The Kackar

Trekking in Turkey's Black Sea Mountains

This guidebook and map describes 32 trekking routes in Turkey’s Kaçkar mountains, ranging from half-day walks to multi-day treks. You can cross the passes between the granite spires by paved pack-horse routes or walk traditional footpaths between timeless villages and high pastures where hardy locals graze their flocks. The guide also includes comprehensive historical and cultural details of the area and clear colour photographs.

The guide includes a 2 sided full colour contour map, 75cm x 48cm. An essential guide for a relatively un-chartered trekking destination.

The Kaçkar Mountains are part of the Pontic Alps, a glaciated, granite mountain range which hugs the south coast of the Black Sea, extending from the Caucasus towards Istanbul. The mountain range is lushly wooded on the north, with pines succeeded at lower levels by chestnut, hornbeam and beech trees, with tea plantations and hazlenut groves spilling down towards the waves. The contrasting southern slopes are patched by summer pastures where black bulls graze and lakes, springs and streams are plentiful and clear.


The authors are Kate Clow and Terry Richardson who connected a series of paths to make Turkey’s first long distance walking trail - the Lycian Way - which was opened in 1999, and was followed in 2004 by the St Paul Trail. Kate first walked the Kaçkar in 1997, and muses they she may eventually retire from Antalya, where she currently resides, to a self-sufficient yayla (summer pasture) in the mountains.