Stone bridges
Single arches.
Kadir KARA — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kadir KARA — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dr. Zeynel Cebeci — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dr. Zeynel Cebeci — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dr. Zeynel Cebeci — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Fırtına Valley is a mountain valley on Turkey's Black Sea coast, carrying the Fırtına river near the town of Çamlıhemşin in Rize Province, about 38 km east of Rize city in a straight line. The Fırtına, «storm river», is formed where streams from the Kaçkar mountains' Black Sea slopes meet, and runs 68 km to the sea about two kilometres west of Ardeşen. It flows past tea gardens, is graced by old arched stone bridges and has stretches suited to whitewater rafting. The green-turquoise river rushes between big boulders in a narrow valley clothed in dense, deep green forest, with mist often curling around the slopes. Slender single-arch stone bridges hung with plants cross the water, and wooden houses and tea gardens dot the slopes. Visitors drive the road along the river from the coast to Çamlıhemşin, stopping at the stone bridges for photos, and some go rafting. Many continue up to the Ayder plateau in the Kaçkar mountains, and summer is the best season.
Single arches.
Whitewater.
On the slopes.
Çamlıhemşin, Rize, Turkey
The Ayder plateau.
Summer.
