SAVSAT

55km east of Artvin is Savsat, an alpine village surrounded by meadows of wild flowers and butterflies, rushing streams and quaint chalets. The local womens’ organization has established a training center for weaving in an attempt to keep the indigenous carpet and kilim traditions alive. Karagöl – Sahara National Park, 17km from Savsat on the way to Ardahan, has one of the most beautiful Karagöl alpine lakes as well as the widely-known Sahara plateau. The lake is 45 km northeast of Savsat via Veliköy Village, another typical authentic village. The area around the lake is covered with a variety of pine trees and also has picnic facilities. Wildlife, including bears, is plentiful. The Sahara plateau itself is also covered with beautiful mineral and fresh springs. On the plateau is Kocabey Kislagi Village where you can see traditional wooden houses with their friendly residents. Another important plateau and popular summer residence in the region is Bilbilan whose people are also exceptionally welcoming and helpful. Generally, in all the national parks you can see wonderful examples of birds and butterflies.