Now THIS was an adventure! 3 days full of BUMPY roads, crossing 2 borders, seeing castles, fortresses, churches, listening to a new language that sounds like a mix between Armenian and Turkish, hiking, waterfalls, history lessons and new friends!

A BIT OF HISTORY OF THE AREA & HAMSHEN

Hamshen was once an Armenian region back in the 8th c. and now in present day Turkey and many of the sights we saw shows the presence of a significant Armenian population and their architectural traditions – the Armenians living here were forced to convert to Sunni Islam in beginning of 18th c. and the community is around 150,000 people in modern day Turkey

On this trip I visited the Black Sea region …
… As well as the Eastern Anatolian Region via the road border between Georgia and Turkey
Following the Armenian genocide and establishment of the Republic of Turkey, the territory known as the Armenian Highlands (or Western Armenia) were renamed “Eastern Anatolia” by the Turkish

THE TOUR

https://hamshen.am/en/tours/hamshen-3

I woke up at 3:45am as we had to meet the group at 4:45am at the Hamshen Offices on 8 Tumanyan st, loterally 3min walk for me – so easy!

HAMSHEN ARMENIANS HISTORY

According to the Armenian historian Ghevond, in the 8th c about 12000 people from Kotayk and Aragatsotn provinces of Greater Armenia were unable to withstand the pressure of the Arabs and left Armenia. Under the leadership of Abas Amatuni and his son Hamam they left their homeland and settled in Pontus, which was part of the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine emperor Constantine gladly welcomed Armenians and settled them in different lands. He also gave Armenian nakharars (nakharar is an Armenian noble title) the city of Tambour, which was soon completely destroyed due to wars. Hamam Amatuni restored the city and named it Hamamshen (Hamshen), which means “built by Hamam”.

The principality founded by Hamam Amatuni existed until 15th c. It was a semi-independent region in the Byzantine Empire, and then in the Kingdom of Pontus.

Shortly after the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, the policy of intolerance was applied to Armenians and other Christian nations, which often led to hostilities.

The Ottoman Empire tried to convert the whole population to Islam. In the middle of the 19th c. Hamshen Armenians started to immigrate to the coastal regions of the Russian Empire.

So, the Armenian population of this region was divided into two parts:

  1. Islamized Hamshen Armenians living on the Pontic coast of Turkey
  2. Christian Hamshen Armenians living in the Abkhaz and Russian coastal regions of the Black Sea.

DAY 1 – Mostly driving to get through the 2 borders and into Turkey

The group is small so not many people which is great so we get plenty of seats in the bus
It was dark when we left but eventually it lit up and clouds filled the sky even in summer, it was 15 degrees and I have a jacket on! 😳

Got to Gyumri at 6:30am – the sunrise was beautiful! But it was cloudy and it started to rain too

We reached the border around 7:30 and jumped out of the bus to the first armenian border control – quick stamp and back on the bus to the Georgian border which took 1 minute

It took around 7mins to get our passports checked
The quick drive to the Georgian border control now – A guard also got on the bus and checked our passports as well
It was us and another tour group and only 1 control officer – this one too longer

All some and dusted at 7:55am and we headed off to rhe turkish border

In Georgia we passed by many farmers walking their cows to green pastures
Out first stop was 20mins before the border and we had a coffee (which Narek kindly bought for us all!) T

This was an armenian run cafe and shop, so they spoke Armenian which was nice and we were glad we were supporting their business

Our coffee and home made breakfast which was vegetable sandwich
The scenery was beautiful with its green grass and rolling mountains
There were many farm houses and farm land around this area, it was rural with not many people around

The roads around here were awful!! There were so many pot holes basically as soon as we passes through the border, by the end of it our backs were all over the place! Espec since we were on the back seat as well so it was even worse lol it was allll worth it in the end!

We came to the Turkish / Georgian border
The turkish side was pretty modern looking

It was really quite at the border with not many vehicles passing through which was interesting as I would have thought it would have been busy

And here we are across the border and into turkey
Back on a new bus and on to even bumpier country side roads!
The mountains started and we drove through lush green fir forests
Very patriotic… the buildings were box like but all different colours

KARAGOL LAKE / BLACK LAKE

LAKE KARAGOL is located in a beautiful national park in Artvin province

we had been driving for AGES and my butt felt really flat and out of shape so when we turned into this park we were really happy to get out and walk around! I was a bit stiff but as we started walking my body loosened up

Even though it’s called BLACK LAKE, it really wasn’t! It was so lush and green and beautiful even on a cloudy and dreary day, the lake looked serene and gentle

There was a group of people who were doing a yoga session on the pier then after that there was a group that were meditating, it was such a relaxed environment we all calmed down immediately after that crazy bump fest of a bus ride

There were groups of trout swimming around the lake, I would have liked to see what it would be like here with the sun shining

There were many people from outside of turkey who were camping here or doing a meditation yogas retreat of some sort – hence there were also police patrolling the area and asked to see our passports to make sure we weren’t illegal!

Surrounded by beautiful pine forests, we spent a good 1hr just walking, enjoying the scenery and had time to have a nice coffee at the hotel there in front of the lake – it really was very relaxing and a beautiful spot

The lake from above, known for its heart shape

TBET MONASTERY

https://share.google/wKZoiGZwVt7c29qWw

The Cathedral of Tbeti – 15km from Savsat town in the Artvin Province, it sits around 1200m above sea level surrounded by dense forests and lakes

The buildings, have suffered severe damage leaving only ruined walls of what was once a magnificent structure

Some local friends sitting together in the quiet village having a chat in front of the monastery

The group discussing the history about the Cathedral and admiring the beautiful architecture

A large part of the ceiling collapsed and what remains is just a shell of the old building that used to have life as first a church and then a mosque

no other buildings have been found around this cathedral

SAVSAT CASTLE

Found along the Artvin-ardahan road, dates back to medieval times constructed by the Bagratid Dynasty in Georgian architecture and sitting all proud perched on top of a steep rock

The kingdom of Georgia was a medieval state that was formed at the beginning of the 11th c.

The castle walls are mostly still standing, the castle dungeons and the church are still mostly there as well

Excavations have taken place here and there have been found wine cellars, baths, a pharmacy, a mansion and warehouses – gold and silver coins were found from the period of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

The wine cellar found inside the castle complex

I loved this castle ruins because you can hike up and feel what it would have been like to live back in the medieval times safe at the top of a mountain overlooking the road / path below all protected and perched at the peak

There was so much to explore here and it was very organic, so no touristy pathways from one side to the other, you can just climb the ruins as you please!

Driving through this region… so scenic and so beautiful!

Stopped at the view point to look over the gorgeous Coruh Stream

OH! we found a little gorgeous group of 6 puppies at the view point and a few of us jumped down and played with them a bit they were SOOOOOO cute!! DANG!

Driving finally into the town of HOPA on the Black Sea – colours, smells, noises!

Getting closer to the main area of Hopa

And finally made it to our hotel!! HUZAR OTEL

We ended up going for a walk with the guys and I had a MISSION… I was looking for the chocolate pudding which I have had an obsession with the first time I went to Turkey in 2005 and every time I go back I alwaysssss have a pudding and maybe even every day LOL that’s how much I like it

There was a lit up street behind our hotel which was mainly small restaurants and mostly with men sitting inside eating and drinking tea

Didn’t sleep too late as we had an early start in the morning

Day 2

We woke up around 7am to have breakfast & then leave at 8am

Breakfast in the morning at the hotel – an awesome typical Turkish breaksfast of fresh produce and americano coffee

My favourites are the fresh cucumber and the tomatoes with the olives and bread… yum!

Who can complain when you have this view over the Black Sea!

I was so happy with my breakfast – a nice coffee with veggies and tahini halva, cherry jam and chocolate…. DROOL!!!

HAMSHEN BRIDGES

These are historical bridges found in this region of Hamshen, mostly in the Rize and Artvin provinces, they are also found in Armenia (Sanahin / Haghpat / Taghut / Saranots) and are associated with the story of the Daredevils of Sasun

Our first stop was of the famous Hamshen bridges – we saw 2 in one place and they were beautiful!

Sitting on one of the bridges (the higher one) and looking out towards the other one – they have built it in such an amazing way, and the walls are very low so you have to be super careful not to fall over into the water!

The 2 bridges from another angle

MANJUNA WATERFALL HIKE

We hiked up for around an hour to a beautiful waterfall and passed by tea growing gardens and lush green forests

We first crossed over a bridge to start out hike in the tea country

The hike was lovely and we walked through these lush green forest of trees!

Across the river, we could see the tea farms perched on the ledges – they had interesting pulleys and air-trolleys that got the tea from the top of the plantation to the road, was really clever!

The hike was well worth it once we got to the destination of the waterfall!

we were the only ones there and we enjoyed some down time here and relaxed and listened to the strong noise of the waterfall and the crashing waters

The swinging wooden bridge crossing over to the other side

It was wet weather so we had to be careful where we walked

On the way back there was a local vendor selling hot teas on the side of the road!

ZIL CASTLE

The history of this castle is a bit murky, but they say that the local Hemshin lords built this castle – 700M above sea level, located in Rize – this castle has a gorgeous view of the Firtina Creek and set amongst the rolling mountains and lush green forests amongst the fast moving clouds!

The castle is designed to fit into the natural landscape and its location is very prominent as it can oversee all traffic that passes through the valley to be able to protect and collect taxes

This valley connected the settlements of the coast and valleys to the interior cities, it would be open seasonally to allow trade from farmers and local producers giving the rulers the chance to charge taxes

The map of the castle, you can explore all areas and its quite an adventurous climb, so for those who are unstable or unfit, be aware of the steep climb and uneven ground

Zil Castle with the beautiful Kackar (Cross Stone) mountains in the background

You can see another castle or building from the castle looking through the clouds

Exploring the inside of the castle was quite exciting!

The creek flowing through the valley below the castle

There was a sign in the castle mentioning a small rectangular room in the middle bailey as an Armenian Chapel (sign says “temple”) they have found on the site some tiles which also hint that the region was taken over by Ottomons and then used as a mosque

The weather is quite dramatic here in this area and the low clouds were very ominous and eerie, but when the skies are blue, you can see the fantastic Kackar mountains in the distance, which we couldn’t see at this time

The shop at the castle, there were seats looking out across the mountains and people were sitting and having lunch and coffee and a beer its nice atmosphere even with the cold weather

PALOVIT WATERFALL

This loud and beautifully majestic waterfall flows from the high peaks of the Kaçkar Mountains which are the highest mountains in the Pontic Alps

We could barely talk when we were taking photos right in front of the waterfall – it felt magical to just close my eyes and smell in the fresh air and listen to the powerful noise of crashing water

It was a popular destination BUT was really tough to drive up and get through, apparently we were really lucky to have this road open to us, it was raining and we had to reverse back or stop and let buses and cars through the road was so narrow!

AYDER VILLAGE

Ayder in Trabzon lies in a valley with these cozy and cute houses and hotels that look quaint and traditional

Everyones out and about even in the rain sitting on the grass and enjoying just being outside

The guys had fish from the area with some salad and a sad serving of fries

I had the only other option available which was a local dish of cheese / butter and dough – did NOT expect it to come out looking as it did! Had a whole load of bread and salad instead after giving it a try

This area is the final residential area on the road leading to the summits of the Kaçkar Mountains

There are beautiful views over the mountains and the waterfalls

As we explored Ayder Village we were met with many many tourist shops and over priced restaurants and vendors along the way to the edge of the town

Hand made trinkets and things from china appeared frequently in these shops

Alpine buildings lined the Main Street and restaurants with smoke coming out the chimneys ushering you in for a nice hot meal

The clouds skimmed the tops of the trees and gave it such an eerie but beautiful feel even in this cold climate, it was nice to be there exploring

We picked up a hitch hiker on the way out of the village and dropped him off 30mins away from Ayder

We got back to Hopa at sunset and had the night to explore and have a meal after that small feed at Ayder, the boys were hungry so we went back to the original restaurant where we were so nicely greeted by the owner

He entertained us and we had a nice meal while he sat and chatted and had a laugh, with the limited language, we understood each other, he even knew words in Armenian being a Hamshen-ahai

Everyone happy with their meal!

We then had our dessert which was fantastic!!!! we each tried something different

and a nice Turkish coffee before bed… didn’t keep me awake which shocked me!

a great day with many adventures and new sights added to the list of life!

DAY 3

This was departure day from Hopa! We said goodbye to the Black Sea and headed back towards Hamshen area and the mountains – another full day ahead including the 2 borders back to Armenia!

We drove through the beautiful Borchka Valley and witnessed the gorgeous river flowing past small towns and beautiful scenery

DOLISKANA MONASTERY & CHURCH

Said to be a Georgian Orthodox Monastery in the village of Doliskana in the Klarceti region

Known in Turkey as Dolishane Monastery, said to have been established in 9th c. unfortunately almost all the buildings of the monastery have been destroyed except the main church

THE DOLISKANA CHURCH – is the main church of the monastery complex built in 10th c. – built by Bagrat and later restored by Sumbat I of Georgia

It is a domed and covered crucifix church and is 20 x 14m and 25m high

The central area has a square plan and 4 extended cross arms

This church was used as a mosque until 1998

The ornate designs on the outside of the church around the window

The writing confused us a bit as it really looked Armenian

We continued driving along the River and past Artvin and other mountainside villages and towns

We drove from HOPA past ARTVIN with the beautiful views of the river for most of the way and then down towards ARDAHAN – always with gorgeous mountain views

CEHENNEM DERESI / HELL CREEK CANYON

Located in the Ardanuc district of Artvin, this canyon was such a beautiful place to hike and enjoy!

2.5km in length

The entrance looked easy enough, so we climbed up into the canyon not knowing really what to expect…

We started hiking up and into the narrow areas of the canyon, the ground was wet and slippery as it had been raining for a few days, luckily the day today was nice or else this path would have been chaos to navigate!

We passed through different types of nature, rocks, trees, shrubbery, small stones and large boulders, it was all happenin’ here!

We got to the middle of the canyon and looked up…

There was a bit of a hike to get inside the cave at the top!! Who was game enough to climb to the top? We had the option to go and OF COURSE I couldn’t say NO! So 3 of us took off and let the group for a little bit of a caving adventure!

We climbed into the cave and it was so cool to look down and see people who were just little specks!

The path had been carved out making it so much easier to access the cave from the canyon

Inside the cave looking down towards the rest of the group on the left and looking up towards our destination of out of the cave and on the mountain

And then finally got to the top and someone was in the middle of building a castle like restaurant overlooking the mountains!

Check out the view from the top! cant see the rest of the group from up here, its beautiful and scenic… what a view!

The beautiful flowers we found at the top…

We eventually hiked down and began our trek back to the bus… it was really slippery and we had to be extra careful as the boulders were wet and slowly and eventually we all made it back down… the white shoes and pants in the group were dirty but it was all worth it!

Driving through the countryside we pass some little traditional towns with basic homes in little communities

We stopped at one of the most beautiful view points on our 3 day trip so far!

The windy road on the right hand side we drove up and I loved being in the clouds! The weather was gorgeous and it was magical having them float around us and engulf us!

ARDAHAN CASTLE

Ardahan Castle lies on a plateau on the north bank of the River Kura in the city of Ardahan, province of Ardahan

Excavations have found early bronze Age settlement and they say the first castle here was built during the 12th century during Seljuk rule

The entrance gate, above the doorway there is a stone with an inscription commemorating the renovation of Ardahan Castle in mid 18th c.

Looking towards Ardahan from the Castle – population of around 20,000 its one of the smallest cities in the country and capital of the Ardahan province

Found a little baby fox roaming around the castle grounds, so cute!

The beautiful flowers growing in the courtyard of the castle interior

loved wandering around this castle ruin as it was a beautiful contrast of colours from the flowers and the castle walls

The other entrance of the castle which goes out to a viewing area with picnic seats, there for the tourists and locals to enjoy the beautiful view over Ardahan city

Got to the border and said bye to our Turkish driver and got ready to pass through the 2 check points into Georgia

Had bought heaps of cherry jam and tahini from Turkey so had to use the trolley on the way back!

Our stamps via the Turkish border

We stopped at the first place we stopped on the first day and had dinner here, it was all ready as we stumbled in, we were all so hungry and we loved every bite! This little cafe was owned by an Armenian

WHAT GOOD LUCK! a DOUBLE rainbow! SO SO SO beautiful!

Many farmers taking their cows home after a day of grazing in the fields

In Georgia, passed by man cute churches, LOVE this action shot with the sunset and the passing trees…

Our last stop was at the gas station around 1hr from Yerevan – we jumped out and stretched out legs before hitting the road again and making it back to Yerevan before 21:00

What an awesome adventure! loved every moment even the bumps in the road and the flat arses! LOL would do it all over again

JULY 2025