On day four we spend time in Kapan riding to the various landmarks like the 10th-11th century monastery, Vahanavank, the 17th century Halidzor Fort and the remains of the Baghaberd Fortress. We then head towards the Iran border, to the town of Meghri, over the Meghri pass where we will be riding at 2353 m, through some of the highest paved roads in Armenia. Here you will enjoy one of the most epic views and high mountain roads of your life.

Day five we soak in the contrasting landscape of Meghri that is dominated by gray and brown sand and stone mountains. Then we check out some of the waterfalls on the Meghri river. Access to these might involve some light trekking. We check out the remains of another monastery, Zvaravank and then spend the relaxing afternoon at Tsak Kari Lake before heading back to Kapan for the night.

On the sixth day, we head back north-east for a longer ride towards Lake Sevan, the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lake in Eurasia. On the way we visit the Armenian equivalent of the stonehenge, Carahunge or the speaking stones, we learn about 3500 year old petroglyphs and the mystic civilization that has started this unique culture. We then continue riding the mountains of Armenia via Selim Pass and Selim caravanserai (medieval hotel) experiencing breathtaking views at 2140 m.

Day seven is almost a rest day with only about 100 km of riding to Dilijan, with its small spa town atmosphere, narrow streets of the old center, quaint cafes, restaurants and friendly residents. We also explore two more monasteries that are different from each other and a pretty interesting architecture and a lake nestled in the mountains, that take us through well maintained roads and shaded twisties that are a pleasure to ride. We will also try a big variety of Armenian traditional sweets: Gata.

The next day, we explore the Debed canyon, north-west from Dilijan towards the Georgian border. We will ride along the Debed river, deep in the gorge with its breathtaking views, ascend to the table top/plateau settlements above to see ancient (10th-13th century) monasteries at Hagpath and Sanahin, both Unesco World Heritage monuments. On the way back we stop at the Zarni-Parni cave complex with a view of the medieval Kayan Fortress. We then head along the edge of the table top/plateau that takes us by an ancient village of Odzun towards Stepanavan, on the banks of the Dzoraget river. The arboretum, locally known as the dendropark, is worth a visit.

Day nine we head west towards the Turkish border to the second largest city in Armenian, Gyumri. If Yerevan is a city of pink tufa, Gyumri is a city of black tufa. As light riding day awaits us, we first explore Loreberd fort near Stepanavan with breathtaking views and a lake full of water lilies before hitting the road. We explore Gyumri, individually or as a group that day.

On our last day we ride to Yerevan where we spend the day exploring the city and saying goodbyes.

Estimated costs:

Single Room: 868000 AMD (+173781AMD Deposit) or 2246.9 USD (+450 USD Deposit)

Shared Room: Double Occupancy subtract 75000 AMD or 194.2 USD from Single Room Rates