Most famous is the Kafkasör festival, just above Artvin, last weekend in June. The Friday of the Kafkasör is given over to poetry recitals and Georgian folk-dancing; the second day sees wresting taking centre stage, followed by a concert; the Sunday is saved for the main event - the bullfighting. The springy grass of the yayla makes for excellent (and free) camping, but don't count on getting to sleep early!

Here is a current comprehensive list, but check www.yusufeli.com.tr and other sites for dates, with the province, festival name, place and date. Note that most  dates are not exactly accurate; the festival is on the nearest weekend to the given date.

- ARTVIN Sarıgöl Bull Wrestling Sarıgöl 6th April
- ARTVIN Köprügören Culture festival with wrestling 12-13th April
- ARTVIN Yusufeli traditional Bull Wrestling, Yusufeli 25-27th April
- ARTVİN Murgul and Its Environs' Bullfight Festival 21-27th May
- ARTVIN Marant Bull Wrestling Kılıçkaya 31st May- 1st June
- RIZE Çamlihemsin Festival, Ayder, 2nd week June
- RIZE Ikizdere Black Grouse Festival, Ikizdere, 4th week June
- ARTVİN Hopa Culture and Art Sea Festival 1-5th July
- RIZE Hemsin Festival, Hemsin, 2nd week July
- RIZE Green Yayla culture, art and environment festival, Pazar, Findikli, Hemsin,
Camlihemsin and Ardesen, 5-11th July. Ambitious, new festival - see www.yaylafest.org
- ARTVİN Dalahet-Kıtat Highland Karakucak Wrestling Festival and Bullfights 7 -8th July
- ARTVİN Kılıçkaya Culture society Aros Yayla Festival 18-20th July
- ARTVİN Aydın Village Söğüt Düzü Highland Feasts and Karakucak Wrestling Feast 14th July
- ARTVIN Tekkale Yayla Festivali (wresting and dance) Tekkale Köyü 19th July
- ARTVİN Arhavi Culture and Art Festival 20-22nd July 
- ARTVİN Efkari Bards Feast and Karakucak Wrestling Feast 21-22nd July
- ARTVİN Highland Festival 22nd July
- RIZE Tea and tourism Festival, Rize 4th week July,
- ARTVIN Çevreli Köyü Çamlıbel Yayla Festival, 26th-27th July
- ARTVİN Günyala Köyü Özlem Doksanüç Festival 28th July
- ARTVİN Yarbaşı Köyü Soğukpınar Yayla Festival 2nd-3rd August
- ARTVİN Salikvan Highland Feast  Salikvan Yayla  1st - 3rd August
- RIZE Green Yayla Culture, Art and Folk Festival, Avusor, 7th August
- ARTVIN Barhal Doğa ve Kül. Festivali Barhal Köyü  13-14th August
- ARTVİN Yüncüler Köyü Koçoğul Yayla festival 16th-17th August
- RIZE Cloudland International Folkdance Festival 17th - 24th August 2008
- ARTVIN Karakucak wrestling Festival Yusufeli Centre. 18th-19th October
- RIZE Buzzard festival, Ardesen, 2nd week August
- RIZE Demirkapi Village Yayla Festival, Ikizdere, 3rd week August

White water rafting
The white water rafting season is May-June on the Coruh, for serious rafting, and May - July on the Barhal river for slower, child-friendly excursions. Because the rivers are so much lower than the mountains, the weather can be hot and sunny here while it's snowing on the tops. Çoruh trips can last up to a week, with riverside camps or pensions providing overnight accommodation. The rafting can be up to Grade 5, so experience and a qualified guide are necessary. Barhal river rafting is offered by several pensions adjoining the river, notably the Greenpeace in Yusufeli, or through agencies in Yusufeli. Both are great fun and a good way to see the spectacular riverside scenery and villages while cooling off and getting a suntan.
www.alternatifraft.com, www.adrift.co.uk, www.waterbynature.com, www.medraft.com (turkish) are sites of companies offering rafting.

Heli-skiing
Heli-skiing trips are based in Ayder, but the skiing takes place in some of the U-shaped valley south of the range where the weather is kinder. Some skiiers also stay at the Camyuva pension in Yaylalar. Heli-skiing is off-piste, over snow that can be disturbed by avalanches. Therefore it's only for small groups of experienced, fully equipped skiiers led by a guide who knows the area and conditions well. Because the guides are not locals and the equipment has to be brought in specially, the trips are expensive and pretty exclusive; customers are mainly foreigners. There have been some local protests at the environmental disturbance caused to wildlife by the helicopters. The Swiss-Turkish company which offers heli-skiing packages in the Kaçkar can be found at www.turkeyheliski.com.

Ski-touring, ski-mountaineering and snowshoeing
Clearly the Kaçkar provide admirable opportunities for these outdoor pursuits – heli-skiing has ‘taken-off in the Kakar because the snow cover is both deep and the right consistency for excellent skiing. But – there is virtually no infrastructure in terms of mountain huts or refuges, no mountain rescue and few other facilities (only Ayder and Barhal/Yaylalar/Olgunlar have pensions open year round). So, you need to be experienced and adventurous to venture into the Kaçkar in winter – but if you are then the rewards of discovering an unspoilt winter paradise are enormous.