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TRANS KACKAR MOUNTAINS

ABOUT KACKAR MOUNTAINS

Kaçkar mountains, Kaçkar Daglari or simply Kaçkar(s) are a mountain range rising above along the Black Sea coast in Eastern Turkey. With highest peak Kaçkar Dagi (elevation 3937 metres), and mountain plateaus at about 3000 metres in elevation, it is the highest part of Pontic Mountains. The Kaçkars are glaciated mountains, alpine in character, with steep rocky peaks and numerous mountain lakes.

Geography and Nomenclature

The name Kaçkar may be used in various senses. It may describe the whole mountain range, including the many mountain groups, or it may just describe the Kaçkar-Kavron group with its highest peak, or just the highest peak itself. The local name of the highest peak or its mountain group Kaçkar Dagi translates to Kaçkar mountain, and the name of the range Kaçkar Daglari translates to Kaçkar mountains.

On the south and east, the Kaçkar mountains are bordered by the Çoruh river valley; on the north, by the Black Sea coast.

Major mountain groups
Altiparmak group
Kavron (or Kaçkar-Kavron)
Verçenik group

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT KACKAR MOUNTAINS & BLACK SEA REGION

In the rainy and lush landscapes of northeastern Turkey, the Kackar mountains form the northern section of the Anatolian mountain chain. The Kackar-Kavron summit, at an altitude of 3932 meters, is the highest point in the range. The Altiparmak, Kackar and Vercenik mountains are the principal peaks of the Kackars. Both the north and south faces of the Altiparmak and Kavron (Kackar) can be scaled but Vercenik should only be attempted from the north face. It is imperative to use a guide when climbing the Kackars.

Extensive glacier and water erosion have given these mountains their craggy, rugged look, and they are known for the complexity and power of the streams and rivers which rush down to the lower altitudes. In fact, this range is the third most important glacial region in Turkey following the Agri (Ararat) and Cilo-Sat Mountains. The region enjoys an almost sub-tropical climate of temperature yet rainy weather with an average temperature of 14 degrees C. The lowest temperature falls in the month of January while August sees the hottest days reaching a maximum recorded temperature of 22.6 degrees C.

The Kackars rise between the shores of the Black Sea to the north and the Coruh river valley to the south. On the northern flank an immense variety of vegetation flourishes in the rainy climate. Up to 500 meters above sea level, tea plantations and citrus orchards cover the hillsides. Chestnut, hornbeam, beech and other large-leafed trees forest the slopes to 750 meters. Between elevations of 750-1500 meters, pines mix in with the large-leafed trees until gradually they remain the only species of tree from 1500-2000 meters. Alpine meadows and other grassy vegetation cover the ground above 2100 meters. On the southern faces of the Kackars, which receive strong sunshine and less precipitation, the agriculture is based on the cultivation of fruit and vines. On the northern side, in the higher elevations, meadows of wild flowers and grasses blanket the slopes up to elevations of 2300 meters.

Located in the eastern Black Sea, parallel to the coast between Rize and Hopa, Kackar Mountains range offers a magnificent view with every tones of green forests, clear blue lakes and glaciers.

The best time for climbing is August to September during summer, February to March during winter.

Kackar range is made up mostly of granite, cyanite, andesite and diorite. Swift running water and glaciers have caused significant erosion, which has given the mountains a rough broken appearance. The northern slopes, which are covered with lush vegetation, rise right out of the sea. The Kackar Mountains can be divided into three sections: Vercenik in the west, Kavran in the centre, and Altiparmak in the east.

The Kaçkar Mountains are one of the 200 ecological sites under preservation with its breathtaking beauty and cultural traits. They are the most important stretch of the Alp-Himalayan formation in Anatolia. The mountains stand at 40 km's inland and reach nearly 4000 meters 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. 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, and 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 Black sea Mountains are the only mild climate rain and boreal forests in Turkey, and are unique with their biological diversity.

KACKAR MOUNTAINS QUICK FACT BOX
Elevation 12,933 feet, 3,937 meters
Location Rize, Turkey
Range East Blacksea Range
Prominence 2,271 metres (7,451 ft)
Coordinates 40°50?N 41°09?E
Convenient Center(s) Ayder and Yusufeli
Nearest Major Airport Trabzon Airport

Ever Green! You will remain breathless at first sight when you arrive Kackar Mountains National Park.

Starting from Erzurum city, we will drive towards North to the Kackar mountains. With 2 nights in pension and 3 nights at the camps, we will trek from east to South and continue to Northwest trans kackar range.

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome at the Erzurum airport and drive to Yusufeli, Hevek region for dinner and overnight in a pension at 1850 meter.

Day 2: After breakfast, early in the morning we will hike up to Dilberduzu campsite at 2900 m with 4 hours trekking. Before dinner, we will spend our time with rest and acclimatization treks.

Day 3: Early start for 2 hours trek up to Deniz Lake at 3435 m for some rest before we hike up the summit with additional 4-5 hours. Incredible panoramic view of the 3937m summit is rewarding experience. At around 17:00, we will descend back to our campsite.

Day 4: 6 hours hike up to Lanetleme hill passage at 3100m and descend to camp at Karadeniz Lake (2850m). Dinner and overnight at camp.

Day 5: With 2 hours descend to Asagi Ceymakcur plateau where we will transfer to Ayder plateau for natural springs / thermal bath before dinner and overnight in a local pension.

Day 6: Drive to Ardesen / Pazar and continue to Trabzon city airport for the flights or continue with extension tours.


6 Days
12,933 feet, 3,937 meters
July-Sept
II - III

Inclusion List

  • All transfers stated
  • Pension accommodation 2 nights full board basis (B,L,D)
  • Mount Kackar full board basis (B,L,D)
  • All hot drinks on the mountain. (Tea, Coffee...etc)
  • Cooking service
  • Mountain food expenses
  • Mules / horse support for loads (max 17 kg per person)
  • Tents (one tent for each 2 person)
  • Sleeping mattresses
  • Group technical safety equipments
  • Leaders and mountain guiding (english)

Exclusion List

  • Personal climbing clothes and mountain equipments. 
  • Single Supplement 50 Euro
  • Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls,minibar etc.
  • Unexpected costs due to any necessary changement in the program
  • Tips to the staff.
  • All drinks except mountain.
  • Natural springs / thermal bath costs.

You can find all the important tour details you would like to know before and after booking tours with us hereunder. Please choose the topic and it will take you to the information:

Insurance
Accommodation in Black Sea Region
Food
Mules / Horse Support
Equipment List
Leaders and Mountain Guides

Insurance:

All Anatolian Adventures guests are being insured with the TURSAB travel insurance package. Being the member of TURSAB (Turkish Travel Agencies Association), Anatolian Adventures guides or the main office may keep your insurance until the end of tours.

Accommodation in Black Sea Region:

We use small but comfortable lodges in Black Sea, which are operated by the local people. During the trekking days, we set our own camping area; tents and sleeping mattresses will be provided by Anatolian Adventures so you only have to bring your sleeping bag and enjoy the trek!

Food

Food will be of the highest standard possible, given the remoteness of the situation. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements. All meals while on trek are included in the trip price. The trek includes three basic meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, each day.

Mules / Horse Support

During the treks up to the camps and down, Anatolian Adventures guarantees you load support with horses, limited by 20kg per person. In winter ascents we use porters for the support. This is much more expensive than the horse support and Please NOTE that Anatolian Adventures may demand some part of the costs extra from the participants due to the unexpected weather and snow situation.

Equipment list

You can download a detailed equipment list from here:
http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/files/Transkackar_Equipment_LIST.pdf

Leaders and Mountain Guides

All Anatolian Adventures professional guides have at least university degree speaking English. All of the guides, young or experienced more than 25 years, have extensive knowledge about trekking, climbing, safety equipments, first aid and navigation.

Istanbul Hotels and Transfers

For those who would like to have Istanbul hotels & services from Anatolian Adventures we advise you to choose your hotel in city center Taksim area to reach many unexpected needs like mountain equipment, change offices, air ticketing services, etc. We generally use 4 star or boutique class quality hotels in Taksim district. If you would like to book one of the Istanbul hotels in below list, please state the hotel name, your Istanbul arrival and departure dates within your booking form.

Seminal Hotel (4*)
Midtown Hotel (4*)
Lares Park Hotel (4+*)

LARES PARK HOTEL

Hotel Information
With its executive deluxe concept, Lares Park provides a complete satisfaction to your personal and intimate needs and fulfills even your unexpressed demands. You notice its distinctive quality and warm inviting welcome with your first steps into the lobby.

Facilities & Services
Open buffet breakfast, International Cuisine, Italian Cuisine, Swimming Pool, Whirlpool, Sauna, Turkish Bath, Gym. 24 hrs Room Service, Babysitting, Hairdresser, Laundry & Dry-Cleaning, Foreign Currency Exchange, Souvenir Shop, Newspaper Stand, Secretarial Service, Wake-up Service, Courier Service, Mobile Telephone Rental

Rooms
Interactive TV, Pay TV, Cable TV, Voice mail system, Minibar, Electronic Safe Deposit Box, Smoke detectors and sprinklers, Air-conditioning, Computer and fax connection

SEMINAL HOTEL

Hotel Information
Seminal Hotel is located in Taksim, the business and entertainment district of Istanbul. The hotel, with its indoor swimming pool, Turkish bath and sauna, has a very comfortable feel. The restaurant offers international cuisine.

Facilities & Services
Internet, Pets are allowed, Dry Cleaning, Laundry Service, Safety box at reception, Power generator, Parking lot, Children section, Indoor Swimming Pool, Turkish Bath, Sauna, Massage, Health Center.

Rooms
All 88 rooms have private bathroom with bathtub and shower, telephone, cable TV, music, Split A/C, heating, mini-bar, Safe Deposit Box, Internet Access, Hair Dryer, Non Smoking facility, Direct Dial Phone

MIDTOWN HOTEL

Hotel Information
Midtown Hotel, designed as a exceptional business hotel with a modern and innovative understanding of service, is located on the Lamartin Street, in the Talimhane area of Taksim, which hosts the first urban transformation project of Istanbul.

Facilities & Services
Internet, Dry Cleaning, Laundry Service, Safety box, Power generator, Parking lot, Meeting Rooms.

Rooms
Midtown hotel has 73 deluxe room, 9 with a view of Bosphorus. All rooms are equipped with a minibar, a kettle, a tea and coffee set, a 23'' LCD screen TV, cable and wireless internet access, a safety deposit box large enough to store laptops, a relaxing rain shower, a hair dryer, daily newspaper and around-the-clock room service, optionally a DVD player, a special design coffee table, chairs and working desk and custom designed comfortable furniture, beds, natural sanitary and personal care products.

For the transfer services, it doesn't matter what time you arrive Istanbul, you can book your airport transfers round trip or one way with Anatolian Adventures. Please see the rates below, and give your transfer information in your booking form if needed.

Istanbul Ataturk Airport - Istanbul Hotel transfer rates
1-2 pax
25 euro
3-8 pax
50 euro
9+
please ask for prices

Ticketing

For any international and domestic flight ticket services you can safely make your booking with our ticketing department within our A group travel agency. Generally, international tickets bought from the flight destinaton city are more expensive than tickets bought from flight departing city. So we advise you to check for prices with your local agecy first. For domestic flights needed for your extension tours within Turkey and for international flights departing from Turkey, ticket prices surely will be cheaper if you book with us.

Extension Tours and Customized Itineraries

With branch offices and strategic partnership all over Turkey, Anatolian Adventures will provide you best services within the standards you ask for. From cultural tours to blue voyage, from spa tours to religious tours you can get the best information and booking assistance from our company. Please refer to the link Cultural Tours to look at the details of our cultural tours.

2009 TRIP DATES & AVAILABILITY

TRANS KACKARS TOUR
DATES
AVAILABILITY
13 - 18 August 2009
Available
18 - 23 August 2009
Available

2009 TRIP PRICES

TRANS KACKARS TOUR
PRICE PER PAX
600 EUR

BOOKING FORM

To book this adventure, please fill the booking form provided below with payment details and fax to +90 216 418 45 22.

http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/about/bookingform.pdf

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Anatolian Adventures is the trademark of HTC Turizm Travel Agency which is established with the Act No: 1618 of Turkish Republic Laws and guarantees your reservations under the following terms and conditions.

1. To book a trip from Anatolian Adventures, you must complete the booking form provided in our website. That form must be completed by a person who is at least 18 years of age. He/she must sign the reservation form, therefore agreeing to the terms set out below.

2. Your booking will be confirmed on receipt of your deposit of the holiday/tour/trek stated within the website or by the contact person of Anatolian Adventures. If you have made your booking paying the deposit with bank transfer, Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to ask for the remainder of the price 3 weeks prior to the departure.

If you have made your booking paying the deposit with credit card via booking form, Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to charge the remaining balance from the same credit card, which is payable no later than 3 weeks prior to the departure without any further notice. If bookings are made within 4 weeks of departure, payment in full is required on confirmation of the booking.

3. If your balance is not paid at the specified time (unless previously arranged with us in writing) we reserve the right to cancel your booking.

4. If you cancel your booking, your deposit will not be refunded. However, provided you notify us of your cancellation maximum 4 weeks before departure, your deposit may be transferred to another tour listed in our website for the next year. The written notification should be done no later than 4 weeks prior to the departure date. Otherwise any direction of deposits for any other services will not be accepted. Any permit fees or advance costs like "no show" for the hotel reservations and air ticket penalties, will be deducted from the refunds.

5. Should you cancel your booking after you have paid for the holiday in full and less than 4 weeks before departure the following charges are applicable (calculated on the day written notification is received by us and expressed as a percentage of the total tour price):

More than 4 weeks prior to departure: Deposit only
Between 4 to 2 weeks before departure: 50%
Less than 2 weeks before departure: 100%

6. Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to cancel your holiday / tour service for any reason with written notification no later than 6 weeks prior to the departure date. Should we cancel your holiday, your deposit and any other payments made will be refunded in full. However, if our cancellation is due to 'force majeure' any reasonable expenses we have incurred will be deducted from your refund. (War, civil or political unrest is usually known as force majeure). All refunds and compensation are strictly limited to monies paid to us and we are not liable for any expenses you have incurred as a result of this booking. Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to make the refunds due to force majeure within 8 weeks after the cancellation with written notification.

7. We reserve the right to alter prices quoted in this web site in the event of external factors beyond our control, e.g. changes in exchange rate or government action etc. Should any price increase exceed 10% of the total cost, you are free to cancel your booking and will obtain a full refund of all monies paid, excluding the permit fees and/or advance costs. Every effort will be made to avoid any increases to the prices shown in this web site.

8. Although we are trying to arrange your hotel rooms according to your requests, bed type and smoking preferences are not guaranteed.

9. The tour leader or local ground operator who represents Anatolian Adventures has overriding authority on our tours. By signing our booking form, you agree to do this. If you commit any illegal act on a tour with us or if in the opinion of the tour leader or ground operator your behavior is detrimental to the safety and welfare of the group as a whole, you may be asked to leave the tour without any right to refund.

10. Any complaints with regard to our tours must be immediately brought to the attention of the tour leader, ground operators or hotelier so that the necessary action to rectify the matter can be taken. However, if by the end of the tour you still feel you have a valid complaint you must notify the company in writing, within 7 days of the end of your tour with Anatolian Adventures.

11. Most of the services we provide are adventure holidays organized mostly in developing countries or regions where lower standards of infrastructure and efficiency often prevail. We can accept your booking, understanding that you are aware of the risks involved in this kind of travel. Anatolian Adventures cannot be held responsible, unless as a direct result of negligence, of any mishap to you or your property. Route and hotel changes may be necessary and will always be at the discretion of the trek leaders and Anatolian Adventures. They do not constitute an alteration of your holiday and will not be compensated.

12. It is essential that you obtain suitable holiday insurance before joining one of our tours. This must cover you fully against repatriation costs should you become too ill to continue with the tour and must, above all, cover the evacuation of yourself from remote regions, should the need arise. Therefore, we recommend you to use an insurance package with a good coverage.

13. You are responsible for ensuring all necessary travel documents are in order. Many countries require passports to be valid for at least six months after entry and some do demand special documents for the visa procedures.

14. The responsibility of any airlines used is limited to the carriage of passengers and baggage in accordance with the conditions of their carriage.

15. On signing the booking form you show your willingness to accept our terms and conditions. On accepting your booking, we agree to carry out our obligations to you as defined in our web site.

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