Anzer, also known as Ballıköy, lies at 2,105 metres in the İkizdere district of Rize, on the skirts of Kirklardagi. It sits on a crossing: from one side it connects to the Çoruh river and the town of Bayburt, from the other to the Uzungöl tourism area in Trabzon, and it is ringed by the Meles, Petran, Kabahor and Garzavan pastures. Being in a transitional area has left its mark culturally as well as geographically.
What made the name known is the honey: Anzer honey is distilled by the bees from the thousand kinds of flower on these pastures. The pasture functions as a yayla centre with food and accommodation available. In summer it shows every shade of green and in autumn the deciduous trees turn it yellow and red, which is why walkers and photographers come. It is 85 kilometres from Rize, reached through İkizdere.
Getting there
- Access
- The plateau is eighty-five kilometres from the city centre and is reached from the İkizdere district.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Rize as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 6.8 °C in February to 23.3 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in October (294 mm) and lightest in May (97 mm). Long-term means for 1927-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
