Turkey is a country full of surprise but nowhere more than the Black Sea region! Extending from just east of Istanbul to the frontier of Georgia, the Black Sea region is a real anomaly, guaranteed to smash any stereotypes you may hold about Turkey.

The combination of damp northerly and westerly winds, confronting an almost uninterrupted wall of mountains, has created high levels of rainfall which in turn result in a lush green environment. The area sees very few package tourist or backpackers and most foreign visitors are archaeology groups, trekkers or skiers. Starting north of Ankara as mere humps, the coastal ranges attain world-class grandeur by the time they reach the Georgian border. Travelling along the Black Sea largely consists of soaking up the atmosphere as in comparison to the western part of Turkey there are relatively few major historic attractions -with the exception of Sumela Monastery, outside of Trabzon.

The hinterland along the Black Sea is home to some of Turkey’s most appealing and unspoilt villages, the mountains have had the effect of giving the locals a culture distinct from anywhere else in the country. Black Sea food for instance is arguably the best in Turkey and years of geographic isolation have even given the locals unique physical characteristics…as well as a reputation for being country bumkins, with weird accents and of being allegedly stupid and the brunt of many jokes. But what is most striking to the foreign visitor is how genuinely friendly and outgoing Black Sea people seem to be. A kind of easy going cheerfulness pervades the region.

The Black Sea coast currently has very few visitors, even domestically. It won’t however, remain undiscovered forever. For now though, the Black Sea remains Turkey’s secret.