transkackar

Trekking TRANS KAÇKAR crossing kaçkar mountain (3937)

We cross the Kaçkar mountains from south to north.

This is a camping tour at high altitude. And it takes place within the National
Park boundaries.

Map Photo

ogzala@ogzala.com

The itinerary

Day 1 (Sunday): We met in Artvin Yusufeli. After setting in camp, we spend our next day relaxing.
Day 2 (Monday): After rafting at Çoruh, we go Hevek Plateau by car passing Yusufeli. We reach our camping area afternoon and relaks there.

Day 3 (Tuesday): We load our luggage onto the mules early in the morning. We begin our trek to our campsite in Dilberdüzü at the altitude of 2900 m. The trek lasts about 5 hours. We spend the rest of the day resting in our camp for acclimatization.

Day 4 (Wednesday): After a rich breakfast in the morning, we begin to trek toward the summit. We arrive in Deniz Lake (3435 m.) after a two-hour trek. After resting here for a while, we continue to walk for the summit. From this point, the tough climb starts. Those who do not want to reach the summit can go back to the camp accompanied by a guide. At around 17:00, we will return to our campsite.

Day 5 (Thursday): We set off early in the morning to cross the Lanetleme Hill (3100 m.). After a long trek which might last 7 hours, we reach the Black Sea Lake (2900 m). Here we set up our camp and relax for the rest of the day.

Day 6 (Friday): We left camping area early. We walk for about 2 hours and then reach our car waiting for us at Çeymakçur Plateau. We leave our luggages at car and walk to Ayder Plateau. At the end of the walking, we go spa (thermal spring) and relax.

Day 7 (Saturday): We visit Uzungöl and Sumela Monastary in Trabzon, we either take you to the bus terminal or the airport.

Important Note: We can make alterations on the itinerary due to the unfavourable weather conditions and the nature and preferences of the group or unexpected factors.

Tour Dates

06-12 July 2008 / 13-19 July 2008   / 20-26 July 2008   /   27 July.-03 August 2008
03-09 August 2008   / 10-16 August 2008    /   17-23 August 2008   /   24-30 August 2008
31 August- 07 September 2008              Duration: 6 nights 7 days

Number of Participants: For your comfort and convenience, the maximum number of the participants is 14.

Cost: $650,-

The fee includes:
Full-board accommodation, transport during the trip, the equipment you need, guide service, and pack animals (mules) to carry your luggage. The tour starts on Sunday with dinner and ends with breakfast on Saturday morning.

The fee does not include:
Pre and post tour transport, personal expenses, alcholic drinks, extra expenses due to uncontrollable factors or unexpected events such as natural disasters, social events, etc.

The equipment we provide:
All the equipment we use is of international standards. The four-season igloo tents are German Vaude brand.

The equipment you should bring:
* a large size backpack (at least 55lt.)
* sleeping bag
* mat
* canteen
* flash light
* pocket knife
* ankle-fit trekking boots
* spare boots
* waterproof and water resistant anorak or poncho
* gaiter
* gloves
* sunglasses
* sun cream
* lip balm
* a small towel
* swimsuit
* sun cap
* spare clothes
* spoon-glass-plate
* personal things
* a small backpack to carry your stuff for daily treks

Accommodation:
Our tents are for two people. The participants who join the trip alone accept to stay with two other people in tents. All our tents are weather and rain proof and of international standars.

Transport:
Pre and post tour transport is not included in the fee.
The participants must be in Yusufeli on Sunday until 12:00
For those who prefer to travel by air will fly to Erzurum on Saturday.
Return flight will be in Trabzon on Saturday.You will travel to Trabzon by your own means.
We can organize your transportation if you pay the fare in advance.

Personal responsibilities:
Since such outdoor nature activities involve elements of risk, the participants should take some risks and dangers into account. For this reason, if you have any physical concerns, please consult your physician. We do not assume liability for personal injuries or death. Therefore, we recommend you to buy a health insurance to join such trips. You must sign an "acknowledgement of risk participant agreement" form prior to your trip.

Booking / Reservation:
You should book your trip 20 days before the departure date. To ensure a space on our trips, a deposit of 50% of the trip's cost is required at the time of reservation. We accept credit cards (Visa, Master Card). If you pay by credit card, you have to pay 18% extra. If the tour is cancelled by the participant 15 days before the departure, 50% of the fee will be refunded. If it is cancelled by the participant 8 to 15 days before the departure, 30% of the fee will be refunded. Please note that no fee will be refunded If the participant cancels the tour 7 days before the departure.

Cancellation:
We can only cancel the tour if there are fewer than five participants. If we cancel the tour for this reason, you will be able to get full refund.

Degree of difficulty:
This is a challenging itinerary involving strenuous walks; therefore, a good degree of stamina and a certain level of fitness is desirable. You shouldn't have serious health problems for this trip.

Tour Guides:
Our guides and assistants are all committed professionals and love their jobs. They are also trained and experienced in camping, mountaineering, trekking methods, hiking, and first aid.

The Food:
The meals we prepare contain high level of protein, carbohydrates, and fat considering the changes in metabolism in high altitudes. The meals may not be as tasty as the home-made ones; however, we are sure you will enjoy the meals we have together even more! Each particpant is expected to help cooking and camping activities throughout the trip.
The breakfast includes tea, coffee, white cheese, olives, honey, chocolate cream, halvah.
The lunch the participants are given a packed lunch.
The dinner includes pasta, dish of boiled pounded wheat, rice, soup, Turkish sausages (called sucuk), normal sausages, eggs, stew with seasonal vegetables.
You may also bring your food and drinks such as alcholic drinks, mixed nuts, bars of chocolate, etc.

Description:
The Kaçkar mountains are one of the 200 ecological sites under preservation with their breathtaking beauty and cultural traits. They are the most important stretch of the Alp-Himalayan formation in Anatolia. The mountains stand at 40 kms inland and reach nearly 4000 metres of height. The humid and mild climate on the north of the mountains determines the flora there. They have created a unique ecosystem in the region. This region is also rich with its flora. As it is a migratory route for predatory birds, it has become a natural habitat for a variety of them. In addition, it inhabits mammals such as bear, jackal, fox, lynx, wild cat, mountain goat, roe, marten, sable. There are also rare species of birds such as birch, Caucasian mountain-rooster, mountain partridge, bearded vulture, and snake-eagle. Their presence increases the importance of this region. It also has rich flora with 2,500 varieties of plants and flowers. 300 of them are found exclusively in Turkey and 160 of them grow only on the Kaçkar mountains. The old forests of the Eastern Blacksea mountains are the only mild climate rain and boreal forests in Turkey, and are unique with their biological diversity.

DEPARTURE	ARRIVAL	DISTANCE	DURATION	ALTITUDE
Hevek	Olgunlar	3120 m.	54 mins.	2200 m.
Olgunlar	Nastaf	3300 m.	1 hour	2355 m.
Nastaf	Dilberdüzü	4060 m.	1.50 hours	2840 m..
Dilberdüzü	Deniz Gölü	3670 m.	1.12 hours	3250 m
Deniz Gölü	Kaçkar Zirve	7300 m.	2.15 hours	3937 m.
Olgunlar	Dobe	3550 m.	52 mins.	2565 m.
Dobe	Naletleme Girişi	4520 m.	1.10 hours	2955 m.
Naletleme Girişi	Naletleme Geçidi	3260 m.	50 mins.	3260 m.
Naletleme Geçidi	Kara Deniz Gölü	3650 m.	56 mins.	2840 m.
Kara Deniz Gölü	Y.Çeymakçur	3000 m.	1 hour	2100 m.
Y.Çeymakçur	A.Çeymakçur	2480 m.	40 mins.	2010 m.
A.Çeymakçur	Ayder	10600 m.	2.50 hours	1800 m.
Ayder	Ardeşen	30 km.	1.5 hours	0 m.