Explore/Turkey/TR/Turkish Black Sea — Coastal Road & Kaçkar Mountains

TRTrabzon, TurkeyChallengingMixed3-day tripMotoVault Pick

Turkish Black Sea — Coastal Road & KaçkarMountains.

Distance

480 km

Duration

3 days

Climb

5,800 m

Rating

4.8 / 5

223 reviews

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Curated by Rider · Updated Jun 2026

Overview

Turkish Black Sea — Coastal Road & Kaçkar Mountains.

Three days exploring Turkey's wild northeastern Black Sea coast and the adjacent Kaçkar Mountains — a region of terraced tea gardens, hazelnut orchards, highland villages (yayla), and cloud-wrapped peaks reaching 3,932m. The D010 coastal road runs east through Rize's endless tea plantations to Artvin's gorges; the D915 and mountain roads climb into a world unchanged for centuries.

Quick facts

SurfaceMixed

Distance480 km

Days3

Total climb5,800 m

Fuel stops1 along route

DifficultyChallenging

Clones1

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Day-by-day

3 days, 3 moods.

A suggested split across 3 days with 18 waypoints to discover along the way.

DAY 01

Trabzon → Artvin

6 stops

TrabzonStart · Start in Trabzon — the Black Sea's main city. Byzantine Hagia Sophia church here. Fuel up and head east on D010.

Rize Tea GardensScenic Point · Rize is the heart of Turkey's tea country — the steep hillsides are carpeted in green tea plants. The road winds through endless terraced gardens.

Çay Fabrikası Tea FactoryRestaurant · Stop at one of the local tea factories for a glass of çay (Turkish tea) at its source. Usually free to visit and taste.

Fırtına Valley (Fırtına Vadisi)Scenic Point · The 'Storm Valley' cuts dramatically inland from the coast. Ottoman stone arch bridges span the rushing Fırtına River. Turn inland here.

ArdeşenFuel Stop · Coastal town — last reliable fuel before the mountain roads heading to Artvin.

ArtvinOvernight · Overnight in Artvin, dramatically perched on steep cliffs above the Coruh River gorge. One of Turkey's most scenically situated towns.

Reviews

From riders.

223 verified rides logged on this route.

4.8/ 5

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

223 verified rides

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ArtvinStart · Morning ride south into the Coruh River canyon — one of the world's best white-water rafting rivers. Road carved into cliff faces.

Yusufeli Canyon RoadScenic Point · The Yusufeli canyon — the Coruh cuts 1,500m deep gorges through the Kaçkar foothills. Dramatic before the dam flooded part of the old town.

Barhal Valley (Altıparmak)Scenic Point · The road climbs into a narrow valley under 3,000m ridgelines. Georgian-era churches hidden in forested hillsides.

Kaçkar Mountains — Kavrun YaylasıMountain Pass · High altitude yayla (highland plateau) at ~2,200m. Traditional wooden summer houses. The Kaçkar summit (3,932m) visible on clear days.

Ayder PlateauRestaurant · The most famous yayla in the Kaçkar — a green bowl with natural hot springs. Muhlama (cornmeal and cheese) is the local dish.

ÇamlıhemşinOvernight · Overnight in Çamlıhemşin — a small river town known as the gateway to the Kaçkar. Several good pansiyons with highland character.

DAY 03

Çamlıhemşin → Trabzon

6 stops

ÇamlıhemşinStart · Final day — head south through the high tea valleys then swing west to Uzungöl.

Hemşin Valley RoadScenic Point · The narrow valley road climbs between tea terraces with Hemşin village architecture — distinctive wooden balconied houses.

Uzungöl Mountain LakePhoto Spot · A glacial lake ringed by forested mountains — one of Turkey's most popular inland viewpoints. Best in early morning before the day-trippers arrive.

Çaykara Plateau RoadScenic Point · The road back toward Trabzon traverses another band of tea gardens with Black Sea glimpses through the valleys.

Sümela MonasteryPhoto Spot · Byzantine monastery dramatically carved into a vertical cliff face at 1,200m in Altındere National Park. 15km south of Trabzon. Unmissable.

TrabzonEnd · Return to Trabzon completing the Black Sea circuit. End with fresh anchovies (hamsi) and rakı on the waterfront.