Tour Highlights:
- Wonderfully hospitable local people
- High mountain scenery and glacial lakes
- Wildlife- flowers, birds and animals
- Challenging climbs and 3000m+ passes with vehicle uplift options
- Sections of technical singletrack (optional)
- Stay at small, friendly guesthouses and local village houses
- Visit wonderful Georgian and Armenian churches and monasteries
- Hop-on hop-off minibus support so you can ride as much as you want
Tour Details:
The Kackar Mountains are a different world from the rest of the country and Turkey’s most northerly range. High, superbly green alpine meadows nestle under towering granite peaks- snow covered for most of the year and often shrouded in clouds. The Kackar are home to some of Turkey’s most friendly people and some of its most fantastic wildlife, and you’ll be one of the first to ride these trails. This adventure biking tour incorporates challenging terrain and immense views, with plenty of natural, historical and cultural interest along the way too.
The 9-day long tour links the Kackar and Mescit Mountains via the awesomely beautiful Coruh river valley. Most routes are over unsurfaced forestry trails or inter-village dirt roads but where possible we ride on rough tracks and singletrack mule trails too. We stay in comfortable pensions and friendly village houses and have the chance to meet people alive with rich traditions. Note that the Kackar are a “big mountain” range and as such weather conditions can be unpredictable even in mid summer. So it’s essential to come prepared with appropriate, warm, wind proof and waterproof clothing.
Click here to view the full itinerary.
Why?
The Kackar are our favourite alpine range and offer a sense of remoteness and exploration that belies their geographical area. There is plenty of fine singletrack to explore and the riding can be as tough or as easy as the group chooses. The whole area is a protected environmental zone and there are real opportunities to see raptors, gamebirds, wild goats and bears. Add in legendary local hospitality and endless breathtaking mountain panoramas and you have an unbeatable, wilderness trail experience.
When?
The Kackar peaks and passes where we ride are covered in snow for up to 10 months of the year. Late June, July and August are the best, sometimes only months to visit without special equipment. Early season is when you’ll see Turkey’s finest snow melt wildflowers, plenty of snow on the peaks and a better chance of seeing bears and other wildlife.
How?
Erzurum is the nearest national airport and the tour starts and finishes there. Turkish Airlines offer scheduled services via Istanbul.
Click here to view the full itinerary
Price (per person):
1650 Euro.
Minumum group size 6.
Maximum group size 12.
For groups smaller than 6 people a surcharge will be added to the price
Price includes: 8 nights hotel accommodation- sometimes basic. Transfers to and from Erzurum airport. Professional MTB guide. Full use of support vehicle. All meals, snacks and tea and coffee at mealtimes.
Price does not include: Flights. Alcoholic and soft drinks available at camps or restaurants and entrance fees to historical sites and museums. Tips for guides and driver.
Tour Length:
9 days.
Start / finish point:
Erzurum.
Grade:
3-4: Challenging and relatively strenuous but with a hop-on hop-off support vehicle available.
Features:
7 days multi centre MTB. Some off road biking experience and good level of fitness required. Group size 6-12.
2023 Dates:
July – early September: please ask!
Options:
Single Room: 350 Euro.
Bike Rental (Trek Roscoe 8): 360 Euros
eBike Rental (Trek Powerfly): 540 Euros.
See Booking Conditions for details.
We would like to endorse everything Nigel has said about the Kackar Mountains trip.It was challenging, but a wonderful experience. We had a great guide. Thank you Jon for arranging my birthday celebration!
We had an impressive driver in Ismail and the other members of the trip were great company.
Thanks to all of you for making our trip so enjoyable.
Keith & Pat Green
2014 Kackar Mountains MTB customer Nigel Fielden reviewed his experience of the tour:
“The tour through the Kackar Mountains is an exceptional experience. It provides a good blend of fantastic scenery, cultural interest and a real insight to how the local people manage to retain their traditions and way of life. To get the most from this trip you need a reasonable level of fitness in order to be able to enjoy and not just endure the tougher bits.
“The people that you meet along the way are incredibly open and friendly, and the food is always fresh and tasty even in the most basic pensions. The back-up and support from Jon (tour leader) is spot-on – he will tune the itinerary to the group’s capabilities, and is always on-hand to deal with any technical issues with the bikes. If you’re looking for something a little different from the normal bike tour experience, then I thoroughly recommend this tour”.
Regards
Nigel Fielden, Kackar Mountains MTB September 2014.
Hi, I was interested in the Kackar mountain trip. Do you have any dates for 2013? Or is it run on a demand basis?
Thanks
Martin
Hi Martin. We’re running the Kackar MTB trip on demand only in 2013. However, there has been quite a lot of interest already! Dates would be July – August. Do you have any dates in mind? Cheers, Jon