7 days in the mounts of Armenia (center) Hiking in Armenia

• Hiking to the megalithic fortress
• Hiking to Amberd fortress
• A Night stay in tents(possibility to stay in a hotel for additional fee)

 
Maybe the first inhabitants were attracted with the beauty of these places- by majestic Aragats foothill, or they had other secrets if they decided to build here such things- megalithic fortresses and other ancient structures.
The fortress of Amberd was built on a territory of the Stone Age settlement, which, later was rebuilt into urartian town-fortress. Only the fortress, built in early medieval times reached us. The terrain had been chosen because of its natural inaccessibility. The fortress stands on a triangular height, at the intersection of two rivers, which ensured the fortress' safety. Now you can admire not only the fortress view but also from the fortress- the picturesque surroundings and of course Aragats views.

• Hike to Kari lake
• A Night stay in tents

The slopes of Aragats mountain to the highest zone aren't so great, but they are rugged with ravines. Many water sources are originated from the volcanic rocks. On slopes, there are traces of ancient irrigation systems on the slopes, at the headwaters of which stand vishapakars- dragon-stones, water keepers.
Lake Kari has a volcanic origin- situated at an altitude of 3207 m, under the southern peak. The lake is fed by glaciers and snow, because of this, water in it stays very cold for a long time. The blue mirror of the lake is surrounded by green alpine meadows. From here opens a view to snow covered peaks of Aragats.

• Early exit and ascent to the western peak of Aragats
• Descent to the crater
• Ascent to the northern peak
• Descent to the waterfall
• A Night stay in tents

Aragats mountain is one of the biggest extinct volcanoes. It is the highest mountain on the territory of nowadays Armenia. The mountain has 4 peaks, in the centre of which is the crater with 400 m depth. The highest is the northern peak- 4090 m, then the western- 3989 m, the eastern- 3901 m and the southern- 3879 m.
On the way to the peaks, several climatic zones and landscapes change. In spring and summer, on ascent, the alpine meadows bloom giving a special beauty to the area.
Cold sources, originating from volcanic peaks of Aragats create rivers, which in their turn flow through the gorges and originate picturesque waterfalls.

• Early departure, moving to the monastery of Saghmosavank
• Moving to lake Sevan
• Moving(or hiking) to Akna lich

The gorge of Kasakh river is a natural and historical monument. The gorge has depth of 100 m, the forest zone from below to up above is changed with nearly bare rocks. Here, many historical monuments have been preserved. Along the gorge stand some known monasteries and one of them is- Saghmosavank, which stands on the edge of the gorge- on its left side. In the times of Middle ages, the monastery had been very important spiritual and cultural centre.

Sevan lake is located at an altitude of 1900 m, surrounded by mountains-volcanoes. Not only the lake, but the shores also are awesome and very diverse. Here are both smooth banks covered with forests, and steep rocky shores.

Akna lake is located on a hill, near one of the Gegham mountain peaks, at an altitude of more than 3000 m. A beautiful view of the lake having the purest water is completed with low and young volcanic "hills" and with alpine meadows stretching around the lake.

• Hiking through highland gorge
• Ascent to Azhdahak and descent from the other side (the car will come there)
• Moving to the monastery of Geghard
• Garni gorge, a night stay(in tents) in the gorge(possibility of spending night in a guest house or hotel)

Gegham mountain range- one of the four volcanic mountain ranges surrounding Sevan lake. And the highest point of the range is Azhdahak mountain. The height of it is nearly 3600 m. On the top, in a crater, was formed a lake. Since many sources originate from Azhdahak, during the climbing it is possible to see vishapakars.
The monastery of Geghard, which is often called as cave monastery, stands on a hill, in a gorge. It is surrounded with high mountains and next to the monastery flows a swift mountain river. Part of the monastery, like many xachkhars is carved in the rocks. The monastery was built on the place of a pre-Christian pagan temple, which was famous for its healing springs. From the monastery opens a beautiful view to the mountains, to the road, which quickly gets lost among the mountains.

• Hiking through Geghard gorge
• Moving to Yerevan

River Azat and its tributary Goght flow through the gorge of Geghard. On a river, till now stands a bridge built in the XII century. Along the river, the “walls” of the gorge seem to be built of columns that stretch to the very top. At first sight, you don't believe that the columns called the “stone symphony” or “stone organ”, were created by nature and not by man. Actually, this basalt symphony has a volcanic origin.