Uzungol Travel Guide: The Lake, Where to Stay and Getting There

Uzungol, which means long lake, sits in the Caykara district of Trabzon province. The lake formed when a landslide dammed a mountain stream, leaving a long body of water ringed by steep, spruce-covered peaks at around 1,100 meters.

The draw is the scenery and the climate: cool, breezy, often misty summers that feel a world away from the coast, with mirror reflections of the mountains on the water. The lakeside mosque against the forest is the signature photo.

It is best treated as an overnight base rather than a quick stop. Staying the night gives you the misty morning and calm evening after the day-trip buses have left. Uzungol sits within the wider Trabzon highlands, so it pairs naturally with the region.

Almost everyone reaches Uzungol from Trabzon, whose airport (TZX) is the gateway to the region. From the city it is roughly 95 km, about 1.5 to 2 hours, on a scenic but winding mountain road that slows down in mist or traffic.

The best window is late spring to early autumn, with June to September the sweet spot. Summer days are cool, around 15 to 25 C, with a mountain breeze and frequent mist that makes the lake photogenic rather than gloomy.

July and August are the busiest and the village can feel crowded and built-up, so book early and consider June or September for a calmer stay. Bring a light jacket even in summer, because the weather turns quickly up here.

Uzungol is about slow nature rather than a checklist. These are the highlights, most of them a short walk or drive from the lake.

Staying by the lake is the whole point. Uzungol has lakeside hotels and wooden bungalows, and larger apartment-style places suit families who want more space. Waking up to the mist on the water is worth the overnight.

Rooms start from roughly 50 USD a night and rise sharply in peak summer, when the best lakeside bungalows sell out. If Uzungol is full, some visitors base themselves in Trabzon and drive up for the day.

Turkey is a majority-Muslim country, so halal is the default here: the trout, grills and village food are halal without asking, and pork is not part of the local cuisine.

The lakeside mosque is both the signature landmark and a working mosque, so prayer is easy right by the water, with more mosques in the surrounding villages.

Uzungol is deep in the eastern mountains, where coverage can be patchy. Turkcell has the widest reach in this part of Turkey, so a plan on a strong network matters more here than in the cities.

Turkey is outside the EU roaming zone, so a foreign SIM roams at full rates, and a local Turkish SIM triggers a 120-day phone-registration rule that tourists generally cannot use. A travel eSIM on a strong network sidesteps both.

Set up your travel eSIM before you fly. Turkey blocks many eSIM store websites from inside the country, so buying one after you land can be difficult. Install it at home and you arrive connected, ready for maps on the mountain road.