we have gentle inclines up to 3010 meters, with steeper climbs near the end. After a lunch break, we begin our descent. Around 4 km from the pass, at 2300 meters, is the Salafet Plateau. After a short break and refilling our water here, we will continue our hike. From Salafet Plateau, we proceed in order to Karamolla Mezrası, Körahmet, and finally reach Hevek Plateau, completing our long walk and the transition from the northern slope to the southern slope of the Kaçkar Mountains.

Meanwhile, since the vehicle will arrive at the area before us, our belongings will have already reached our pension in Hevek. Dinner will be at our pension.

After breakfast at our pension, we load our backpacks and suitcases onto the mules and head up to the Olgunlar (Meredet) Plateau at an altitude of 2,200 meters.

As you prepare your belongings, remember that they will be carried by sweet, big-eyed mules. Therefore, we kindly ask you not to choose hard-shell suitcases and to avoid bringing unnecessary items to the camp.

Nastaf Plateau & Dilberduzu Campground

After a short break at the Olgunlar Plateau, we enter the Kaçkar trail and begin our hike. After a brief rest at Nastaf Plateau (2,400 m), which is the halfway point of today's route, we reach Dilberduzu Campground (2,900 m) after a 1.5-hour walk.

After having lunch, we settle into our tents. Afterwards, your guide will give a briefing about the summit ascent and answer your questions. You then have free time to rest for acclimatization. During this period, you can relax or take short walks around the area for photography.

Before we describe today, let’s touch on an important point. While we try to recount our tour with a humorous tone, this should be understood as the tour being entertaining— not easy. The Trans Kaçkar is a program that involves difficult and long hikes, but does not require prior experience.

The summit day of this tour— that is, today— is especially challenging. We know many people come just for this purpose, but climbing a mountain isn’t just about believing or wanting it badly enough. It depends on your physical condition, acclimatization, sleep that night, what you eat, and even your personality. Above all, let’s not forget that this is a group activity. Sometimes, you may need to make a decision for the sake of the rest of the group. Friends who struggle with this choice due to their situation must follow our guide’s instructions. Our guides are the final and absolute authority in this matter.

Deniz Lake 

We begin our hike at the first light of day, starting with a steep and winding mule trail for the first 45 minutes. With a steady pace, our first long break is at Deniz Lake, at an altitude of 3385m. You’ve just met the second deepest lake in the world at this altitude :)

Decision Point

After our break, our next target is the Decision Point located 45 minutes away on foot, at an altitude of 3600 meters. We call this the decision point because those who want to turn back must decide here whether to keep going or return. For those who can’t make up their minds, we help them decide.

Kaçkar Mountain Summit (3937m)

After the Decision Point, we ascend a steep, rocky, scree-covered path that, depending on the season, may have patches of snow and ice, reaching the summit of Kaçkar Mountain at 3937 meters— the highest point in the Black Sea region. Here, some of us make important decisions about our lives, while others just burst out laughing right when enlightenment is about to strike :) We can’t know what the summit will give to each person, but for almost everyone, it’s either the greatest experience they’ve had or the starting point of even greater ones.

If weather conditions allow, we spend half an hour at the summit and, once the day brightens :) we start our descent. Remember that going down is harder than going up. We return to our campsite by the same route. Some can’t wait to strut around the camp area like they’re on a catwalk, while others prefer to rest on every rock during the descent. Some arrive at the campsite like Olympic champions, while others come crying or cursing :) Now it’s time to enjoy the camp…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important: Please read carefully the list of items you need to bring. Kaçkar is not a mountain you can climb with sneakers. The most important factor determining a summit attempt is the weather conditions.

Since we are tired from the summit, we will not wake up early in the morning.

We recommend that you rest at the camp today. Because tomorrow, we have another demanding and long traverse hike, just as challenging as the summit. Today, you can spend all your time at the campsite or go for walks around the area if you wish.

For those who want to hike, there is a 3-4 hour walk towards the Nameless Summit. But just between us, most of the time nothing much is done today. People swim in the creek, chat, and simply enjoy the atmosphere.

After breakfast, we return to Hevek Plateau. Our belongings will once again have been transported by mules. After meeting our vehicle at the plateau, we set off towards Rize Airport. Around 18:00, we arrive at Rize Airport and bid you farewell until we meet again on another Bukla Tour.