mountains

The mountains of Armenia

Armenia is a high country. The average elevation is around 1,800 m, and from almost any point outside Yerevan you are looking at peaks. Mount Aragats, the country's highest, has four distinct summits between 3,879 m and 4,090 m; the two lower ones are accessible to non-climbers in summer via rough dirt roads to Kari Lake at 3,200 m. Ararat — the mountain on the Armenian coat of arms and the near-constant presence on Yerevan's southern horizon — is geographically in Turkey and has been inaccessible from Armenia since the border closed in 1993; the best viewpoint remains Khor Virap Monastery, 35 km south of the capital. The Vorotan canyon in Syunik drops 1,000 m in a few kilometres, making it one of the deepest gorges in the Caucasus. The Zangezur range along the Iranian border contains rarely visited terrain that serious hikers and mountain photographers are only beginning to map properly. These guides cover access, viewpoints, and what each mountain range actually offers beyond the headline elevation.