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Travel in a sustainable and ecological way in Turkey: The Social-Responsibilty-Project in the Macahel Region

Ecotourism in the Turkish Macahel region

The Macahel region has been a military restricted area for years. Also, because of its climatically tough accessibility during the winter (for the period of 5 to 6 months there is no connection to the outside world) the territory has stayed untouched to a large extent. The natural diversity of the native flora is possibly even record-breaking for European standards! Until now, the globalization spared the native people from its influences. Therefore, they still use to live in their traditional way and in harmony with their unique environment.

Travel to the Macahel region and find out more about the native goods typical for the region, such as honey, black tea, corn, dairy products, jam, fruit, edible forest plants, wild herbage and much more. This confrontation with regional dishes and goods mirrors the very first pillar of our understanding of cultural trips.

Experience a day in the tea fields or during the corn harvest. Hike from alp to alp and produce dairy products yourself. Create that, which you will indulge in afterwards and relish your product with all your senses. Doing so you can not only learn about the required processes, but also about the distinctive features of certain traditions.

The proactive realization of social responsibility is the second pillar of our concept:

Macahel is situated in the north-eastern corner of Turkey, close to the Georgian border. The county enhances merely six villages, surrounded by forests of picturesque beauty.

This means in reverse that we consider it our duty to conduct Sustainable and Fair Tourism. Hence, it is our urgent concern to protect this destination from the negative consequences of tourism and additionally share the profits with those people whose guest we were allowed to be in order to assist them, however without interfering with their system. Sustainability means, not to abuse the destination for your own purposes in first place – for instance by obstructing or assimilating it, like it sadly already happened to the whole Mediterranean coastline and in the skiing-regions in the alps – but instead to keep it in its original nativeness.

Ecotourism: Profits for both nature and humans