Climbing Kazbek and Aragats - Armenia Georgia 12 Day Tour

This program is with the maximum comfort and amusement to give you the possibility to climb two of the most attractive mountains in Armenian Highland and Caucasus region. For this program you don’t need to have mountaineering experience to climb Aragats. Aragats is a completely trekking mountain without glaciers and snow. And for climbing mount Kazbek you need basic outdoor experience such as sleeping at high altitude and walking in temperatures below 0. Read more detailed how to prepare for climbing Kazbek.

The climb mostly involves glacier walking. So in case of proper acclimatization there won’t be serious difficulties to take this challenge. Yet take into account that it is still a high altitude mountaineering – 5047 meters, so it’s better if you consult with doctors, before taking this challenge. Before the climb we will have enough time to know each other better, understand our strengths and weaknesses and figure out how to become more prepared before climbing Kazbek.

Climbing Aragats will help us with the acclimatization, as we will sleep at an altitude of 3200 meters and climb the Northern peak – 4090 meters. Meanwhile this will not waste all your energy, as the route to the top and back is a one day trekking. In case you won’t have anything from the gear and equipment, it is always possible to rent it from Yerevan or Stepantsminda (Georgia).

Day 1. Yerevan

On the first day we will meet you in Zvartnots international Airport and transfer you to the hotel. Later that evening we will meet to have a short walk in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. During the welcome dinner we will discuss our upcoming plans and take short instruction from our guide.

Yerevan / The capital of Armenia

Day 2. Aragats / Lake Kari

Our adventure will begin with the most important sights of Armenia. We will visit the cave monastery Geghard, the pagan temple of Garni (the only surviving pagan temple in Armenia) and the natural monument “Symphony of Stones”. Then we will take our direction to Aragats mountain. First we will visit the Amberd fortress on the slopes of Aragats. Amberd had a very important fortification purpose for the protection of the medieval capital of Armenia – Ani. After that, we will keep driving uphill the mountain lake Kari, which is located at an altitude of 3200 meters above sea level. This will be our base camp. After dinner we will go to sleep to wake up early next morning.

Lake Kari

Details of the day

Location – Armenia, Kotayk and Aragatsotn provinces
Driving – 145 km
Overnight stay – In tents near lake Kari
Difficulty level – excursion day
Overnight altitude – 3200m

Day 3. Climbing the Highest Peak of Armenia

Early in the morning we will start climbing the Northern peak of Aragats. The round way is about 16 km and 1420 meters altitude gain. Which means we shouldn’t underrate it. We will return to Lake Kari and drive back to Yerevan.

Aragats

Details of the day

Location – Aragatsotn province
Driving – 70 km
Length of the route – 16 km
Relative altitude – 890 m
Altitude gain – 1420 m
Difficulty level – difficult
Overnight stay –Yerevan

Day 4. Day of Discoveries

Our fourth day of adventures. We will drive to the south and see Ararat Valley where more than half of the harvest of Armenia is being grown. We will visit Khor Virap Monastery and hear the story about the adoption of the Christianity in Armenia, visit village Areni – the center of Armenian winery. Here we will have a wine degustation and drive through Gnishik gorge to Noravank Monastery (Note: as we have a serious challenge, drinking much alcohol before the Kazbek is not recommended). After that, we will drive through the Vardenyants Pass to Lake Sevan – the biggest lake in Armenia, which has a volcano tectonic origin. We will check-in in a cozy guesthouse at the shore of the lake. We’ll be able to swim and enjoy the sunset on the waves of the mountain lake.

Noravank Monastery

Details of the day

Location – Ararat, Vayots Dzor and Gegharkunik provinces
Driving – 100 km
Overnight stay – guesthouse at the shore of lake Sevan
Difficulty level – excursion day
Overnight altitude – 1900 m

Day 5. Goodbye Armenia, Hello Georgia

Today we will keep driving in the northern direction. Passing the tunnel through the mountains we will appear in a completely different world – Dilijan. Driving to Dilijan is always like passing through a portal. We will have a short hike in Dilijan National Park. But first we will visit the “Red deer breeding center”. Red deer were extinct from these forests in the 90s. This center was created in 2018 with the help of WWF and CNF to give the second birth to these amazing creatures in the forests of Dilijan.

Our hike will start near the Lake Parz and will pass through the Fagus forest. Later this day we will arrive in Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia. We will have overnight here in a comfortable hotel.

Parz Lake

Details of the day

Location – Tavush province – Tbilisi Georgia
Driving – 320 km
Length of the route – 8 km
Difficulty level – easy
Overnight stay – Tbilisi

Day 6. Getting Acquainted with Georgia

Next morning we will have a short city walk, try some national snacks and drive to Mtskheta. We will visit the famous Jvari Monastery (6th century), from where we can see the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers. Next we will visit Svetitskhoveli, a place where the robe of Christ is being kept. On the way we will stop near Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument and continue our way to Stepansminda. Here we will be accommodated in the guesthouse and get prepared for the morning’s important climb.

Jvari Monastery

Details of the day

Location – Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Driving – 160 km
Difficulty level – excursion day
Overnight stay – Stepantsminda

Day 7. Climbing Kazbek

Today we start climbing Kazbek – the headliner of our program.

Early in the morning 4×4 car will drop us near the Gergeti monastery. Where our trekking begins. All our heavy stuff will be carried to the meteostation by horses. This day we will pass small ridges and go down the gorge to the bottom of the Gergeti glacier. We must walk up the glacier so there may be a necessity for wearing crampons. We arrive at the meteostation – which is the base camp of Kazbek. Overnight in meteostation which was turned into a mountain shelter currently.

Climbing Mount Kazbek

Details of the day

Length of the route – 8 km
Altitude gain – 2000 m
Difficulty level – difficult
Overnight stay – «Betlemi Hut» – the meteostation
Overnight altitude – 3700 m

Day 8. Acclimatization Day

Acclimatization is the most important and a key factor for successful and safe climb. We must go up the glacier to 4500 meters and spend some time there to get familiar with high altitude conditions. If someone from the group won’t be able to climb, we have an extra day for acclimatization. Also we will learn how to use crampons and ice axe and how to fix yourself on the firn.

Climbing Mount Kazbek

Details of the day

Length of the route – 3 – 4 km
Altitude gain – 800 m
Difficulty level – difficult
Overnight stay – «Betlemi Hut» – the meteostation
Overnight altitude – 3700 m

Day 9. Reaching the Summit

And here it comes – the summit day! We wake up at 1:00 am to start climbing no later than 2:30 am. The way to the summit goes by the glacier, where there are crackholes going very deep. Usually they are covered with a thick layer of snow, but we must be very careful with this. All instructions will be given to you before the ascent. After the summit we’ll go back to meteostation.

Climbing Mount Kazbek

Details of the Day

Length of the route – 17 km
Altitude gain – 1345 m
Difficulty level – difficult
Overnight stay – «Betlemi Hut» – the meteostation
Overnight altitude – 3700 m

Day 10. Extra day

In case of bad weather or not enough acclimatization.

Day 11. Back to Stepantsminda.

We will walk down from the meteostation to Stepantsminda to rest in the guest house. You will be able to wash your clothes, take a shower and rest after the summit.