Top five Black Sea adventures for true adventurers
There are lots of great reasons to come to Turkey's Black Sea coast region, but chief among them is a love for outdoor adventure. If you're an adventure tourist, welcome to your playground. Here are five (plus one) adventures to get your adrenaline pumping.
Trekking
For mountain trekkers, the Black Sea coastal region's North Anatolian mountain range offers hundreds of kilometers to explore. From Sinop to Rize, waterfalls and wide open spaces await. Begin with one of the region's many cabin resorts as a base camp and wander over the yayla (yī-luh, a not fully translatable word—roughly "highlands"—that applies to high, remote mountain plateaus) to camp in largely untouched mountain wilderness.
Rock Climbing
If rock climbing is your thing, these same mountains boast some great climbs as well, particularly at Altıparkmak mountain in the Kaçkar region. One option is to join up with the Kaçkar International Mountaineering Festival, (site currently being updated) hosted annually by the Kaçkar Mountaineering, Rafting and Skiing Club (KDRK). Last year the club hosted its 16th year festival in August, and it included trekking and climbing. The Kaçkar Mountaineering, Rafting, and Skiing Club can be contacted by e-mail.
Rafting and Kayak
From the mountains south of Ardeşen, the white waters of the Fırtına river flow straight to the Black Sea. 17th century stone bridges span the banks as the river makes its way through the wilderness. Upstream, class 4-5 rapids beckon adventurers. Our favorite guides are the folks at Fırtına Rafting. The offer services for kayaking and rafting, and they even offer Jeep safaris.
Zipline
Zipline is becoming a popular activity the world over, and the Black Sea region is no exception. Right along this same river, the Fırtına, the folks at Dağraft have set up a line that runs across the water.
Heliskiing
If you're looking for something really out there, the Kaçkar mountains offer heliskiing in the winter. Banned in some European countries, heliskiing is still an option here and companies like Turkey Heliski will transport you from towns like Ayder and İkizdere to the top of an icy g̶r̶a̶v̶e̶ peak. There the chopper will drop you off to begin your long descent to the bottom.
Bonus: Coming Soon!
Bungee Jumping
To my knowledge it's not an option yet, but bungee jumping is coming to the the Kaçkar mountains. In September 2014, Turkey's national park service announced the construction of the Kaçkar Adventure Park inside the Kaçkar Mountains National Park. The adventure park will feature a bungee with a 60m free fall, among other activities. It's not yet clear when the attraction will open, but we'll keep our eye on this one.
