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Hiking Mount Aragats: Armenia's Tallest Mountain

  • By Thong Do
  • 16 Aug, 2017

One of the greatest joys I’ve had to experience while living in Armenia is hike its tallest mountain. Mount Aragats’ name translates to Ara’s Throne but also believed to be named after an ancient Armenian god Ara. Mount Aragats is an extinct volcano and can be seen from the capital, Yerevan, the Shirak province where I live, and the Kotayk and Aragatsotn provinces too. Mount Aragats is comprised of 4 peaks, the highest is the Northern peak at 4,090 meters (13,420 feet), the next is the Western peak at 3,995 meters (13,107 feet), the next is the Eastern peak at 3,908 meters (12,756 feet), and the shortest is the Southern peak at 3,888 meters (12,756 feet).

The best time to hike Mount Aragats is in the summer months between June-early September when the trails are dry and stable. Unless you’re a professional climber then you can go year round. My friends in the IT sector were on vacation and asked me if I was interested in going with them so naturally I jumped at the opportunity. We left from the city of Gyumri where we live and it took us over two hours to get to the base. The base is next to Kari Lake and situated at 3,200 meters. You can’t miss it because there is a hotel there as well as a scientific research station there. I even saw some campers out in this area too if that’s what you’re interested in.

(pardon the lines on some of the photos, the sensor on my camera needs to be repaired)
Kari Lake where we parked. You can see the hotel and the research station...
our hiking group with the North peak in the background...

Luckily for us, my IT friends had a colleague named Ehdo who was our guide  who lost count to how many times he climbed Mount Aragats. We started our incline at 8am in the morning and the first section of the trip wasn’t too bad. Eventually we reached an area I refer to as the intersection that had a small stone fort to rest at and protect you from the fierce winds. From here you can decide which peak you wish to climb. The others in my group had already hiked the Western and Southern peaks and were anxious to hike the North. Even though it was higher and by far more strenuous I agreed that the Northern route would be pretty cool. We reached the intersection point at 11am and then broke for lunch where we met a lot of other hikers there. I met 3 French hikers who had just finished climbing the West peak and a large group of Germans were also heading up that way too.

There’s an interesting little legend about Mount Aragats. According to the legend, Mount Aragats and Mount Ararat were loving sisters who went their separate ways after an argument and then decided to split permanently. Mt. Ararat is a source of pride for Armenians since it is believed that Noah’s Ark is still up there. It is currently located in Turkey.

on the left is the Southern peak...
us heading down the mountain towards the Northern peak...
one of many rock piles I saw along the way down the mountain...
a view looking back up towards the Southern peak on the way down...

To head north we had to slowly hike down the mountain and the first thing you notice are the patches of snow and ice still bouncing sunlight off of it. The lower you get you eventually start to see the flowers still in bloom. The only wildlife I saw out there was the occasional birds and a lot of tiny black spiders. Otherwise, it’s complete serenity and beautiful views. You know you’re near the bottom once you come across multiple small streams of the water from the melting snow. We crossed these streams and slowly made our way up to the Northern summit. The other thing I noticed were lots of manmade piles of stone. I’m not sure I know what the significance of it is but I know it’s popular in the mountain climbing community. Anyways, it looked pretty cool and you’ll see plenty of them. Eventually, I caught up to the rest of the group at the Northern summit and it was absolutely beautiful up there. From the time we left the intersection point to the North summit had to have been at least 4 hours.

After another food break the others began walking up to the northern peak. The guide and two other young ladies were able to race up to the peak like cheetahs but I really had to take my time. My camera gear was quite heavy and I was worn out. Eventually, I had to stop at about the 2/3-point and reassess if I could continue. I came to the realization that if I would finish climbing the extra 100 meters to the peak I wouldn’t have the strength to make it back. I was a little disappointed that I had come so far but out there so far from assistance I knew it wasn’t worth the risk. So I just sat and waited for the others to come down from the peak and took pictures of the surroundings. By the time we started down from the Northern summit and heading back towards the intersection point it must have been around 5 or 6pm. I had been losing track of time since I wasn’t checking my phone at all.

some of the local flowers I saw along the way...
the Southern peak once again...
view from the Northern Summit...
this is where I stopped around the 2/3-mark of the Northern peak...
I saw this beautiful ice formation at the base of the mountain....
on the 10,000 Armenian Dram note, Mt. Aragats is in the background...

The climb back up the mountain from the streams was the most depressing because I was so exhausted and cramped. I had run out of water and filled up again at the stream. Step by step and break after break it was such a great feeling to get back to the intersection point since it would be all downhill from there. The sun was beginning to set and it was around 8pm when we began our descent. It took us nearly 2 hours to get back to our van. It was already dark and I can’t believe we hiked for 14 hours! It was one of the most grueling and difficult tests of endurance I’ve put my body through in years but it was satisfying though.

I recommend if you’re a beginner or not in great shape like I was to only do the Southern peak. It should take only 5-6 hours according to my guide. I can only recommend that you bring plenty of water and a load of snacks that will give you a lot of energy. I don’t recommend doing the North peak like I did unless you’re in great shape because it’s too much of a risk in case you get injured out there. Wear wind/rain resistant clothing too. The weather I had was great but the weather is moody and can change quickly up there. There were moments of blaring heat then the clouds would come with the icy winds.

Overall, this was a grueling but satisfying experience. If you’re visiting Armenia and are feeling adventurous then there are plenty of tours that will take you up here. Just be properly prepared and know your limits. On the way Mt. Aragats do stop by the Alphabet Park as well as Amberd Fortress too.

Happy traveling

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