Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure: Full-Day Experience
Description
Explore the natural highlights of Ayder Plateau and enjoy adventure-filled moments in Fırtına Valley on this full-day group tour from Trabzon. Take part in optional activities such as rafting, ziplining, or swinging in the valley, surrounded by lush scenery. Continue to Ayder Plateau to visit the Gelin Tülü (Bridal) Waterfall and the Glass Terrace, and experience the region’s local highland atmosphere.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Depart from Trabzon at 09:00 for a full-day tour to Ayder Plateau and Fırtına Valley. Enjoy scenic views along the Black Sea coastline during the approximately 1.5-hour drive, passing through coastal towns and lush landscapes as the route gradually leads inland toward the mountains.
Enjoy a 1–2 hour activity break in Fırtına Valley, set alongside the rushing Fırtına River. During this time, you may join optional activities such as rafting, ziplining, or swinging, or simply relax and take in the lively riverside atmosphere.
After the activity break, continue the journey toward Ayder Plateau, passing through forested roads and mountain scenery as the landscape gradually opens up to the highlands.
Ayder Plateau is a natural highland retreat located at an altitude of 1,400 meters, at the foot of the Kaçkar Mountains. The first stop is Gelin Tülü (Bridal Veil) Waterfall, named for its elegant flow resembling a bridal veil as it cascades from a height of approximately 50 meters. Nearby, the Glass Terrace offers a unique perspective over the waterfall via a 20-meter glass walkway and is an excellent spot for photos. Continue to the Ayder Plateau Observation Terrace for a panoramic view of the plateau, where you can observe the surrounding nature and local highland life from above. After the visits, enjoy free time in Ayder Plateau until 16:00 to explore, relax, or visit local cafés.
During your free time until 16:00, you may enjoy lunch, relax with tea or coffee at countryside cafés, watch the traditional horon dance accompanied by the sound of the tulum (local bagpipe), or even join in if you wish. After the sightseeing and free time, meet at the tour vehicle at 16:00 and depart for Trabzon. Following necessary breaks along the way, arrive back in Trabzon, marking the end of the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
> Before departure we will contact you for the list of participants. >> Guests at the meeting places and the hotel must be ready at the requested time. Please note that the welcome time stated on the voucher is approximate and may vary up to 30 minutes depending on traffic in Trabzon.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(15)
Rafting was amazing! It is at an extra cost but it's worth it! Amazing waterfall and the stops are nice for taking pictures.
Thank you, Radwan! We’re glad you enjoyed the rafting, waterfall and beautiful photo stops during the Ayder tour.
Zenofon Tours was very organized, communicative, and accommodating, even agreeing to come pick us up at our hotel that was not on their list. The tour guide was great and provided a lot of helpful tips and interesting information about the region. My spouse and I chose to do the whitewater rafting add-on at Dag Rafting and that was mostly nice. We paid 2,500TL per person (pricey but I think it can be a bit cheaper if you have three or more people going) and that included the rafting as well as clothes to change into (they also had water repellent clothing but we just chose to get wet, it wasn't very cold by the end of August) and shoes to wear on the raft. (Note that they don't provide towels so bring one.) They're not very dangerous rapids, just Class II, but it was honestly nice to float down the river with gorgeous views. The part on the water took between 30-45 minutes. My only complaint is they were interrupting us the whole time to get pictures and video, of which the lowest tier for purchasing cost $50 USD. If I had known that at the beginning, I would have told them not to bother taking pictures and leave us alone to enjoy the views. Then we drove up to a plateau in Ayder, and the views on the ride were just gorgeous. As we drove up, we went along the river and there are tons of those cool old Ottoman bridges. We stopped up at the top of a slope and had a beautiful spot for pictures, but there wasn't really much to do up there except go to tourist shops or a restaurant, or maybe have a picnic on the grass slope. All the restaurants have gorgeous views; we went to Eylul and liked it a lot. There doesn't seem to be great walking or hiking in the area where we were dropped off, which is a shame because the mountains were really stunning. On the way back, we stopped at an old Ottoman bridge with some old graves and were able to look around and take pictures. Beautiful. Overall, we were glad we did it, although I think if we hadn't done the rafting it may have been somewhat underwhelming.
Dear Alisa, Thank you sincerely for joining our tour and for taking the time to provide such a detailed and objective review. Your feedback is truly valuable and serves as a guide for improving our services. In recent years, our region has been drawing growing attention from Western travelers, and as participation increases, we are able to raise the standards and quality of what we offer. Our operations team is also making a dedicated effort to support this development, constantly striving to provide higher quality services day by day. Warm regards, Zenofon Tours
Great tour, rafting was fun and the water was refreshing and not cold. Time on the water is about 25 minutes. Our guide was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make sure everyone had an enjoyable experience.
It was truly a pleasure to welcome you once again on another tour. Thank you for trusting us for a second time and for sharing your experience in such detail. We're especially glad you enjoyed the rafting and our guide’s dedication. Your support means a lot to our team.
It was an amazing experience to visit rize with Zinofon tours, it is a very beautiful place indeed with the mesmerizing view of Ayder Plateau , it is very similar to Switzerland. I would like to thank the driver Hussein and the tour guide Eram , they are very kind , helpful , and knowledgeable, always smiling and trying to make our trip as enjoyable as possible. Eram speaks English very well and that was really helpful. I just have one thing that could be better , if we had the rafting activity in another place because the views are better.
Dear Elsa, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re truly happy to hear that you enjoyed your day in Ayder Plateau and Fırtına Valley with us. Your kind words about our tour guide İrem and driver Hüseyin made our day — they’ll be delighted to know they helped make your trip memorable. We also appreciate your thoughtful feedback about the rafting location — your input helps us improve the experience for future guests. We hope to welcome you again soon for another unforgettable adventure in the Black Sea region! Warm regards, Zenofon Tours Team
The experience was very similar to the uzungol trip with several overlaps and we did not have a tour guide. Just the driver was present. I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth for this tour.
Dear Maria, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Due to an unexpected last-minute operational issue, we had to run the program as a joint group tour in cooperation with our partner company. We understand that this may have affected your overall experience, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Your comments are very valuable to us, and we’ve noted them carefully to improve our communication about tours with overlapping elements. We would be delighted to welcome you again on a future trip and do our best to make it up to you. Kind regards, Guest Relations Team – Zenofon Tours
The tour was amazing , from the waterfall all the way to Ayder heights , beautiful scenery, greens fields , and rafting was super fun and really worth trying .. Zagnos tours did a great job and Alaa , our tour guide , was very good. Highly recommend you do this tour.
Dear Ahmed, Thank you so much for your wonderful review on our "Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure: Full-Day Experience." We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the fun rafting, and the excellent guidance from Alaa. Your recommendation means a lot to us. Best regards, Zenofon Tours
Amazing tour. Tour guide named Samil was very knowledgeable and made the whole trip fun. Thank you so much for this experience
Dear Khaled, Thank you for your wonderful review of the "Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure: Full-Day Experience." We are delighted to hear that you found the tour amazing. We’re especially pleased to hear that Şamil, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and made the whole trip fun for you. Your kind words mean a lot to us. Thank you so much for this experience. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you on another adventure soon! Best regards,
Wonderful times, views and informative . Samil the tour guide and Hussain were very nice and helpful very good English. Was happy to have the next day organised tour with them again :)
Dear Rasha, Thank you so much for your great review of the "Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure: Full-Day Experience." We are delighted to hear that you had wonderful times, enjoyed the views, and found the tour informative. It’s fantastic to know that Şamil and Hüseyin were very nice and helpful, and that their English skills met your expectations. We are thrilled that you decided to join another organized tour with them the next day! Your feedback is greatly appreciated and encourages us to maintain our high standards of service. We look forward to welcoming you on more adventures in the future! Best regards,
Amazing, very nice tour Well organised, a beautiful day trip Samil & Hussein are nice and very helpful Thank you
Dear Moustafa, Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the "Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure: Full-Day Experience." We are thrilled to hear that you had an amazing and very nice tour. Your kind words about the organization and the beauty of the trip mean a lot to us. We are especially glad to hear that Şamil and Hüseyin were helpful and contributed to your positive experience. Your feedback encourages us to continue providing excellent service. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon!
Both of our tours tours with Zenofon tours were excellent. Our guide communicated with us frequently prior to the start of the tour, she spoke flawless English and was very knowledgeable. Highly recommend them.
Dear Walker, Thank you very much for your kind feedback on Tripadvisor regarding your Ayder Tour with Fırtına Valley Adventure and Sumela & Hamsiköy Tour. We are delighted to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed both of your tours with Zenofon Tours. We greatly appreciate your compliments about our guide's communication, flawless English, and extensive knowledge. Your recommendation means a lot to us. We look forward to welcoming you on another adventure soon! Warm regards,
