Uzungöl: Lake Village in the Mountains of Çaykara

On this page

1. What is Uzungöl?
2. How do you get to Uzungöl?
3. When is the best time to visit Uzungöl?
4. What is the history of Uzungöl?
5. What is Uzungöl famous for?
6. What can you do at Uzungöl?
7. Frequently asked questions about Uzungöl
8. What do the official records say about Uzungöl?

What is Uzungöl?

Uzungöl, the “Long Lake”, is a natural lake in a deep valley in the Çaykara district of Trabzon, with a village of the same name on its shore. Steep slopes of spruce forest rise straight from the water, and the minarets of the lakeside mosque, wooden houses and mist on the mountains make it one of the best-known views of the Black Sea region.

Since the 1990s Uzungöl has grown from a small village into a resort with hotels, chalets, restaurants and souvenir shops, popular with Turkish holidaymakers and with visitors from the Gulf. It is busy and built-up, and some of the development has been criticised, but the valley around it is still beautiful, and it is the starting point for plateaus and walks higher up.

How do you get to Uzungöl?

Uzungöl is about 95 km southeast of Trabzon and 19 km from the district town of Çaykara. By road, follow the coastal highway east to Of, then turn south up the Solaklı valley through Çaykara. The drive takes about two hours. Minibuses run from Trabzon, and day tours leave from the city centre most mornings in season. From Rize and the Rize–Artvin Airport the turn-off at Of is to the west, making Uzungöl an easy combination with a trip to the Rize valleys.

Book an Uzungöl tour

−5% Istambul readers save 5% on every tour below — applied at checkout.

See all tours

Partner listings via GetYourGuide · free cancellation on most

When is the best time to visit Uzungöl?

June to September brings the warmest weather, open plateau roads and the greenest forest, but also the biggest crowds, especially at weekends and during Turkish and Gulf holidays. Late May, early June and the second half of September are calmer. October brings autumn colour. In winter the valley is often deep in snow and in cold spells the lake freezes, which draws its own visitors; bring warm clothes at any time of year, as the valley is noticeably cooler than the coast.

What is the history of Uzungöl?

The lake is a natural dam. A large landslide from the slopes above the former village of Şerah blocked the valley of the Haldizen stream, and the water backed up behind it. Researchers believe this happened in the 17th century, and Karadeniz Technical University’s landslide research centre has been studying the lake’s origin together with AFAD, Türkiye’s disaster agency.

The 2002 inventory notes that, because of its rich vegetation, wildlife and scenery, 1,625 hectares of the area were declared a nature park in 1989. A government decision of 18 January 1990 made Uzungöl a tourism centre, and planning for the resort followed, including a study in which the adults living in Uzungöl were consulted on the plan decisions. In 2008 a concrete wall built along the shore to protect the road drew protests from residents and ecologists, who said it made the lake look like an artificial pool.

What is Uzungöl famous for?

• The view. The lake, the mosque and the forested slopes form one of the most photographed scenes in northern Türkiye.
• Cool summers. The valley is a summer escape from the heat of the cities, for Turkish and Arab visitors alike.
• Trout and plateau food. Lakeside restaurants serve fresh trout, kuymak and other dishes of the Black Sea uplands.

What can you do at Uzungöl?

Walk round the lake. A path follows the shore, and the best views are from the far end of the lake looking back towards the village and mosque.

Climb to a viewpoint. Roads and tracks climb the slopes behind the village to viewing points above the lake, where the whole valley opens out.

Go up to the plateaus. The highland pastures above the valley are reached by road in summer, and the inventory notes that the upland country between Trabzon and Uzungöl is well suited to mountain and nature walks.

Combine it with the Rize valleys. Uzungöl lies close to the Rize border. With a car and two or three days, you can continue east along the coast to Ayder and the Fırtına Valley on the edge of the Kaçkar Mountains.

Paraglide. In season, tandem paragliding flights take off from the slopes above the lake.

Eat trout by the water. Fresh trout is the local speciality in the lakeside restaurants.

Frequently asked questions about Uzungöl

What do the official records say about Uzungöl?

It lies within the boundaries of Çaykara district, 95 km from Trabzon and 19 km from Çaykara. Because of its rich vegetation, wildlife and beautiful scenery, a 1,625-hectare part of the area was declared a nature park in 1989.

Within the overall work, for the Trabzon-Uzungöl Tourism Centre, a 1/5,000 scale master zoning plan and a 1/1,000 scale implementation plan were prepared by İller Bankası without first making a 1/25,000 scale environmental plan. In the planning work, a study on “the participation of adults living in Uzungöl in plan decisions” was carried out to find out what the local people expected, and in on-site examinations made in line with its recommendations, the plan decisions were passed on to the local people and efforts were made to reflect their wishes in the plan. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Trabzon Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)