Guide
Tunca Valley Nature Park lies in the Ardeşen district of Rize and covers 4,082 hectares. The district is forty-six kilometres from the centre of Rize.
The shrubs that dominate the park are Caucasian and yellow rhododendron and the Rize rhododendron, along with bilberry and Caucasian whortleberry, rowan and elder. Among the herbaceous plants are mat grass, Caucasian yarrow, the yarrow named after Rize, thyme, bird's-foot trefoil and alpine dock, and in autumn two autumn-flowering crocuses come up.
In the wetter ground grow marsh marigold, long-leaved primrose, soft rush and several sedges and rushes, with meadow grasses, cock's-foot and selfheal.
Here and there among these, kept short and shrubby, oriental beech, goat willow, raspberry and daphne are found scattered through the park.
On the rocky ground under the forest grow Medwedew's birch, elder, Norway maple, yellow rhododendron, the Rize rhododendron, Pontic oak and Caucasian whortleberry, together with tall herbaceous plants and, in particular, ferns.
The animals most often seen are the Caucasian salamander, the Uludağ frog, the banded newt, the common toad and the Caucasian parsley frog, along with Schmidt's whip snake and the smooth snake. Among the birds of prey are the sparrowhawk, the long-legged buzzard, the golden eagle, the red kite and the honey buzzard.
The road running from Nolaşkari in the north of the park to the İntor glacial lake in the east, and the road from Nolaşkari to the Göleteği glacial area in the south, make a very good walking route, passing through forest and through alpine and subalpine meadow.
- Designated
- 11.07.2013
