Kaçkar hiking itinerary: 3 days in Yaylalar, Olgunlar and Dilber Düzü

The road to the southern face of the Kaçkars starts in Yusufeli, a district of Artvin. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Kültür Portalı says a guide and pack animals can be found in Yusufeli or in the villages along the road, so a short stop here is worth it not only for lunch but also to find the person you will plan the mountain day with. Agree with your guide on the start time for day two, what you will do if fog comes in, and the way back. Before heading up, stock up here on food for the mountain, spare batteries and first-aid supplies.

The mountain road out of Yusufeli climbs to Hevek, known today as Yaylalar. Kültür Portalı gives the distance as 57 km, while the transport line on the same page says 60 km, so expect a longer drive on a mountain road rather than a quick hop. Yaylalar is the stopover for people who want to climb the Kaçkars, and the place where walkers heading for the mountain continue on. Get out of the car here and check your boots and pack one last time before you start walking.

Location: 40.86906, 41.27203

The day’s only walk is short but matters: the 3 km village road from Yaylalar to Olgunlar gets your body used to the altitude before the next day’s long climb. Take it slowly and allow an hour to an hour and a half. According to Kültür Portalı, Dilber Düzü is reached on foot from Olgunlar, so the next day’s path starts here. Taking a look at the start of the path in the late afternoon means you will not be searching for it in the dark the next morning.

This is the longest and hardest day of the itinerary. According to OpenStreetMap records the path is about 7.4 km one way and its last section is marked as demanding mountain hiking; official sources give no climbing figure, so none is given here either, but you will feel your steps shorten as you gain height. Kültür Portalı advises every group to take a guide, because fog can come in suddenly, the weather can change and walkers can lose their way on the path. Keep to your guide’s pace, take a short break every hour and drink before you feel thirsty.

Dilber Düzü is the campsite closest to the Kaçkar summit. There are no facilities, but there is plenty of cold water, so you can refill your bottles. The route to the summit continues from here past the lake called Deniz Gölü. Kültür Portalı says climbing beyond Dilber Düzü without a guide is dangerous; this itinerary does not include the summit or Deniz Gölü and turns back at Dilber Düzü. Do not stretch the break: wind and cloud can arrive quickly, and you need daylight and energy for the descent.

Location: 40.82048, 41.17616

The descent is quicker than the climb but harder on the knees. Follow the same path down and, when tired, focus on placing each step securely rather than on speed. Lynx, bears, wild goats, wolves, jackals and foxes live in the area; watch animals from a distance and leave no food behind; if you come across a flock, keep away from the sheepdogs. Once back in Olgunlar, call it an early night: the next morning brings only a short walk but a long drive.

On the last morning you walk the road you took uphill on day one, this time downhill and on rested legs. Artvin’s Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism says the Kaçkar range divides into three massifs from west to east: Verçenik in the west, Kavran in the middle and Altıparmak in the east. The mountains’ rugged look, made of granite, syenite, granodiorite and andesite, was shaped by rivers and glaciers wearing them down.

The road down from Yaylalar to Yusufeli is the mountain road you came up on day one; take your time and slow down on bends and through villages. In Yusufeli you can ask at local restaurants for puçuko, a dish from Artvin registered with a geographical indication. If you are flying from Rize-Artvin Airport, bear in mind that Artvin city centre is 125 km from the airport; Erzurum Airport is 13 km from its city centre. If you are flying on the day you come off the mountain, leave a wide margin.