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From Sera Lake to Kadıralak, the Lake, Plateau and Cave of Western Trabzon
Routes4 Stop

From Sera Lake to Kadıralak, the Lake, Plateau and Cave of Western Trabzon

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Seen from the coast, western Trabzon looks like a wall of green slopes. Yet behind that wall lies a mountain country that climbs to more than one and a half thousand metres above sea level: a lake born of a landslide, a plateau standing above a sea of clouds, a cave carved over millions of years and a meadow that turns purple with flowers every spring. This route links those four places in a single day and, on the road that runs from Akçaabat to Düzköy and from there to Tonya, shows up close what kind of land the Black Sea mountains really are.

The day begins in the Sera Stream valley in Akçaabat. Sera Lake formed in February 1950 when rocks broke away from the valley slope and blocked the stream; so the first stop of this route is a lesson in how restless soil and water are here. After a walk along the lakeshore you take the road between Akçaabat and Düzköy. According to the directions of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, you turn west at the twelfth kilometre of this road and, after about ten kilometres, reach Hıdırnebi Plateau. The viewing terrace on its rocky hill looks out over the Black Sea in clear weather and, on cloudy days, over a sea of cloud spread out beneath your feet.

From the plateau you drop back down to the Düzköy road and turn off to Çalköy before entering the district town. Çal Cave is a long corridor opened by an underground stream flowing inside the limestone; of the eight kilometres that have been measured, about one kilometre can be visited on lit walkways. The day ends at Kadıralak Nature Park, right beside the town of Tonya, on a plateau meadow ringed by spruce forest.

The order follows the geography: you climb from the coast into the mountains, then cross through the mountains westward to Tonya. But each stop shows a different natural process. At Sera it is the landslide, at Hıdırnebi altitude and fog, at Çal underground water, and at Kadıralak the plant cover of the high pasture. So by the end of the day you will have seen that Trabzon is not only sea and tea but a mountain landscape built up layer upon layer.

The practical notes matter. The plateau roads are narrow and winding, and fog can fall in an instant; keep your headlights on and drive without hurrying. The inside of the cave is cooler and damper than the outside, so take a jacket and shoes that do not slip. According to official sources the roads to Hıdırnebi are open in summer and winter, but the road to Kadıralak is reported to close with snow in winter and early spring; ask about road conditions before you set out. Check current visiting conditions, fees and opening times for the cave and the nature park with the official bodies. If you are at Kadıralak in the flowering season, stay off the meadow and take your photographs from the path.

Sources

Akçaabat, Trabzon
Routes
4 Stop
~5 h at places
Travel ~32.9 km · 55 min
Total ~5 h 55 min
October 19, 2026

Route Stops

1
Sera Gölü

Sera Lake.

~1 h here
Yıldızlı, Akçaabat / Trabzon

Come to Sera Lake early in the morning, because the lake shows its best face in the hours before the wind has broken the surface. As the Black Sea Cultural Inventory also stresses, the real charm of this lake is the reflection of the surrounding trees falling on the still water. After leaving your car, first stand on the shore and look at the two slopes of the valley. That view matters for understanding the event that created the lake. According to the sources, in February 1950, after heavy rains, huge masses of rock broke away from the slopes of the Derecik Valley, blocked the valley floor and cut off the Sera Stream. According to the figures given by Wikipedia, the mass that broke away was about fifteen million cubic metres and the lake reached its full form in eighteen days. The date differs by a day between sources; the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism gives 20 February, while other sources give 21 February. It is said that the traces of the collapse can still be made out on the slopes today; looking for the steep, bare walls is a good place to start. The lake takes its name from Sera, the old name of the town of Yıldızlı within whose boundaries it lies. Follow the walking path along the shore and head deeper into the valley. When the lake first formed it was about four kilometres long, but as the dam eroded over time the water surface shrank. Today its width varies between one hundred and fifty and two hundred metres according to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. As you walk, notice the colour of the water and the deposits along the shore, because since the great landslides of 1990 soil carried down by the stream has been slowly filling the lake. For this reason do not go into the water from the shore; Wikipedia writes that the soil accumulated on the lake bed has made it hard for those who fell in to get out and has cost lives. Carp, barbel and brook fish live in the lake, and freshwater crayfish released later have multiplied. The area was declared a natural protected site in 2005 and a nature park in 2010. According to Wikipedia, there is a small hydroelectric plant about three hundred metres below the lake's outlet. Day use, nature walks and cycling tours are possible inside the nature park. The best angle for photographs is where the reflection meets the wooded slope at the narrow end of the lake. On a misty morning the upper part of the valley stays inside the cloud and the lake takes on an even more enclosed mood. Sit on a bench by the shore and take a short break, because the road from here on will climb steadily. Remember that the road around the lake can be narrow and busy; mind the edge of the road as you walk. On leaving, take the Düzköy road instead of heading down towards Akçaabat and follow the signs for Hıdırnebi.

Source: KTB Trabzon, Göller ve Mağaralar; Karadeniz Kültür Envanteri; Wikipedia.

Sera Lake is a landslide-dammed lake west of Trabzon, within the district of Akçaabat, in the valley between Yıldızlı and Derecik. It takes its name from Sera, the former name of the town of Yıldızlı within whose boundaries it lies. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism notes that the lake lies about one kilometre inland from the coast, while press reports put its distance from the city centre at about ten kilometres. This closeness makes Sera Lake a nature stop that can easily be visited from Trabzon in half a day. The story of the lake is still alive in the memory of generations who witnessed a natural event. In February 1950, after heavy rain, a large mass of earth and rock broke away from the slope of the Derecik Valley and blocked the valley floor. Most sources give the date as 21 February, while the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism says 20 February. According to Wikipedia, the mass that broke off was about 650 metres long with a volume of some 15 million cubic metres. Once the Sera stream was cut off, water built up behind the barrier and the lake took its present form in about 18 days; local people watched a lake being born before their eyes. When it first formed, the lake stretched for several kilometres along the valley. Over time the outflow wore down the earth dam and the area of the lake shrank; the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism also notes that the water surface is slowly decreasing. The directorate states that the width of the lake varies between 150 and 200 metres. The major landslides that struck the eastern Black Sea in 1990 also caused significant changes in the lake, and soil carried from the upper parts of the valley began to settle on the lake bed. Wikipedia gives its present length as about 1,200 metres, its width as 250 metres and its deepest point as 20 metres. Because alluvium from the upper valley and material carried by floods sometimes muddy the lake, small dams have been built upstream and improvement works have continued. After the downpour of August 2018, for example, the surface of the lake was covered with wood and waste carried by the flood, and specially equipped machines were brought in to clean it. The lake and its surroundings were declared a natural protected area in 2005 and a nature park in 2010. On the risky slopes around the lake, geosynthetic reinforced walls were built instead of concrete retaining walls, and their surfaces were covered with soil and vegetation in an effort to preserve the natural look of the lake. About 300 metres below the outflow of the lake there is a small hydroelectric plant. Carp, barbel and brown trout live in the freshwater lake, and freshwater crayfish released into it later have also multiplied. Its shores are framed by densely wooded slopes, and the humid Black Sea climate brings every shade of green into the valley. The steep slopes on either side of the lake are the most vivid witnesses to the story of its formation; the scars of the collapse can still be read in the valley. The most popular thing visitors do is walk along the lake shore. The footpath running along the water lets you circle the lake at an easy pace, and from different points you see the slopes reflected in the water. Short trips on the lake can be taken in pedal boats or rowing boats, and amateur fishing and picnics are common around the lake. The best light for photography is usually early in the morning and late in the afternoon; in windless moments the reflection of the slopes on the water becomes sharpest. The seasons change the face of the lake. Spring and summer paint the slopes deep green, in autumn the yellow and red tones of the trees are reflected in the water, and on snowy days the valley takes on a completely different look. Since the water can become cloudy after rainy spells, those who want to see a clear lake may prefer periods when dry weather has lasted a few days. Sera Lake is reached from Trabzon by leaving the coastal road towards Akçaabat and turning into the valley; as it is close to the city centre, it can also be reached quickly by taxi. There are places to eat, drink and rest on the lake shore. Boat hire and the operating conditions of the facilities can change with the season, so current information should be checked on site. It is easy to combine a visit to the lake on the same day with the historic Ortamahalle houses of Akçaabat or with Hıdırnebi Plateau higher up.
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2
Hıdırnebi Yaylası

Hıdırnebi Highland.

~1 h 30 min here
Akçaabat / Trabzon

Come to Hıdırnebi by the directions of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism: turn west at the twelfth kilometre of the road between Akçaabat and Düzköy and climb for about ten kilometres up to the plateau. Official sources state that this road is open to traffic in summer and winter, but still drive slowly on foggy days. As you climb you will see the forest change and the valleys fall away below. The altitude of the plateau is given differently in the sources; Wikipedia and information relayed from Akçaabat speak of one thousand six hundred metres, while the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism gives a higher figure. Whichever figure you take, when you get out of the car you will feel that the air is clearly cooler than on the coast. First take a short walk among the plateau houses. A large share of the wooden houses here were built in keeping with the architecture of the region under the Plateau Town project that started in 1998. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that this plateau town was set up as a pioneering example that sits well with nature. Then climb Hıdırnebi Hill, because in the words shared by the sources the hill is like a natural viewing terrace. In clear weather you can see Akçaabat, the surrounding villages and the blue of the Black Sea from here. On cloudy days the view turns upside down and the clouds stretch below, beneath your feet, like a sea. If you want to see the sea of clouds, watch for mornings when a mild day meets low cloud. The wind can be strong on the hilltop, so bring a windbreaker with you. Also stop at the flat ground where the plateau festivals are held; local people call this area Dernek Çimeni or Argolos Çimeni. According to information relayed from Akçaabat, the festival begins in mid July every year and ends on 20 July, and the events of the last day are known as Orak Yedisi. During the festival a market of tents is set up, and horon circles form to the kemençe and the drum and shawm. If you come in July the area will be very crowded, so leave your car where the attendants direct you. Those who come in autumn find, as AA reported, yellow and red leaves on the lower slopes and fog on the hilltops. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism also notes that wild animals such as wolf, fox and jackal can be observed in the forest. If you want to see the animals, wait quietly at the edge of the forest and do not feed them. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that the infrastructure on the plateau is complete and that guesthouse-style homes offer accommodation. Kuruçam Plateau, about one kilometre away, is a neighbouring plateau reached by the same road. After spending an hour and a half here, go back down the same road to the Düzköy road and continue towards the district town.

Source: KTB Trabzon, Yayla Turizmi ve Yaylalarımız; Habertürk/İHA; AA.

Hıdırnebi Plateau is a mountain settlement in the district of Akçaabat, at the end of the Metinkale Valley, known as one of the highland pastures closest to the centre of Trabzon. Its altitude is given in the sources as about 1,600 metres; the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, however, gives 1,650 metres for the plateau and 1,742 metres when describing it together with neighbouring Kuruçam. In the press its distance from the city centre is given as 35 to 40 kilometres, and its distance from the centre of Akçaabat as 29 kilometres. Local people call the festival meadow of the plateau Dernek Çimeni or Argolos Çimeni. The plateau shows every layer of the Black Sea highland culture in one place. For centuries families who went up with their animals in summer used the pastures here and traded their produce on the plateau. According to Wikipedia, the beginning of the festival held every year is unknown, but it is thought to coincide with the time when shepherds coming down from the plateau sold their produce and villagers from the surrounding area came to buy it. Today the plateau is both a meeting place where this tradition continues and a regular destination for nature lovers. The best known face of Hıdırnebi is its highland festival in July. The festival calendar varies by source: the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism speaks of festivities that begin on 20 July and last three days, while accounts in the press state that the festival begins on 13 July and ends on 20 July. In recent years the festival has been mentioned together with Akçaabat's international music and folk dance festival. During the festival tents are pitched on the meadow, a market selling local produce springs up, and large horon dance circles form to the sound of the kemençe, drum and shrill zurna pipe. Local people call the last days of the festival by names such as Derneğin Altısı, Derneğin Yedisi and Orak Yedisi. For those who like crowds these are the liveliest days to see the plateau, while those looking for quiet should choose the weeks outside the festival. The symbol of the plateau is Hıdırnebi Hill and its rocks. The festival ground lies behind these rocks, and the hill looks out over the surroundings like a natural viewing terrace. On clear days you can see the villages of Akçaabat, the city and the blue surface of the Black Sea from here. On cloudy days, however, the view is reversed: clouds fill the valleys and anyone looking down from the plateau sees a sea of clouds beneath their feet. This sight is one of the most photographed moments of the Black Sea highlands, and it usually appears early in the morning or after rain. The plateau is not only for summer. In autumn the forests on the lower slopes turn yellow and red, while fog dominates the heights. In winter its snowy landscape attracts a different group of visitors. Wild animals such as wolves, foxes and jackals live in the forests, and the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism lists the plateau among places suitable for photo safaris. Ponds and grazing sheep and goats are also familiar sights on the plateau. The neighbouring Kuruçam Plateau is about one kilometre from Hıdırnebi, and both plateaus are reached by the same road. When it comes to accommodation, the plateau was the setting for an early example. With the Yayla-Kent project that began in 1998, timber bungalow houses in keeping with the regional architecture were built under the leadership of the Governorship of Trabzon. Today there are guesthouse-type houses on the plateau and places where daily needs can be met. The scattered arrangement of the timber houses is part of a layout that tries to carry the relationship of Black Sea highland houses with nature into new buildings. The plateau is reached by turning west at the twelfth kilometre of the Akçaabat to Düzköy road. Although the sources state that the road is kept open in summer and winter, ask about road conditions before setting out in winter weather. Since direct public transport is limited, a private car or a tour is the most practical way to go. Because of the altitude it can be cool in the evenings even in summer, so it is a good idea to bring a warm layer. As festival dates are announced every year, check the current programme with the organising authority.
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3
Çal Mağarası

Çal Cave.

~1 h 15 min here
Çal Mahallesi, Düzköy / Trabzon

Come to Çal Cave by the road described by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism: take the road that turns off to the right before you enter the district of Düzköy and reach the cave by driving through Çalköy. The cave entrance is on the Kulaklık Stream, right at the start of the road that runs from Çalköy to Çayırbağı. After leaving the car, look up before going in, because there is a historic castle on the hill above the cave. Take a jacket with you at the entrance and put your phone in your pocket; inside it is cooler and damper than outside. Çal Cave is essentially an underground water channel, and a small stream flows through it. According to AA, the depth of this stream rises to one and a half metres in rainy periods and drops to as little as twenty five centimetres in summer. So if you come in spring, the sound and flow of the water will be much stronger. After the entrance you walk along a single corridor for the first two hundred metres; notice how the height of the ceiling keeps changing. According to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, stalactites and stalagmites begin to appear after the first one hundred and fifty metres. At about two hundred metres the corridor divides in two, and we suggest you take the right branch first. The visitable part of the right branch is about four hundred metres long, and around its sixtieth metre there is a small lake and a cascade. Stand in front of the cascade and listen to the water striking the rock; this is one of the most striking points in the cave. Then return to the fork and go into the left branch, which is about one hundred and fifty metres long. In the chamber at the end of this branch there is a shaft down which water from a sinkhole on the surface flows. AA also reports that in this section there are oval, water-filled hollows formed by dissolution and collapse in the limestone ground. Because the cave has openings to the outside through sinkholes you feel a light current of air, and that is why the sources say it feels like walking in a valley rather than underground. Wikipedia writes that the cave formed in two stages over about eight million years, first through seeping water dissolving the limestone and then through the uplift of the region. Explorers have so far reached as far as eight kilometres, but the section visitors can walk is limited to about one kilometre. Do not leave the wooden and metal walkways, do not touch the formations and use the flash sparingly. Wet platforms can be slippery, so keep hold of the handrail as you walk. The cave opened to tourism in 2003 and its visitor numbers have grown fast in recent years; according to information from Düzköy, more than one hundred and seventy eight thousand people came in 2025. If you want to avoid the crowds, choose weekdays and the morning hours. On the way out take a brief look at the castle, then return to Düzköy and cross over towards Tonya.

Source: KTB Trabzon, Çal Mağarası; AA; Wikipedia.

Çal Cave is a long karst cave carved by an underground stream in Çal Mahallesi, in the inland district of Düzköy in Trabzon. The Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism places it about five kilometres south-west of Düzköy, at 1050 metres above sea level. Wikipedia gives the distance from the district as 11 kilometres and notes that sources put the altitude anywhere between 1050 and 1116 metres. Ministry pages describe the road from the city centre as a little over fifty kilometres long. The cave was not found by a scientific survey but by people living nearby, as Prof. Dr. Osman Bektaş, a retired geology professor of Karadeniz Technical University, told TRT Haber. A team from the same university later studied the cave, after which the Trabzon Special Provincial Administration laid wooden walkways and lighting. According to Anadolu Agency, the cave opened to visitors in 2003 after this work. According to TRT Haber, the Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality later won the tender to operate the cave and started a renovation that planned to rebuild the walkways with non-rotting materials. Its story begins with limestone. According to Wikipedia, water seeping from the surface dissolved the limestone, and fractures in the rock widened into a channel carrying water underground. During a period of regional uplift the flow that carved the channel stopped, and stalactites and stalagmites began to grow in the swallow holes where water once seeped in. The whole process is thought to have taken about eight million years. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Trabzon page also simply describes the cave as an underground water channel. The part visitors walk is only a small fraction of the cave. Anadolu Agency reports that explorers have so far reached a depth of eight kilometres, but only about one kilometre has been fitted with walkways and lights. The cave's operator told the same agency that his team walked for sixteen hours by torchlight to reach the eighth kilometre, finding lakes, waterfalls and bats in the closed section. The Ministry page writes that the cave is "also regarded as the second longest cave in the world"; this is a local description, and the true length is still not fully known. Inside, the path forks after a short level stretch. About two hundred metres from the entrance the cave splits into two branches; the left branch is about 150 metres long and the accessible part of the right branch about 400 metres. At the end of the left branch is a chamber with a shaft through which water from a sinkhole above pours in. Sixty metres into the right branch lie a small lake and the cascade that feeds it, the most photographed corner of the cave. According to the Ministry page, stalactites and stalagmites start to become dense after the first hundred and fifty metres. What people talk about most is the air and the water. Because cracks and sinkholes in the ceiling connect the cave with the outside world, there is a gentle flow of air inside; Anadolu Agency describes it as the feeling of walking through a valley while underground. The depth of the stream running through it changes with the season, rising to a metre and a half in wet periods and dropping to twenty-five centimetres in summer. The dry air at the entrance gives way to humidity raised by the stream further in, so a light extra layer is useful even in summer. The press has also reported days when the entrance was temporarily closed because the water rose too high; if you are going in a rainy week, ask about conditions beforehand. Directly above the cave, on a hill that commands the surroundings, stands the ruin of a small castle, and both the Ministry page and the press mention it together with the cave. Around the entrance there are basic facilities such as a picnic area and a country tea house. The cave is kept open all year; for visiting days, opening hours and ticket information, check the current announcements of the cave's operator and the Düzköy authorities. The wooden and metal walkways can be wet, and shoes with non-slip soles are the one real requirement of this visit. Access is by road, and public transport does not reach the cave directly. According to the Ministry page, you reach it by an asphalt road that turns right before entering Düzköy and passes through the settlement of Çal. On the same trip you can also visit the Düzköy highland pastures and Kadıralak Nature Park in Tonya to the west. For those coming from Akçaabat on the coast, Sera Lake and Hıdırnebi Plateau are the natural start of this mountain road.
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4
Kadıralak Tabiat Parkı

Kadıralak Nature Park.

~1 h 15 min here
Kadıralak Yaylası yol ayrımı, Tonya / Trabzon

The last stop of the day is Kadıralak Nature Park, right beside the town of Tonya. According to Wikipedia the park lies about two kilometres from the centre of Tonya, at an altitude of one thousand four hundred and eighty metres, next to the Kadıralak Plateau that bears the same name. In news reports different figures appear for the plateau itself, such as one thousand three hundred metres and nine kilometres from the district town; the two names describe different parts of the same area. The park covers an area of about three thousand five hundred decares and is recorded as Türkiye's two hundred and twenty third nature park. Wikipedia notes that qualified and sustainable protection zones lie to the east of the park; in other words, the surrounding meadows are also part of a protected whole. After leaving your car, first walk to the edge of the meadow and take in the view as a whole. The plateau is ringed by spruce, fir and Scots pine forest, and in the middle of the meadow stand wooden plateau houses built on stone foundations. What makes Kadıralak famous is the blue star flowers that open in spring; this plant, whose scientific name is Scilla bifolia, paints the meadow purple. That is why local people also call the plateau Mor Yayla, the Purple Plateau. According to news reports the flowers mostly open in April and can be seen for about two weeks. But the flowering time changes with the winter; it has been reported that after a harsh winter the flowers opened late, and in a mild year they opened before April arrived. The blue star is among the plants that Türkiye is obliged to protect under the Bern Convention. According to a TGRT report, one year visitors stepping on the flowers while taking photographs caused the carpet to disappear within a short time. So in the flowering season do not walk onto the meadow, stay on the paths and take your photographs from the track. After the blue flowers fade, yellow flowers open on the plateau, and it is written that the same place is then called the Yellow Plateau. In early summer you can take a short walk along the forest tracks at the edge of the meadow and find a quiet corner for watching birds and plants. Küre Encyclopedia writes that no large-scale festival is held on the plateau, so this is a much quieter place than Hıdırnebi. In autumn the area takes on a completely different look with yellowed leaves and thick fog. Küre Encyclopedia states that there is no accommodation on the plateau and that options for food and drink are limited, so bring your water and snacks with you. The same source also notes that the phone signal can be weak in some parts; download your map in advance. Because snow can close the roads in winter and early spring, ask about road conditions in Tonya before setting out. Take your rubbish back with you and do not enter the gardens of the plateau houses, because some of them are still in use. After ending the day here you can return to Trabzon by the road that goes down through Tonya to the Black Sea coast.

Source: Wikipedia; CNN Türk; TGRT Haber; Küre Ansiklopedi.

Kadıralak Nature Park is a protected forest and highland area in Tonya, one of Trabzon's districts with no coastline, named after the Kadıralak Plateau right next to it. The 12th Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry places the park about two kilometres east of the Tonya district centre. You enter the park from the Kadıralak Plateau junction on the road between Tonya and Vakfıkebir, about six hundred metres north of the district centre. Wikipedia gives the park's altitude as 1480 metres and its distance from the city of Trabzon as 68 kilometres, and names the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks as its operator. According to Wikipedia, Tonya lies in a transition zone between the Black Sea and continental climates; moisture from the sea condenses in the forests on the hills and turns into mist. Its protected status is recent. According to an announcement by the Trabzon Governorate, the Kadıralak Plateau was declared Turkey's 223rd nature park with the signature of the then Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs. Wikipedia lists the park among the protected areas established in 2017. According to the Regional Directorate's current information, the registered area covers 363.80 hectares, and to the east of the park lie a Qualified Protection Zone and a Sustainable Protection Zone. Since different sources give different sizes, it is right to take the Regional Directorate's figure as the official one. The park is above all a forest. The Regional Directorate describes it as an intact example of the mixed broadleaf forest of the eastern Black Sea; spruce dominates among the conifers, beech and alder among the broadleaves. Hornbeam, oak, maple, chestnut, linden, rhododendron, cherry laurel, hawthorn and rowan also form mixed stands among them. Rocky sections appear here and there along the northern, southern and eastern edges of the area. Development plan surveys recorded 311 seed plant taxa and 111 vertebrate species, including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. What sets Kadıralak apart from other Black Sea plateaus is its spring flower. According to the Regional Directorate, Scilla bifolia, which locals call the blue star or forest hyacinth, grows in the forest clearings and the plateau meadows above. A CNN Türk report notes that this slender-leaved flower is among the rare plants protected under the Bern Convention and that it blooms every April. When the flowers open the meadows turn purple, which is why the plateau is also known locally as the Purple Plateau. According to the same report, the flowers can be seen for about two weeks and in some years open before April arrives. This short flowering season sets the park's visiting calendar. In April and early May the meadows are in colour, while in summer the park is favoured for walking, picnics and cool air. In winter snow can make the road difficult; before setting out, ask local sources whether the road is open. The best way to see it is to walk along the plateau road. In the meadows where the plateau houses stand, stay on clear paths and do not step on the flowers; in the only weeks when a protected species blooms, trampling does the most harm. For photographs, the soft afternoon light and the moments when the mist lifts are best. Tonya is often misty in summer, so keep your plan flexible to catch a clear day. Picking flowers is not right in this area; the plant should stay where it is. Access is by road via the centre of Tonya, and the park is close enough to reach on a short ride from there. The Küre Encyclopedia notes that public transport does not go as far as the plateau, so a private car or a local guide is needed. According to the Regional Directorate, the nearest airport is Trabzon Airport, about 71 kilometres away. For visiting conditions and any events, check the announcements of the 12th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. Combined on the same day with Çal Cave in Düzköy to the east, it completes the mountain road of western Trabzon.
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Route Map

Route Info
CityAkçaabat, Trabzon
TypeRoutes
Stop4
DateOctober 19, 2026
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeStart Route