Artvin's Most Beautiful Highlands, Borcka and Savsat Travel Guide

The next stop of my Eastern Black Sea trip after Giresun, Gümüşhane, Trabzon and Rize was Artvin. Actually, it would be unfair to say Artvin, it would be more correct to say Borcka and Şavşat, which are the districts of Artvin. Artvin Highlands, Borcka and SavsatYou will find my notes about the lakes, plateaus and villages I have seen in this article.

How did the Artvin Journey Begin?

The beginning of my Artvin story was a bit interesting. We talked with Tülay, whom I have corresponded with since I started my trip to the Eastern Black Sea Region, that we would go to Artvin together. When I said to Tülay, "I don't want to spend money on hotels, I'll go straight to Hopa and from there to Artvin," as I was getting off from Ayder, my plan completely changed with Tülay's offer of "come, stay with us". Already on this trip, I was used to going wherever the wind blows. This time the wind blew me towards Fındıklı district of Rize.

When I got to the Fındıklı bus station, Tülay and brother Erkan were waiting for me. Tülay actually lives in Ankara, she came to her hometown to spend her summer vacation; Erkan, on the other hand, devoted himself to photography after retiring from Çaykur, both of them are nature lovers. The three of us were going to explore the Artvin highlands. We immediately started making plans about how we would go to Artvin. We decided to rent a car since transportation was a bit of a problem in Artvin, but I am the only one driving a car, and I only drive an automatic car. We searched almost all car rental companies from Artvin to Rize, but there was no automatic rental car. If you want to go to those places and rent a car, keep in mind, it is almost impossible to find an automatic car. Brother Erkan came to our rescue; A friend would take us to Borcka, and another friend would help us in Savsat.

We set off early the next morning. Tülay, brother Erkan, brother Erkan's friend Osman who will take us to Borcka, and I.

Mençuna Waterfall and Twin Bridge

Normally, there were Mençuna Waterfall and İkiz Bridge on my route, but since Osman's time was limited for us, we bypassed these places, about to see another time. It is better to see this place in the spring after the snow melts, so we can witness the waterfall flowing more enthusiastically, so keep in mind.

Borcka Karagol and Its Surroundings

In order to make good use of our time, we went to Borcka via Hopa and from there to Borcka Karagol. Borcka Karagol is reached by a 20-kilometer exit from Borcka center. This is a small lake among the forests. You can go as far as the lake by car, you park the car at one point and continue on foot. Vehicle entrance is 11TL (July 2018 figure).

It is possible to take a full tour around the lake by walking. The walking path is in the photo below. It takes at most half an hour to walk the whole thing.

Borcka Karagol There is a cafe on the coast where you can drink tea and coffee. Camping is prohibited, but there were tents under the no camping sign, I guess it's okay.

Brother Erkan says that the best time here is autumn. He keeps saying that "you have to see it when different tree species are covered in color". The first time I came to Karagöl was September, but there was so much rain that I could not see the colors or the lake because the eye could not see. October can be the best time to come to Borçka Karagöl and its surroundings.

If you have come to the center of Borçka and you do not have a car to go to Borçka Karagöl, the municipality has shuttles that go to Karagöl. It departs in front of the social facilities of Borcka Municipality. It's been a very good service.

After Borkça Karagöl, the main places to see in this region are; Macahel Plateau, Iremit Mosque in Camili Village, Maral Waterfall, Klaskur Plateau. Since our vehicle was low, we could not enter here. We agree to come again to see these places and continue on our way to Şavşat.

There are only buses from Borcka center to Savsat at 10:00 and 12:30. As Osman brother will leave us in Borcka and return to Fındıklı, we are moving fast to catch the 12:30 bus. The bus stops at Artvin bus station and continues to Şavşat, we reach Şavşat in the afternoon.

Savsat and Its Surroundings

Şavşat is one of the quieter cities in Turkey.

Calm City If you're wondering what it is; Citta Slow An Italian based organization. It evaluates cities based on certain criteria and classifies them as cittaslow. In Turkey, Sığacık, Halfeti, and if I am not mistaken, about ten cities are in this category.

Savsat Gokce Pension

We are staying at Gökçe Pansiyon in Şavşat center. Our host, Cemil Gökçe, is from Şavşat and likes to travel, he is in love with the nature, mountains and stones of these places. The pension is right in the city center, suitable for those who are looking for a clean bed and not looking for luxury like us. If I remember correctly, the bed fee was 30TL.

Savsat Evi Restaurant

When we arrive in Şavşat in the afternoon, we are hungry like wolves 🙂 Cemil Bey dropped us off at Şavşat Evi, which overlooks Şavşat. I thought we would find local dishes here, but there are dishes we are accustomed to seeing, such as ravioli and kuymak. For a change, I order hingal (the Turkish version of the Georgian dumplings, Khingali) but it's almost empty dough. My companions eat trout, they are more satisfied than me. Meal prices here are quite economical compared to Rize, you can eat 20 fish for 2TL per person, 1 fish is 20TL in Rize, so its portion is 40TL.

Savsat Attractions

Our next stop after Savsat Evi Savsat Castle but now we can't go inside the castle because it's late. We go up to the door and take a look and come back.

When we could not enter the castle, this time we made our way towards Efkar Hill. Fakir Baykurt, a fellow Burdur writer, wrote a book in which he collected his memoirs, inspired by this hill. Efkar Hill gave his name. Fakir Baykurt's explanation about the book;

“There is a hill in Şavşat, in one of the far corners of Turkey. Its name is “Efkar Hill”. When viewed from this top, the whole of Turkey is laid out in front of people like a picture. One side is green and green as far as possible!… One side is as poor and backward as you can imagine. Absence in assets, vicious circles in possibilities… This is a terrible contradiction…”

I am reading these lines once again on Efkar Hill with goosebumps. Now, of course, the situation is not like when Fakir Baykurt wrote, although Şavşat has recovered quite well, one cannot help but think about all kinds of contradictions in our country.

We return to our pension to finish the day on Efkar Hill and rest. Meanwhile, the crazy rain that falls from time to time frightens us, but it does not manage to wet us.

Savsat Villages and Savsat Karagol

A long road awaits us the next morning. Our route is through Yaşarköy to Cevizli Village and Cevizli Village. Tibetan Church. Village houses made of logs along the way make us stop and take pictures all the time. I wonder how beautiful houses we used to build, when did we become so unappealing and stuck in these ugly houses?

While we were wandering around the streets of Cevizli Village, an aunt invites us to her home to drink ayran, we never miss it. Ayran made from the milk of cows grazing in the highlands, accompanied by mulberry pulp. He tells us his story quickly: they actually lived in Izmit, he used to come here to the highland in the summer, he had three sons, one of whom was single, and he wanted to get the single one married.

One of the things that attracts my attention the most about the people of the Black Sea region is that they summarize their whole life in 5 minutes. If it were us, we would try to talk about it for two hours.

The main reason we came to Cevizli Village is to see the Tibeti Church here, of course, it is neglected and on the verge of demolition, the engravings on its walls were blown up by treasure hunters... It is still very beautiful, still worth seeing. The church was built in the late 800's and early 900's, it was converted into a mosque after the people living in the region accepted Islam, but it was not used as a mosque when it was damaged a few times by lightning strikes.

Our next stop after Cevizli Village Savsat Karagol. This was the main reason we came all this way. This lake among the pine forests again offers us very beautiful views. There is also a path where you can walk around the lake completely.

Vehicle entry is again 11TL (price for July 2018). The management of the cafe by the lake is private. There is tent accommodation here, 25TL per tent. There are also bungalow houses, 4-5 people can stay in them. It was 500TL per house, a little too much for me. If you want to stay near Şavşat Karagöl, Velikoy Pension in Veliköy; In Meşeli Village (1,5 km from the lake), there are Sıla Pension and Özgür Pension. All prices are as of July 2018.

The cafe also rents pedalos and boats on the lake. I didn't ask for prices.

One of the most asked questions:Borcka Karagol or Savsat Karagol?“. See both if you have time. If you have to choose one, I think my heart is for Şavşat Karagöl.

After Şavşat Karagöl, we stop by the Kocabey Village, which is also the village of Cemil Bey. The reason we stopped by here is the wooden mosque in the village. This mosque, whose minaret is made of a single piece of wood, is one of the rare wooden mosques in the region.

The highland tradition in the Black Sea does not work as if we left the village and stayed in one place. The villager, who spends the winter in the village, first goes to the lower plateau, and when the grass grows there and the weather warms up, he goes to the higher plateau. For this reason, each village has two plateaus, one up and one down. The aim is for the animals to be able to find fresh grass all the time. We are going up to the high plateau of Kocabey Village, so high that it extends to the Çam pass at an altitude of 2470 meters, located in Ardahan and Şavşat.

On the way back, we enter the Laşet Hotel & Restaurant, where I took shelter from the rain years ago. The place has been renovated but the flavors are still good. As we approach Laşet, it starts to rain again as if it has poured out from the sky… Again, I take shelter in Laşet in the rain. Apart from the hotel part of this place, there are also bungalows a little lower, it is a nice alternative to stay in this region.

After we had our dinner, it's time to go back to Fındıklı, and it's time for me to leave Turkey.

I planned to see in Artvin but could not go; Gorgit Plateau, Beyazsu Plateau, Ciritdüzü Plateau, Ishan Village and Sugören Village it takes its place in my notes to visit next time.

Tülay and her family, who hosted me at their house in Fındıklı, and Erkan, who mobilized all of her friends, remind me once again how beautiful people are in Anatolia. Endless thanks again.

You can find other notes of my Black Sea trip from the links below:

• Caucasus Travel Preparations
• Giresun, the City Named after Cherry, Places to visit in Giresun
• Hidden Gem Santa Ruins
• Mysterious Trabzon Monasteries 
• The Most Beautiful Rize Plateaus
• Artvin Highlands

Stay on the road…