Green Black Sea Highlands: 10 Plateaus You Must Visit in Turkey

If your image of Turkey is sun-baked ruins and turquoise sea, the Black Sea highlands will genuinely surprise you. At 1,500 to 3,000 metres above sea level, the yaylas (highland plateaus) of northeastern Turkey are green beyond description, mist-covered in the mornings and cool even in the height of summer. They are also almost entirely unknown to foreign visitors — which means you're likely to be the only non-Turkish face you see all day.

Here are 10 that are worth the journey.

What Is a Yayla?

A yayla is a highland summer pasture, traditionally used by Black Sea communities to escape the coastal heat and graze their animals through summer. Many have permanent or semi-permanent villages; some are famous for specific products (honey, butter, cheese, corn bread); others are simply extraordinary places to exist in for a day.

The yayla culture of the Black Sea is one of Turkey's most distinctive and least-exported traditions — still genuinely living, not performed for tourists. Our Black Sea Tour covers several of the yaylas below →

1. Ayder Yayla — The Most Accessible Highland

Location: Above Çamlıhemşin, Rize province | Altitude: 1,350m

Ayder is the most developed and most visited of the Black Sea yaylas — which in this context means it has a handful of guesthouses, a cluster of wooden chalets and some thermal springs. It is still entirely unlike any other Turkey destination.

What makes it special:

• Thermal baths fed by natural hot springs — extraordinary to sit in with forest and mountain around you
• Waterfalls on every side of the valley
• Gateway to the Kaçkar Mountains trekking routes
• The approach road through the Fırtına Valley — lined with century-old stone bridges — is as memorable as the plateau itself

Best time: June to September

2. Pokut Yayla — The Postcard Plateau

Location: Above Ardeşen, Rize province | Altitude: 1,850m

Pokut is widely considered the most photogenic yayla in Turkey — and it's hard to argue. A cluster of traditional Black Sea wooden houses on a high green meadow, with the Kaçkar peaks behind and the Black Sea visible on clear days far below.

What makes it special:

• Traditional wooden architecture — houses built on stilts over the steep slope
• Almost no tourism infrastructure — a few guesthouses, no hotels
• The drive up through hairpin bends through forest is spectacular

Best time: July to August (snow possible June and September)

3. Elevit Yayla — The Hidden One

Location: Above Çamlıhemşin, Rize province | Altitude: 2,060m

Less visited than Ayder or Pokut and more rewarding for it. Elevit sits higher than most accessible yaylas, giving views across multiple valleys simultaneously.

What makes it special:

• Views to Georgia on very clear days
• Starting point for serious Kaçkar mountain routes
• The local honey from Elevit is considered among the finest in Turkey — genuinely different from commercial honey

4. Uzungöl — The Famous Lake

Location: Above Çaykara, Trabzon province | Altitude: 1,090m

Technically more of a valley than a plateau, Uzungöl deserves its place on any Black Sea list. The glacial lake — long and narrow, reflecting the surrounding spruce forest and mountains — has become famous across the Middle East and Central Asia as a travel destination, meaning it's busier than it once was on weekends.

What makes it special:

• The morning mist over the lake is extraordinary — arrive before 8am or stay overnight
• Walking trails around the lake and into the surrounding forest
• Fresh trout farmed in the cold mountain streams — excellent at local restaurants

Uzungöl is included in our Black Sea Tour →

5. Samistal Yayla — The Untouched One

Location: Above Hemşin Valley, Rize province | Altitude: 2,200m

Samistal is not easy to reach — it requires either a long drive on unmade roads or a 2–3 hour walk from Ayder. Which is exactly why it looks the way it does: completely untouched, with traditional stone summer shelters (mezralar) and meadows that have been grazed the same way for centuries.

What makes it special:

• No infrastructure — bring everything you need
• The wildflower meadows in June and July are exceptional
• On clear days, views extend to the Georgian border

6. Kavron Yayla — The Alpine Feeling

Location: Above Çamlıhemşin, Rize province | Altitude: 2,475m

At nearly 2,500 metres, Kavron feels genuinely alpine. The terrain here is rocky and open — the forest gives way to high grassland dotted with glacial lakes. One of the few yaylas where the landscape looks more Swiss than Turkish.

Best time: July to mid-August (snow from late August)

7. Kadırga Yayla — The Festival One

Location: Above Şebinkarahisar, Giresun province | Altitude: 2,000m

Kadırga hosts one of the largest yayla festivals in Turkey every summer — a multi-day gathering with traditional music, folk dancing, wrestling and food. If you can time a visit with the festival (typically July), this is one of the most vivid cultural experiences in the Black Sea region.

What makes it special:

• Yayla festival — authentic, not performed for tourists
• Landscape: open plateau surrounded by forested ridges
• Giresun province's plateau culture is distinct from Rize — worth experiencing both

8. Çat Yayla — The Quiet One Near Trabzon

Location: Above Maçka, Trabzon province | Altitude: 1,800m

Çat is on the road toward Sümela Monastery from the north and is often combined with a Sümela visit. The plateau itself is broad and open, with good views over the Altındere Valley and relatively easy access from Trabzon.

Best combined with: Sümela Monastery (45 minutes below)

9. Huser Yayla — Rize's Best-Kept Secret

Location: Above İkizdere, Rize province | Altitude: 2,100m

Huser sits above the İkizdere Valley — less visited than the Hemşin valleys and correspondingly quieter. The access road passes through old-growth forest; the plateau itself opens dramatically from the treeline.

What makes it special:

• Almost entirely off the domestic tourist circuit
• Old stone bridges in the valley below are among the finest in the region

10. Badara Yayla — The Summit Meadow

Location: Above Ardeşen, Rize province | Altitude: 2,400m

One of the highest accessible yaylas, Badara sits just below the main Kaçkar ridge. On clear days the panorama is extraordinary — Black Sea to the north, Georgian mountains to the east, Pontic ridge in every other direction.

Best time: July to August only
Note: 4WD recommended for the upper section of the access road

Practical Notes for Visiting the Black Sea Yaylas

Getting there:

• Fly Germany → Trabzon via Istanbul (total approximately 4.5 hours)
• Rize is the best base for the Hemşin yaylas; Trabzon for Uzungöl and Çat

When to go:

• June: Early season — some higher yaylas still have snow, wildflowers beginning
• July–August: Peak season — all yaylas open, weather most reliable
• September: Cooling, autumn colour beginning, far fewer visitors

What to bring:

• Waterproof layer — Black Sea weather changes quickly
• Warm layer for evenings even in August
• Good walking shoes for any trail beyond the plateau centre

Want to visit the Black Sea highlands on a guided tour?
Our Black Sea tour includes Uzungöl, Ayder, Sümela Monastery and Trabzon — all logistics handled, expert local guides throughout.

Reach us via the WhatsApp button on the right side of our website — we respond within 24 hours.

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