Four summits
Around the crater.
sedrakGr — CC BY 3.0 · Ralf Steinberger from Milan, Berlin + Munich, Italy + Germany — CC BY 2.0 · Soghomon Matevosyan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emma YSU — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Beko — CC BY-SA 4.0
Aragats is a huge four-peaked volcanic massif in northern Armenia. Red and brown rocky summits ring a broad crater, snow lingers on the slopes into summer, green pastures cover the lower flanks, and views run across the plains to Mount Ararat. Its northern summit reaches 4,090 m, the highest point of Armenia and of the Lesser Caucasus. The massif is bounded by the Kasagh River to the east, the Akhurian to the west, the Ararat Plain to the south and the Shirak Plain to the north. It is about 200 km around and covers roughly a fifth of Armenia. Armenian tradition says its name means «Ara's throne», after the legendary hero Ara the Handsome. You drive up the road to Lake Kari high on the mountain and walk from there on trails toward the summits. The southern summit is the easiest to climb; the others need experience. The lake is about 46 km in a straight line northwest of Yerevan. Weather up high is cold and changeable even in summer, so bring warm clothes, and do not walk alone in fog.
Around the crater.
High on the mountain.
On the horizon.
Aragatsotn Province, northwest of Yerevan
The southern summit.
June to September.