Armenia Expedition

Armenia is poised to become adventure travel’s next big thing, with a Transcaucasian trail underway and incredible skylines dominated by 3,000m+ peaks. Get there first to conquer the challenging ridges and summits of Arevik National Park in Armenia’s fable-drenched Caucasus.

The aim of this epic expedition is to summit two peaks in southern Armenia’s Arevik National Park, Mount Khustup (3206m) and Mount Aramazd (3392m). The endeavour ends at the village of Tatev – its fairytale monastery perched high on a natural rock buttress an almost surreal end to this remote and challenging summer expedition. Precipitous Tatev is situated in the UNESCO-nominated Vorotan gorge – Armenia’s deepest and most impressive.

Secret Compass worked with Armenia’s best mountain guides to bring you this pioneering route, as trekking is not generally ‘done’ in this region in this manner – most trek groups stick to the more quickly accessed northerly national parks. These remote mountains (and their endless skies and sunsets viewed from wild camp spots) will be yours alone. The terrain varies from verdant leafy forests to arid peaks and valley floors to seas of peaks stretching off in the direction of Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

 

Highlights

• Summit Mounts Aramazd and Khustup.
• Trek in one of the earliest Christian civilisations.
• Visit a monastery dating back 2,000 years.
• Explore Tatev monastery and the Vorotan gorge.
• Visit Areni winery, said to be the world’s oldest.
• Be among the first to trek southern Armenia’s high peaks.
• Pass old Soviet infrastructure – the remains of Armenia’s turbulent past.
• Feast on local delicacies like churchkhela and lavash bread.

 

Requirements

Team members should be aged 21+ and willing to be part of a team working together to achieve the goal of the expedition. They should have an adventurous and robust spirit. All our expeditions are achievable by people with an active and healthy lifestyle. This expedition is the same. You will be required to be fit enough to:
Trek: up to 25km per day.
Carry: up to 10kg per person.
Terrain: steep, challenging and occasionally exposed terrain with daily altitude gains of up to 1,000m and at heights reaching 3,500m.
Climate: hot and humid conditions up to 35C, far colder at altitude.