Trabzon: Uzungöl Group Tour, Explore The Nature & Taste Tea

Uzungöl is the star here, but the route gives you more than a lake and a photo stop. You’ll see Sürmene’s famous knives, taste Black Sea tea at a working factory, sample Turkish delight and honey, then reach the lake by way of a high viewpoint above the water. It is a full day of regional tastes and scenery rather than a single-sight outing.

I like the easy hotel pickup and the useful mix of stops. The tea tasting adds local context, while the 2.5 hours at Uzungöl gives you time to eat, walk, and take photographs without rushing from one viewpoint to the next. The main consideration is that lunch and drinks cost extra, and the group may spend time at shopping stops that will not appeal to everyone.

Key points to know before booking

• Sürmene knives open the day: Spend about 20 minutes learning about the sharp, well-regarded blades made in this Black Sea district.
• Tea is more than a quick sip: The 35-minute factory visit includes tasting, an explanation of tea production, shopping, and a traditional dance show.
• Uzungöl gets the longest stop: You have about 2.5 hours for the upper viewpoint, restaurant time, a walk, and independent sightseeing.
• Local sweets are part of the route: Ali Baba Lokumcusu offers Turkish delight, honey, sweets, tasting, and time to shop.
• The meal is not covered: The stop is arranged at a restaurant, but food and drinks are excluded from the $47 price.
• Weather will not cancel the day: Bring rain gear, comfortable shoes, and a windbreaker for rain, snow, or wind.

From Trabzon city center to the Black Sea hills

The day begins with pickup from selected hotels and city points in Trabzon. Choices include Novotel Trabzon, Mercure Trabzon Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Trabzon, WEEN OTEL, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon, Panagia Premier Trabzon, Aksular Hotel & Restaurant, and several easy-to-find points such as Burger King, Shell, and Vatan Bilgisayar Trabzon.

Pickup is included, which makes this tour practical if you do not have a car. If you are staying somewhere else, contact the operator before booking rather than assuming a nearby hotel will work. One useful piece of advice is to be ready at the stated time. The tour runs on a fixed group schedule, and a communication problem caused one booking party to wait for confirmation until after the scheduled start.

The ride is by air-conditioned bus and lasts about eight hours in total. The exact drive time between stops is not provided, so the day will feel active rather than leisurely. You are covering several parts of the region, and the return to Trabzon includes another photo stop.

The tour operates in rain, snow, or sunshine. That is good news if your holiday weather is uncertain, but it also means Uzungöl may look very different from one departure to the next. Pack a waterproof layer, not just an umbrella. Comfortable shoes matter because the day includes walking at the lake and getting out at several stops.

Sürmene knives and a short look at local craft

The first scheduled visit is Akif Usta Bıçakçılık in Sürmene, a district known for quality knives and sharp blades. You have around 20 minutes for a guided visit and shopping.

This is a brief stop, so think of it as an introduction to a regional craft rather than a full workshop visit. The value is cultural: the route connects the scenery of the Black Sea with an object people in the area are proud to make. If you like practical souvenirs, a knife may be more useful than another decorative item, though you should consider how you will pack and transport it.

The shopping element is clear here. You do not need to buy anything, but the stop is designed to show products for sale. If your ideal day has no retail visits, this will feel like a small interruption. If you enjoy seeing local goods and comparing handmade or regional products, it gives the drive a little more purpose.

Tea at Ikicay factory

The Ikicay tea factory is the most distinctive cultural stop on the route. The visit lasts about 35 minutes and includes a guided explanation, a tea ceremony, tasting, shopping, and a traditional dance show.

Tea is central to daily life in the Black Sea region, so this stop helps explain something you will notice throughout northern Turkey. You are not just handed a glass and sent back to the bus. The visit is meant to show the journey of tea and its place in local culture. The tasting also gives you a chance to decide what kind of tea you like before buying a supply.

The traditional dance show adds a performance element. That can be fun and memorable, although it also means the visit is arranged for groups and follows a set presentation. Do not expect a long, quiet factory tour with time to study every stage of production. You get a compact introduction, a taste, and the chance to shop.

This is one of the stronger parts of the day for anyone interested in food and daily customs. I especially like that it gives context to a product rather than treating tea as a simple souvenir. You may want to keep purchases small, since the rest of the day involves moving between several stops.

Turkish delight, honey, and a sweet break

Before Uzungöl, the bus stops at Ali Baba Lokumcusu Trabzon for about 30 minutes. Here you can sample Turkish delight and other sweets, see honey and local products, and shop.

This stop is less about scenery and more about flavor. Turkish delight comes in many forms, and tasting before buying is useful. Honey is another regional product, and the store gives you a chance to compare items rather than choosing blindly from a shelf.

Again, shopping is part of the plan. The tour includes Turkish delight tasting, but any products you purchase are your responsibility. I would treat this as a chance to pick up edible souvenirs for later, not as a full meal. The scheduled visit is only half an hour, so you should not expect a long market visit.

The order works well. You taste tea first, then reach a shop with sweets and honey, then continue to the main natural stop. It creates a day built around small regional discoveries instead of one long transfer to Uzungöl.

Arriving above Uzungöl at Bayraktepe

At Uzungöl, the first stop is Bayraktepe, an upper viewpoint with a view down over the lake. This is the moment when the route’s long drive pays off. From above, you can understand the shape of the lake and its setting better than you can from the roadside below.

The viewpoint is designed for photographs. Bring your windbreaker, especially in cooler months or unsettled weather. The tour runs in snow as well as rain and sunshine, so the view may come with mist, wet paths, or a cold breeze. That is part of the mountain setting, but it can affect how long you want to stay outside.

After Bayraktepe, the bus parks at a restaurant near Uzungöl. You then have about 2.5 hours for lunch, a walk, sightseeing, and your own photographs. This is an important advantage. Many day outings reduce a famous lake to a short stop beside the bus. Here, you have enough time to slow down and choose how to use the main portion of the day.

Making the most of 2.5 hours at the lake

The Uzungöl break is not a guided march from one point to another. You have free time, with the restaurant serving as the meeting and parking point. You can use part of the break for the included route activities, then arrange your own meal and walk around the area.

Food and drinks are not included in the tour price. The description presents the stop as time for lunch, while the inclusions clearly exclude meals, so budget separately for eating. This arrangement gives you some choice, but it also means the final cost will be higher than $47 if you buy lunch, tea, or snacks.

I would divide the time into three parts: first, find out exactly where and when the group meets again; second, eat without letting the meal take the whole stop; third, spend time outside by the lake or on a walk. The meeting time matters because the return journey cannot wait for a late diner.

Uzungöl is the part of the day best suited to people who want both scenery and a break from the bus. You can take photographs from the higher point, then see the area at closer range. The free time also makes the tour easier for different types of visitors. One person can walk while another takes a longer lunch, as long as everyone returns on time.

The drawback is that the schedule gives no detail about the exact walking route, restaurant menu, or amount of time spent at the upper viewpoint. If you need a highly structured nature walk or a specialist guide for hiking, this is not that kind of outing. It is a guided sightseeing trip with independent time at the lake.

The tiled bridge on the return to Trabzon

After the Uzungöl stop, the group gathers and begins the return journey. There is a break at the Historical Tiled Bridge, where you can take photographs before continuing to Trabzon.

This is a smart final stop. After several hours at the lake, a short heritage and photo break breaks up the ride home. The stop is not presented as a long historical tour, so keep your expectations in proportion. You will have time to photograph the bridge, but the supplied details do not promise an extended guided visit.

Drop-off is available at the listed hotels and city points, including Mercure Trabzon Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Trabzon, Aksular Hotel & Restaurant, Novotel Trabzon, WEEN OTEL, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon, Burger King, Panagia Premier Trabzon, Shell, and Vatan Bilgisayar Trabzon.

What the $47 price really covers

At $47 per person, this is a good-value day if you want transportation from Trabzon and several regional stops without arranging a car. The price covers pickup and drop-off from specified locations, an air-conditioned bus, a group leader, tea tasting, and Turkish delight tasting.

You are paying for access to a full route, not just Uzungöl. The tea factory, knife stop, sweet shop, upper viewpoint, lake time, and tiled bridge all fit into one day. For someone staying in Trabzon who wants to see the surrounding area, that saves planning and driving effort.

The limits are just as important. Meals and drinks are extra. Shopping is built into three stops, so the $47 price does not include any knives, tea, honey, or sweets you decide to buy. If you prefer a private trip, a slower pace, or a day focused only on nature, a group tour may not offer the right value.

The group leader can guide in English, Arabic, or Turkish. Hakan, the manager, has been especially responsive when visitors needed help or had questions before the trip. That is useful because pickup details can be the one uncertain part of an otherwise simple day.

The tour allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. Those terms help if your Trabzon plans depend on weather, but they do not change the need to arrive ready and on time.

Who will enjoy this Uzungöl day trip

I would recommend this outing to you if you want a broad introduction to the Black Sea region in one day. It suits first-time visitors who do not have a rental car, families or mixed-age groups who like a combination of short visits and free time, and anyone curious about tea, sweets, and local products as well as scenery.

It is also a practical choice if you want Uzungöl without giving up the cultural stops along the road. The tea tasting and dance show are particularly useful for people who want more than photographs.

You may want another option if you dislike shopping visits, need a quiet schedule, or want a serious hike. The route includes commercial stops, a group timetable, and a long day on the road. Uzungöl receives the most time, but the tour is not designed as a private nature excursion.

Pack light but sensibly:

• Comfortable shoes for walking and getting in and out of the bus
• Rain gear for wet weather
• A windbreaker for the exposed viewpoint and changing conditions
• Extra money for lunch, drinks, and purchases
• A phone or camera with space for photographs

Alcohol and drugs are not allowed. The tour runs in all weather, so clothing is more important than a perfect forecast.

Should you book this tour?

Book it if you want an affordable, well-filled day from Trabzon that combines Uzungöl scenery with Black Sea culture. The strongest reasons are the included transportation, the long lake break, the tea factory visit, and the easy pickup and drop-off plan. The positive experience reported by Arina also points to the value of the tea sampling, dance show, scenery, and smooth transport, while Hakan’s help is reassuring when you need clear answers.

Think twice if you want every minute spent outdoors or if you do not want shopping stops. Also remember that lunch is not included, and the weather can be wet, snowy, or windy. For most visitors who want to see Uzungöl without organizing a car and separate stops, $47 is a sensible price for a full regional day.

FAQ

How long does the Uzungöl group tour last?

The tour lasts about 8 hours, including pickup in Trabzon, the stops on the way to Uzungöl, free time at the lake, the return journey, and drop-off.

Where can I be picked up?

Pickup is available from listed locations including Novotel Trabzon, Mercure Trabzon Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Trabzon, WEEN OTEL, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon, Panagia Premier Trabzon, Aksular Hotel & Restaurant, Burger King, Shell, and Vatan Bilgisayar Trabzon. Contact the operator if your location is not listed.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

No. Food and drinks are not included. You have time to eat at the restaurant near Uzungöl, but you pay for your own meal and beverages.

What languages are available?

The live tour guide service is available in English, Arabic, and Turkish.

Does the tour include tea and Turkish delight tasting?

Yes. Tea tasting is included at the Ikicay tea factory, and Turkish delight tasting is included at Ali Baba Lokumcusu Trabzon.

What should I bring?

Bring rain gear, comfortable shoes, and a windbreaker. The tour operates in rain, snow, and sunshine.