7-Day Black Sea Tea & Table: A Nature and Culinary Journey

After breakfast, travel along the coast towards Rize. Visit a tea garden and meet a local grower. Walk between the bushes as your host explains how the plants are cared for, how the leaves are selected and how harvesting fits into the family’s working year. If harvesting is taking place and the host can accommodate the group, try picking a small quantity of tea leaves under supervision. Outside an active harvest period, the visit focuses on cultivation, demonstrations and conversation. Enjoy lunch featuring regional dishes before an arranged tea producer visit. Observe the processing stages available on the day and finish with a guided tasting. Check in to your hotel in Rize and spend the evening at leisure.
Overnight: Rize
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Leave Rize after breakfast and head inland towards Çamlıhemşin. Follow the Fırtına Valley, stopping at selected viewpoints and accessible riverside locations. Take a short guided walk to enjoy the landscape, with the route chosen according to weather and the group’s mobility. After free time for lunch, explore Çamlıhemşin and nearby village areas. Your guide introduces the relationship between local homes, farming and the surrounding mountains. Continue to your accommodation. In the evening, enjoy a regional dinner and settle into the quieter pace of the valley.
Overnight: Çamlıhemşin area
Meals: Breakfast and dinner

After breakfast, visit a mountain village or highland area selected for the season and road conditions. Spend time with a local host before joining a practical cooking workshop. Learn how familiar ingredients—such as cornmeal, dairy products, beans and leafy vegetables—are used in regional kitchens. The menu will be confirmed with your host. You may help prepare muhlama, a vegetable dish, soup or a local bread, depending on the kitchen and seasonal ingredients. Sit down together to enjoy the lunch you have helped make. In the afternoon, take a gentle walk or stop at a scenic viewpoint before returning to your accommodation. There is time to relax over tea and enjoy the surroundings.
Overnight: Çamlıhemşin area
Meals: Breakfast and workshop lunch

After breakfast, depart for the Borçka area of Artvin, travelling by suitable main roads with comfort and photo stops along the way. An arranged producer visit introduces another regional product. Depending on the confirmed host, this may focus on honey, preserves or dairy products. Hear about the production process and enjoy a small tasting. After free time for lunch, continue towards your accommodation, with a short village or countryside walk if arrival time permits.
Dinner is included this evening.
Overnight: Borçka / Artvin area
Meals: Breakfast and dinner

After breakfast, set out for Borçka Karagöl, subject to access and weather conditions. Enjoy time beside the lake and a guided walk along suitable sections of the visitor paths. The focus is on taking in the forest setting at a comfortable pace. Have lunch at a local restaurant before beginning the return journey to Trabzon. This is one of the longer travel days, with breaks included along the route. Arrive in Trabzon and gather for a farewell dinner. Share your favourite experiences, from the tea gardens to the dishes you prepared together.
Overnight: Trabzon
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Enjoy breakfast before checking out. Depending on your flight time, there may be an opportunity to browse for tea and other regional products before your transfer to Trabzon Airport.

Meals: Breakfast