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Sumela Monastery, Zigana and Hamsiköy Village Tour: Historical and Natural Exploration from Trabzon
4.8
73 Ratings
Ortahisar
Depart from Trabzon to explore the renowned Sümela Monastery, impressively constructed into the cliffs of Altındere Valley. Discover the verdant scenery of Altındere National Park, encircled by wooded mountains and refreshing mountain air, and take advantage of the chance to snap breathtaking photos during the journey.
Depart from Trabzon to explore the renowned Sümela Monastery, impressively constructed into the cliffs of Altındere Valley. Discover the verdant scenery of Altındere National Park, encircled by wooded mountains and refreshing mountain air, and take advantage of the chance to snap breathtaking photos during the journey.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Altindere Vadisi National Park - Begin the adventure at Sümela Monastery, nestled within Altındere National Park, accessible after a delightful one-hour drive. Within the park, shared minibuses are utilized, followed by a 300-meter stroll along a forest trail to reach the monastery.
Before entering Sümela Monastery, take a moment to visit St….
- Altindere Vadisi National Park - Begin the adventure at Sümela Monastery, nestled within Altındere National Park, accessible after a delightful one-hour drive. Within the park, shared minibuses are utilized, followed by a 300-meter stroll along a forest trail to reach the monastery.
Before entering Sümela Monastery, take a moment to visit St. Barbara Chapel, which provides one of the finest vantage points to admire the monastery’s dramatic mountain setting.
- Sumela Monastery - Upon reaching Sümela Monastery, visitors are greeted by historic aqueducts, stone stairways, and visitor amenities. Before entering, pause briefly to appreciate the surrounding natural beauty and stunning views.
After passing through the entrance gate via stone steps, the monastery complex unfolds before you. During the visit, explore the main rock church, chapels, student rooms, library, guesthouse, and sacred spring, along with other sections of this extraordinary site. At the conclusion of the visit, regroup with the tour leader and retrace the path back.
- Zigana - On the return journey, walk back along the forest path and use the national park service to reach the tour vehicle, then proceed toward Zigana Pass. Once a significant route of the historic Silk Road, Zigana was traversed by many renowned explorers, including Marco Polo. After a stop at the pass, situated at an altitude of 2,050 meters, continue the journey to Hamsiköy.
- Hamsikoy - Relish a lunch break in Hamsiköy, celebrated for its natural beauty and famous rice pudding. After visiting Sümela Monastery, Zigana Pass, and Hamsiköy, return to Trabzon, marking the end of the tour. We eagerly anticipate welcoming you on another adventure.
What's Included
- Transportation by new model air conditioned vehicle
- Hotel Pick-up and drop-off
- Tour guiding
- All trips specified in the program
- Transportation by new model air conditioned vehicle
- Hotel Pick-up and drop-off
- Tour guiding
- All trips specified in the program
What's Not Included
- Food and Drinks
- Museum and Entrance fees 20 Euro per person (cash in TL or by credit card)
- National Park shuttle service fee
- Food and Drinks
- Museum and Entrance fees 20 Euro per person (cash in TL or by credit card)
- National Park shuttle service fee
Location
Kahramanmaraş Cd. No:1
Kahramanmaraş Caddesi
We meet in front of the exchange office located next to Burger King, across from McDonald's. Please arrive at the meeting point before the tour's departure time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(73 Ratings)
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Connector37327183042
Oct 18, 2025
Highly recommended great tour - Amazing day tour! Sumela Monastery and Karaca Cave were stunning. Taner was a fantastic guide—informative and friendly. Big thanks to Husain for the smooth ride. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
397andyw
Oct 4, 2025
Great trip out. Lovely guide. - Very good tour. Great value for money.
Rose the guide was highly engaging and helpful. Can recommend this trip out from Trabzon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
869franciss
Oct 1, 2025
Great value, spectacular location - A great day out from Trabazon to visit an old monastery in a genuinely spectacular location. The add ons of the Zigara pass and a good lunch in Hamilkoy were well worthwhile. Highly recommend the sutlaj rice pudding!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leyestha
Aug 31, 2025
Amazing trip - Both driver and Irem our tour guide was very nice. They are punctual in time which was very amazing. The tour itself involved several different places which was very beautiful and iconic..however, i believe the time inside the sulema monastery should be less than 1 hour. Hence, more time can be given to explore the hamsikoy village..Overall, was amazing trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camper66699266633
Aug 20, 2025
Sümela Monastery and Zigana Pass Tour With Zenofon - We were very pleased with the small group tour of Sümela Monastety, Zigana Pass and Hamsiköy on Zenofon Tours. We only had 6 people in our tour mini-bus, which was excellent. Our tour guide Taner was very knowledgeable about the history of Sümela and the surrounding area, and fun and courteous. Our driver Emrah was skilled and gave us a nice, smooth ride. Vehicle was cleans air conditioned. Tour left at 9 am which is a great idea because we beat all the big bus tours and avoided crowds at Sümela and the other stops. Views at Zigana Pass and Hamsiköy are breathtaking. Zenofon is not overly commercialized which is a plus. Overall, we were very happy with the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aimana831
Aug 19, 2025
Very fun - Very good
helped us out and explained in detail
The nature was amazing and the places we passed were so relaxing. I hope to visit again and recommend to my family and friends in Amman to visit Trabzon and its surroundings
Thank you so much for your sightseeing and beautiful hearts
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Masood
Aug 16, 2025
Good Transportation, Good Driver, Friendly and very knowledgeable guide. Explained everything in good english. - I took two day trips. Both trips were very well organized. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. They were very flexible in dropping off at desired locations
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort676668
Aug 7, 2025
Sumela Monastery and Karaca cave tour - The tour was well planned , the guide was very polite and knowledgeable . Sumela monastery's history was explained in good English , the place was mesmerising and the scenery was absolutely beautiful, after that we went to the Karaca cave and that was amazing too. Overall was a very enjoyable day .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_l
Sep 16, 2025
Disappointed in our tour guide - We had a driver and saw the sights but our tour guide only talked like she had read a script and didn’t tell us much or talk very often. At the pass she took selfies and seemed very disengaged from the group…not sure if she even wanted the job. An audio guide would have been so much better. The monastery while historic is now full of thick wooden railings that don’t fit the site done placed there by the Turkish government, half the inside of the church was curtained off for refurbishment and I was disappointed that so much of the artwork has been vandalized. A good guide with a lot of history might have made up for this.
Review provided by Viator
W3068hhsamb
Jan 29, 2026
The biggest disappointment of my life - What a waste to money!!! You pay 140TL for the shuttle bus, 185TL for the parking lot and 20 Euros to access probably 5% of the monastery!! What a scam. Free distant views are worth it though.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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