Çaykara is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Çaykara village lies in a V-shaped valley along the Solakli River in the Pontic Mountains, at an elevation of around 300 metres. Çaykara district lies to the south of Dernekpazari (Kondu) and forms the upper part of the Of-valley system ('Solakli Vadisi' in Turkish), with peaks reaching to over 3,300 meters. The western half of Ikizdere district - which lies just east of Çaykara and is now part of Rize province - was historically also part of the same administrative and cultural region. Large swathes of the district are made up of old-growth temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, gradually making way for alpine tundra at higher altitudes.

The district takes its name from the Çaykara stream, which forms through the conjunction of the Solakli and Yesilalan brooks. The historic name of Çaykara is Kadahor or Katokhôr (from Kato Choriou "lower village" in Pontic Greek). As is typical in transhumance communities in the Pontic Mountains and the Caucasus, Kadahor was settled with a number of subordinate upland villages for different seasons, which explains its name. However, in current times the name 'Tsaikara' is also used in Pontic Greek.

In recent years the valley has become a major tourist attraction. During the summer months Lake Uzungöl attracts thousands of tourists on a daily basis. Especially in the vicinity of the lake dozens of small and medium-sized hotels have been built - often without a permit - leading to conflict with authorities. In 2019 the eclectic Uzungöl Dursun Ali Inan Museum was opened just east of the lake, showcasing objects relating to the history, culture, nature and geography of the district, as well as a large collection of tree root and trunk art. According to some researchers the state has used tourism as an instrument to subvert local culture through the 'festivalisation' of the celebrations related to the agricultural calendar and the transhumance landscapes.