For travellers who want to know one Turkish province properly, this six-day programme settles you in Gumushane for five nights and explores it from several angles: geology, history, food, bathing culture and highland nature. The province lies inland from Trabzon on the boundary between the Eastern Black Sea and eastern Anatolia, so it combines dry summers and rainy springs with forests of pine and spruce, open heath and high plateaux that are at their most beautiful in spring and summer. Airport transfers from and to Trabzon, an English-speaking guide and an air-conditioned vehicle keep everything simple.
The guided city day covers Karaca Cave, a 150-metre fossil cave between Torul and Gumushane filled with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and travertine pools, and Tomara Waterfall at Seydibaba Village, around 25 km from Siran, with free time for photographs and gifts. Your guide also outlines the long line of rulers, from Hittites and Urartians to Pontic Greeks, Romans and Byzantines, and the historic churches such as Santa Cakalli, Kalur Rock and Theodor that survive from earlier centuries. Next comes a cooking class led by a restaurant chef in town, where you prepare Gumushane dishes, salads and desserts and enjoy them as lunch, followed by a day in a traditional hamam with its cold, warm and hot sections and the attendants' scrub ritual.
The extra day of this longer version heads into the mountains of the Torul district. Limni Lake sits at about 1,700 metres on the Saronay Plateau near Zigana village, framed by Scotch pine and spruce forest where bears, foxes and roe deer live. Nearby Zigana Yaylakent and its Gumuskayak winter sports centre on Zigana Mountain attract visitors all year round. Five nights of hotel accommodation, five breakfasts and one lunch, the guided city tour, the cooking lesson, the Turkish bath and Limni Lake excursions, entrance fees for the programme and local taxes are included.
| Tour type | Private · multi-day tour |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 Days 5 Nights |
| Price | From €764 per person |
| Departures | Every day |
| Guide | Licensed guide in your language |
| Stops | 8 |
| Entrance fees | Included |
| Booking | Instant request online, confirmation within 24 hours · TÜRSAB-licensed operator (A-5751) |
Your full program, day by day — click a day to see every stop.
On landing at Trabzon Airport you are met and transferred by road to Gumushane, the base for all six days of this programme. Once you have checked in to your hotel, the afternoon and evening are yours to rest. Gumushane is a mountain province rather than a seaside one: pine forest, heath and high pasture shape the scenery, and spring and summer are the most rewarding seasons to visit. Ahead of you are a fossil cave, a waterfall, old churches, a cooking lesson, a hamam visit and a day on a high plateau lake. Overnight in Gumushane.
Your guide meets you at the hotel to begin exploring Gumushane. You start underground at Karaca Cave, located between Torul and the town centre. Although it is only about 150 metres long, this fossil cave is packed with formations, from slender stalactites and sturdy columns to stalagmites and shallow travertine pools fed by dripping water. Above ground, the guide explains the succession of civilisations that ruled the area, from the Hittites to the Byzantines, and points out its heritage of historic churches, among them Santa Cakalli, Kalur Rock and Theodor. The excursion continues to Seydibaba Village, roughly 25 km from Siran, for Tomara Waterfall, with free time afterwards for photos and gifts. Overnight in Gumushane.
After breakfast the focus moves from sightseeing to food. At a local restaurant, the chef guides you through a cooking session devoted to the specialities of Gumushane, a mountain kitchen rooted in Turkish culinary traditions. Your guide stays with you to clarify every detail, so it is easy to follow along whether you are an experienced cook or a beginner. Salads and desserts are part of the menu as well as main dishes. Once the cooking is done you enjoy your own creations as lunch in the restaurant, then transfer back to the hotel for a free afternoon. Overnight in Gumushane.
Today is set aside for rest. Following breakfast, a vehicle takes you from the hotel to a traditional Turkish bath. The custom has its roots in the bathhouses of the Roman era, and the hamam is still divided into three areas: a cool section, a warm section and a hot section where the body slowly relaxes in the heat. Trained attendants, women for female guests and men for male guests, carry out the classic exfoliating scrub on the heated marble. When you have finished soaking and unwinding, you are brought back to your hotel for a free evening. Overnight in Gumushane.
After breakfast you set off for Limni Lake in the Torul district. The lake lies on the Saronay Plateau near the village of Zigana, at an altitude of about 1,700 metres, and is surrounded by forests dominated by Scotch pine and spruce. The area is also home to wildlife such as bears, foxes and roe deer, which are occasionally seen by visitors. The excursion continues to Zigana Yaylakent, where the Gumuskayak winter sports centre on Zigana Mountain welcomes skiers and outdoor enthusiasts from Turkey and abroad and serves travellers in all four seasons. In the afternoon you return to the hotel. Overnight in Gumushane.
Your final morning begins with breakfast at the hotel, followed by check-out and the road transfer back to Trabzon Airport for your departure. Six days in Gumushane have taken you from underground formations and historic churches to a chef's kitchen, a steaming hamam and a forest lake high on the Saronay Plateau. We hope you leave with fond memories of this unspoiled corner of north-eastern Turkey and that we will see you again soon.
Trabzon to Gumushane → Karaca Cave & Tomara Waterfall → Gumushane cooking class → Turkish bath → Limni Lake & Zigana Yaylakent → Gumushane to Trabzon
Modern, comfortable and fully-equipped vehicles — the same fleet we use on your tour.
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Extra day tours you can add along your route — Trabzon to Gumushane, Karaca Cave & Tomara Waterfall, Gumushane cooking class, Turkish bath, Limni Lake & Zigana Yaylakent, Gumushane to Trabzon.
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Real, verified reviews from travellers who explored Turkey with us.
My husband and I chose Inca Tour for our honeymoon and we are so glad we did. The boutique hotel selection was beautiful and the Bosphorus dinner cruise was so romantic. Thank you for making our trip special!
It was important for us to have a guide who spoke Russian, and Ender was wonderful. He explained every detail at Dolmabahce Palace. The Princes Islands day trip was a beautiful break from the busy city.
Our guide Ender was incredibly knowledgeable about Turkish history. The hot-air balloon ride at sunrise in Cappadocia was the highlight of our trip. Everything was perfectly organized — from airport pick-up to the last d...
Ender was our Italian-speaking guide and we felt like family. He took us to local spots tourists never see. The hotel choice in Sultanahmet was perfect for walking everywhere.
10+ years later we still talk about our Cappadocia balloon ride and the Bosphorus sunset cruise. Some memories are timeless. Thank you Inca Tour!