Türkiye’s Black Sea coast is a dramatically beautiful part of the country, but not usually at the top of the list for those that are only looking for sand-and-sun. Beach life in the north of the country is best combined with a cultural holiday. Because it’s in the north of the country the season is shorter. The best time to visit for sun, sand and sea is in July and August.
Yeşilırmak River
The Yeşilırmak River, the name means Green River in Turkish, is approximately 519 km long. It rises from the Köse Mountain in the north of Sivas, passes through Tokat, Amasya and Samsun provinces, and empties into the Black Sea. Some of the dams built on Yesilirmak are: Almuş, Ataköy, Hasan Uğurlu and Suat Uğurlu. It was known as the Iris in ancient times and its tributaries include the Çekerek (ancient Scylax) and the Kelkit (ancient Lycus).
Çoruh River
The Çoruh river is 431 km long (410 km within Türkiye, 21 km in Georgia) and is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world. It rises from the mountains near Bayburt and Artvin provinces, passes across the border and empties in the Black Sea near Batumi. In Türkiye it flows through the cities of Bayburt, İspir, Yusufeli, and Artvin, along the Kelkit-Çoruh Fault, before flowing into Georgia.
Because of its fast-running waters, it's a very popular river for white water rafting. The Çoruh has been called "an eco-tourism gem" and "Türkiye's last remaining wild river” and is being promoted for white-water kayaking. It attracts kayakers and rafters from all over the world and was the site of the 4th World Rafting Championship in 1993 and the Çoruh Extreme Kayak competition in 2005.
