Stage 2 of the Kaçkar Mountains Traverse covers 13.3 km from Dilberdüzü to Yukarı Kavrun, with 963 m of ascent and 1,577 m of descent. The highest point is 3,219 m. Allow about 6.5 hours of walking, plus breaks.
Distance, climb and elevation come from the Outest route data. Difficulty and time are estimates from distance and climb; your pace will vary with heat, pack weight and photo stops.
Kavrun gölleri
Wild camping by the Büyük and Küçük Deniz lakes at about 2,900 m, 1.5-2 hours below the Naletleme pass and 3.5 km above Yukarı Kavrun; a common place to split stage 2. No facilities.
Family-run tea house and restaurant with local prices in the middle of Yukarı Kavrun, on the trail. Summer only (the yayla is empty from about October to May).
Five wooden chalets for up to 4 people each, with private bathrooms, and a 50-seat restaurant at the lower end of Yukarı Kavrun, about 0.3 km from the trail; the owners also offer transfers and guiding. Cash only; its website is old (2016), so call ahead.
Ask for Hüseyin Şahin
Camping ground at the upper end of Yukarı Kavrun, where the trail from the Naletleme pass comes in; the 2015 kackar.org team started and ended here. Summer only; shops and tea houses in the yayla are a few minutes away.
Şahin Cafe Pansiyon
Wooden cafe-pension in Yukarı Kavrun with 7 en-suite rooms (28 beds), bed only, half or full board; camping is possible next to it. Listings date from 2010-2023 and none confirms 2026, so call before you rely on it.
Checked online in October 2026. Places marked "listed in a map or guide listing" appear on OpenStreetMap, in a guidebook or on a climbing forum, but could not be confirmed on their own website or an official tourism list. There are no huts on this trek: you sleep in village pensions at Yaylalar, Olgunlar, Yukarı Kavrun and Ayder, and camp at Dilberdüzü and the Kavrun lakes. The yayla pensions open only from about June to September; call ahead and pay in cash (Turkish lira).
Emergency: call 112 (ambulance, gendarmerie, rescue, fire). Emergency & health guide
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
The full stage works offline in Outest, with the route, elevation, water and village points, and a trail guide you can ask about conditions and the next place to sleep.