Autumn paints Black Sea plateau in gold, orange and red

Hidirnebi Plateau, located at an altitude of 1,600 meters in the Akcaabat district of Trabzon, a port city on Türkiye’s Eastern Black Sea coast, and the nearby Balikli Lake are welcoming visitors as the surrounding nature turns to yellow, orange and red tones for autumn.

Because of its proximity to the city center, the plateau is a popular stop for both local and foreign visitors, who come to get away from the noise of city life.

Photography enthusiasts are also drawn to the area, where the changing colors of the season offer plenty of opportunities to capture the landscape.

Balikli Lake, counted among the natural beauties of the Eastern Black Sea region, is one of the first stops for nature lovers who make their way up to the plateau.

The lake, which hosts thousands of visitors every year, takes on a different look in autumn as the forests around it change color.

On the plateau, green gives way to yellow, orange, brown and red, creating scenery that allows visitors to spend time surrounded by nature and take photographs.

Ahmet Yilmaz, who traveled from Istanbul to Trabzon with his family, said he was impressed by the natural beauty of the region and that the Hidirnebi Plateau was part of the route his wife had planned.

Yilmaz said his family had worried that rain might spoil the trip at this time of year, but the weather turned out to be very nice, allowing them to see the colors of nature in Trabzon, on the plateau and in the neighboring province of Rize.

Amin Abul Raha, who came to Trabzon from Saudi Arabia on a recommendation, described the soil, vegetation, trees, and overall scenery as wonderful and said he felt as if he were in paradise on earth.

Mehmet Bakirci, a shopkeeper on the plateau, said the area draws visitors with its views, forests, and natural lakes, and that people come in every period of the year.

According to Bakirci, the plateau is dominated by green in the summer, and the falling leaves of autumn attract local and foreign tourists, which has led to the start of what he called autumn tourism.

Fellow shopkeepers Celal Altuntas and Adem Sahinkaya said they have served a large number of visitors throughout the season, with weekends being especially busy on the plateau.