After my trip from Amsterdam to Yerevan was over, I had done little cycling in Armenia. However, I had a plan – when the autumn sets in, continue southwards until the border with Iran.
I planned to do this in the middle of autumn when the weather is milder for cycling and the mountains become painted with the autumn leaf colors. I chose the first week of October and I think it was right on point with the weather; for the colors I could have waited for another week perhaps. But you always have to make a guess with the weather – the best educated guess it is.
- Day 1. Yerevan – Khosrov State Reserve
- Day 2. Khosrov State Reseve – Yeghegnadzor
- Day 3. Rest Day in Yeghegnadzor
- Day 4. Yeghegnadzor – Tsghuk
- Day 5. Tsghuk – Goris
- Day 6. Goris – Kapan via Tatev
- Day 7. Rest Day in Kapan
- Day 8. Kapan – Shikahogh State Reserve
- Day 9. Shikahogh State Reserve – Meghri
- Day 10. Rest Day in Meghri
- Links to the places to stay
- Gallery
Practical info
Important: because of current tensions on the border with Azerbaijan, please always be careful and check maps. Note, you will need to take a different road from after Kapan until you pass the part of the road which is under Azerbaijani control.
Day 1. Yerevan – Khosrov State Reseve
My first day started with two friends – Christina and Serine – who decided to see me off by cycling together for a good part of the day. I would rather take them with me for the whole journey but they had to return to the office next day. Tough life. Leaving Yerevan in the morning we took a quiet provincial road H-8 that passes through small towns and villages and the center of the Ararat province, Artashat.
There are lots of words starting with “A” in the Armenian language but perhaps the most important are Ararat, Astvats and Arev meaning the mount Ararat, God, and the Sun. Before becoming the first official Christian nation, Armenians used to be pagan and first of all worshiped the Sun God and called themselves the Children of the Sun. Even today the sun is the favorite Armenian element. And Ararat is the beloved mountain of all Armenians beyond its geographical limitations today. So much about history, now back to the journey.
The road was rather quiet and made it possible for us to cycle alongside each other and chat. Coincidentally, on this same day, the prime-minister cycled to work for the first time in Armenia’s history, and it was widely broadcasted in the morning news. And of course, the Armenians, who can’t skip a comment, drew the parallels.
Cycling down the H-8 we could smell the freshly baked lavash everywhere but as we were already fully prepared for a picnic we stopped somewhere along the road and snicked into a little fenced field with a big tree that gave us just enough shadow to rest. An old man herding a few cows nearby made a small talk, regretting that the grapes were already picked, otherwise he would offer us some.
After this short break we continued, keeping our heads up – literally – as we saw many stork nests along the road. We stopped again in Artashat for a little rest at a pretty churchyard and a proper lunch at a shaurma house. Getting more than full we decided that we consumed enough energy to make it to the Khor Virap Monastery together.
We turned from our quiet road towards the Khor Virap, awkwardly crossed the highway and continued straight, with the view of the mount Ararat in front of us. It seems so close, yet it’s so far away 
It gets amazingly dry as you approach Khor Virap. There is a huge contrast between different parts and towns in Armenia even those that are relatively close to each other. While in Artashat you find free drinking water, some 8km from it there was no drinking water even at the households.
After visiting Khor Virap, we said goodbye to each other – friends returned back to Yerevan and I continue to Vedi. There were a lot more vineyards and orchards and I found locals busy with harvesting grapes, apples and walnuts.
I planned to end the day at the visitor center of the Khosrov State Reserve but because of some misunderstanding of the booking process I ended up staying at the reserve’s guard’s house which was a lot more entertaining considering all the stories I heard about the park and the animals living there.
To get to the visitor center I had to go 9 km off the main road on a dirt track which, given the looming darkness and warning of a dead viper ahead of me, was quickly turning from an ‘exciting’ one into an ‘uncomfortable’. If not my stubbornness, I would have turned around and stayed at the village. I got off the bike and with a tiny bike light tried to not step on a viper at least. By the time I reached the reserve, I could hardly see what was in front of me.
It was completely dark and not a single soul around. I went around a big building, supposedly the visitor center itself, but found nothing. I already evaluated the place for pitching my tent when a light came out of a small house a bit further from where I was. As I neared it, the dogs started barking but they didn’t sound really dangerous to me. Twenty minutes later I was scratching their bellies, drinking a warm cup of coffee and speculating what to do when you meet a bear. I noted to myself how clear and full of stars was the sky over the Khosrov Reserve.
Day 2. Khosrov State Reseve – Yeghegnadzor
I always try to get a shower at the end of the day but since yesterday evening it wasn’t possible, I woke up feeling tired and dirty. The shower facilities were uncomplicated – go down to the river and take a stick with you for the snakes. Just in case. We have them often here.
Although the water was still quite cold, I felt refreshed, and was already planning my day walking back to the guard’s house when I saw that my bike’s rear tire is completely flat. Most likely it happened when I was pushing the bike in the dark and possible went over some dry thorny weed. Together with the guard we quickly patched the tire and left it to dry as we had breakfast. A bit later I said goodbye to the hospitable guard and he wished me ‘no more flat tires’ on this trip. Some 10 minutes later I was fixing another flat. In fact, during these 10 days I had more flats than during my 99 days-trip before. Damn those dry autumn thorns and my ignorance of them!
This second day was the hardest. I didn’t rest well, it was hot, I was climbing and there was little to no shadow for most of the day. I stopped frequently, panting like a dog, but it didn’t give me energy. I walked but it was not making it any easier. Oh, and there were nasty little flies around!
Before starting the climb, I asked for a water refill at the Shaghap village as this would be my last reliable water source until the end of the climb. I can totally forget about drinking water in a colder weather, but it is completely different when it’s hot and I have to climb. When it happens that I am short or out of water, my only thoughts are about it. I can ignore hunger, tiredness, annoying traffic and pretty much anything else, but being thirsty is excruciating.
I cannot even imagine what people must feel in a desert with no water left. Recently I read how Saint-Exupery described his plane crash in Sahara in 1935 and it already hurts to think about it.
When you travel this slow, you can think of thousands things in a short time. But as you ponder over a subject or two, the time passes and so are the meters, one by one, and eventually you have reached the top. You always reach, it only depends when.
For me it was the village of Lusashogh which literally means ‘light beam’ or ‘beaming’. I still had another 100 meters to climb but I was already done with the climb in my head. I saw a local woman busy in her garden and asked for water. It was from a source, cold as ice. The last hours were already forgotten.
She invited me inside for a coffee and I gladly accepted it. Her husband was working on some construction inside the house but he quickly left his tasks and joined us in the living room where the nicest coffee and apples from their garden were already served. They told me that I wasn’t the first one today on a bike, that there were two French cyclists that also asked for water (their house is one of the first in the village) and also, of course, got invited for coffee. When I told them they should open a campsite, the uncle laughed at me and said that his hospitality cannot be sold.
“if anyone wants to put a tent under my trees, they are welcome to do so anytime!”
I could not have objected such a statement. As I was leaving the lady offered me some 20 apples from their garden for the road. I couldn’t object this either.
The rest of the day was easy – downhill and along a beautiful gorge with the river by my right. I passed the village of Areni, the most famous wine region in Armenia, where locals are selling their homemade wines at every 2 meters. I didn’t want to stop because I was planning to have a rest day in Yeghegnadzor which also boasts its wineries.
It was almost dark when I reached the Crossway camping, one of the few campsites in Armenia. A bit surprised to be the only cyclist there, I instead found a cool German couple that was touring on their yellow Volkswagen van with their dog. We exchanged my homemade lavash wraps with their van-made dinner and a Georgian homemade brandy they got from a family there. That and a warm shower made for a perfect end of the day.
Day 3. Rest Day in Yeghegnadzor
Crossway camping is a good place for a cyclist to take a rest day. It has all the facilities you would need for a productive (laundry, shared kitchen) and relaxed (nice places to rest) day. In addition, you can organize your day to spend it sightseeing around Yeghegnadzor. There are plenty of options from wineries in Yeghegnadzor and Orbelian Caravanserai at the Vardenyats Pass to bezoar goat watching at Satin village. In general, Vayotz Dzor is a province full of old churches, castles, bridges and their ruins, and a promising hiking destination.
Update 2019: Transcaucasian Trail team announced that a new section of the trail is opened in Vayotz Dzor
One short but nice walk can be done to see the medieval bridge of Dadali in the valley of river Arpa. The bridge was built in the 13th century and is typical for that period. I have seen bridges like this in Georgia too. It’s a wide stone bridge in a triangular shape. Unfortunately no info signs are placed next to the bridge, but you will see signs pointing towards the bridge from the main road and the path is very straightforward. Along the path you can find edible trees like silverberry, walnut and hawthorn. The riverside is lovely for a picnic but sadly it’s often littered. You can make this walk as a circle, going from camping to Yeghegnadzor then to the bridge and back to the camping along the river. It takes 20-30 minutes one way.
Day 4. Yeghegnadzor – Tsghuk
I left Crossway Camping in the early morning and took the road to Vayk which is the provincial center and is a good stop for a breakfast or for replenishing stocks. I bought some grapes from an old lady and briefly stopped by the river for a snack. The climb to the pass that divides Vayotz Dzor from the Syunik province starts along the gorge of the river Arpa. It’s a wonderful and overly busy road with the river by your right and spectacular cliffs on the left. I noticed some basalt column formations but unfortunately no bezoar goats. For this I should have turned to Jermuk or Shatin perhaps.
After the Jermuk junction, Darb river changed Arpa and I could see it up until 1500 meters. The water is very cold and refreshing and makes an excellent rest spot. The climb in general was not steep and I really enjoyed it. When passing the village of Saravan (‘sar’ means ‘mountain’ in Armenian, just like ‘ler’ does) locals pointed me to a fresh water source and coffee. The water was very much appreciated.
On the last stretch to the pass I saw two bikes parked on the side of the road and they looked somehow familiar to me. In any case I wanted to check out who else is on the bikes. As I came closer I saw two guys cooking some elaborate lunch. It smelled very well. These were two Iranian guys that waved me 3 days ago when I was leaving Yerevan. I waved back thinking we will still cross that day but in fact our ways crossed many kilometers later. We would meet the next day again.
Mohammad and his nephew flew with their bikes to Tbilisi and were travelling back to their country. After we chatted for a while I left the guys to have their lunch in peace and went on to continue climbing the last few kilometers. Also I prefer to stop as I reach a pass or right after it as it feels like reaching a milestone and I like to take time to celebrate it. The Gates of Syuniq or, as it’s locally known Zangakner meaning ‘bells’, is 2350 meters high. It’s the last chance to take in the view of the Vayotz Dzor mountains and put some warm clothes or a wind-jacket as the ride down tends to be cold even on a good day. Excellent reward for all the climbing!
As I rolled down I saw a large body of water on the right. This was the Spandaryan reservoir which is the first of the four cascading reservoirs in Syunik created for the hydropower plant. It’s interesting to know that in the early 1980s there was still a village of Borisovka under the Spandaryan reservoir, however for the purpose of the power plant the village was drowned and the villagers were moved to a newly built Tsghuk. Strange to think that once Borisovka’s residents took pride in having two rivers flowing into it that they could drink from, and it was the water that forced them to leave.
For the night my friend arranged my stay at her relatives in Tsghuk – that new village built instead of Borisovka. As in many places in Armenia big families live under the same roof and run the household together. Everyone has a role from keeping the livestock to raising the kids. “I prepared grass for the winter today,” I heard from someone. I enjoy this simple, organized and purposeful life. In the cities we often lose this.
It’s not all the conversations that I understand as the locals have a bit heavy accent but they try to speak with ‘the standard’ accent with me. After a delicious dinner, comes tea with honey from their own beehives. Actually most of the products come from their own household. Organic and bio as they say nowadays. Later everyone moves into the living room to relax in front of the TV and discuss what happened during the day.
Day 5. Tsghuk – Goris
Although I woke up early, everyone else except the kids was already awake. The grandfather offered to show me the Spandaryan reservoir. He worked there for many years now and knew the entire cascading system. The air here is shockingly cold and pure – we are still above 2000 meters. I am told that in summers people from Yerevan come here to camp and they usually freeze at night.
My destination for the day was Goris. It was neither far or difficult to cycle to so I decided to take a detour to the Shaki waterfall and Sisian. Just when I stopped to check the directions a falcon – I think – landed on the side of the road right next to me. Beautiful birds to watch. I would keep seeing birds of prey for the coming days.
Shaki waterfall has a beautiful setting and is worth a visit. Passing the village of the same name I turned right onto a dirt road. A friendly shepherd told me that the waterfall should be on but he wasn’t sure (hydropower plant is using its waters half of the time). Since the road was only about 1 km alongside a nice valley of the Vorotan river, I didn’t mind taking a chance. The reward was excellent – the 18 meter ledges were formed by the lava flows and the water gracefully falls through them. Later I was told that the waterfall is functioning from the early spring until late autumn and in winters it runs only when there is a big tourist group.
After visiting Shaki and reporting back to the same shepherd how everything went (necessary step in Armenian travelling), I continued to Sisian to get lunch and rest. The road was downhill but it was ok because I still had lots of time. I had one more visit in mind before stopping though – the drown church of Tolors or rather whatever was left from it. An old church was left under the Tolors reservoir and I saw some pictures where the dome stuck out of the water. It was quite special. But not anymore. When I reached the place after an hour of cycling uphill on a dusty road, I was a bit disappointed. Only a small part of a wall was left, destroyed and not spectacular imho.
On the way back from Sisian I passed by Karahunj, or “the Armenian Stonehenge”, but didn’t stop as I have been there before. Put aside the historical value, it’s a bunch of stones with few holes that some believe to be an ancient observatory and others – the more grounded ones – classify as an ancient burial ground.
On the way to Goris I again met Mohammad and his nephew and we cycled together to the town. At the back of his bike one of the guys carried a thick pile of dried Iranian bread that they got from a truck driver.
At the last peak before Goris you could very well see numerous mountain layers to the right and far ahead. After this it was all the way down. New Goris is well-planned with straight lines all crossing at 90 degrees. The older village of stand-alone houses is situated to the left and the whole city is surrounded by the Zangezur Mountains. Here are the medieval cave-dwellings and stone-pyramids. All in all it’s a beautiful panorama and the town is a good place to rest and hike the surrounding mountains.
Day 6. Goris – Kapan via Tatev
I spent the night at other relatives of my friend again, and getting the best breakfast – and a typical meal from the area – I set to climb back via the same road I came, back to the junction to Tatev. Tatev Monastery is one of the most known and visited attractions in Armenia. I myself have been there a few times, but never beyond it. I read that when it was founded it boosted the development of the entire southern part of modern days Armenia. Today however it is where all stops – majority of the locals and tourists alike reach Tatev and go back north. I wanted to see what’s there after Tatev via that road we always climbed to take a scenic picture and get back to the car.
From the junction until the Halidzor station the road was excellent. Many birds of prey were looking for food in the fields surrounding me. I passed some villages where I stocked up on freshly baked lavash. While I was getting it, the ladies baking lavash quickly discussed who in the village I should marry and persuaded me to stay. The usual story you have to expect in Armenia whether you are a local or a foreigner, woman or man.
I had to wait a bit until getting on the cable car since I was taking the bike with me. We chatted with a local from Tatev while waiting for our turn and he surprised me with his intuitive understanding of what it means to travel by bike, and why someone would do it. Some people are just ‘life-smart’ no matter how much they have done or seen. Some are the complete opposite of this.
The ride on the cable car costs 3000 one-way and you have got to take one ticket for the bike too. A 12-minute ride provides for some excellent views of the gorge including a bird’s-eye view of the medieval hermitage of Tatev. You can hike there in 20 minutes from the bottom of the road.
The road from the Tatev monastery to the town of Syunik is one of those forgotten soviet-era roads where asphalt has disintegrated so much that you would wish it had never been there. If it rained the day before, I would advise to go by the highway since you’d be stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere. But on a sunny day – go ahead and you will enjoy excellent views of the Vorotan gorge, forest roads and almost no traffic the entire day – bliss!
There are a few villages on this road but most of them looked very quiet when I passed by. There has been a new camping opened since then at the village of Tandzaver which I believe is a great spot to rest immersed into the nature.
Reaching Syunik, you return to the highway and have to ride another 7km until Kapan which is your last big town before Meghri (neither of them is actually big but everything is relative 
If staying at Kapan, a good eco and friendly – no pun intended – place is ARK Armenia’s camp at the top of the town. Just mind that it is really at the top so you will have to drag your heavy bike for some 10 minutes up the road. The campsite is a rustic permagarden and the owners are very conscious and helpful people.
Day 7. Rest Day in Kapan
In Kapan you can expect to do groceries, find some bicycle parts on the market and try the local variety of the zhengyalov hats. Although I didn’t do this, but Kapan is a convenient starting point for a hiking trip to the mount Khustup that you can do in 1 or 2 days depending on where you start the hike itself. The owners of the ARK camp can help to get a guide or show you how to navigate yourself. The day I stayed there it was rainy so I didn’t do much.
Day 8. Kapan – Shikahogh State Reserve
Here starts perhaps my favourite part of the journey – the road through the Shikahogh State Reserve. The road was built in 2007 and has since been little used. The reason locals gave me is that the road is narrower than the alternative highway through Kajaran, has more turns and is almost non-inhabited so if anything happens to the car, you are pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere. But hey, that’s why we travel by bike 
On my first day – which was relatively short – I climbed to 1400, went back to 900, then again climbed to 1300 and then again down to 1000 meters. But with the gorgeous views I had, this roller coaster was simply amazing. The further I went, more pure and untouched the nature became. On this first stretch until the Shikahogh village, there was a small village of Chakaten and a few water sources. At Shikahogh there was Park’s visitor center which I was curious to stay at for the future reference.
The staff whom I contacted on Facebook was nice and helpful, but the building looked better on the outside than on the inside. It seemed like a long time ago when the last person stayed there because the water taps didn’t function properly and the inside was dirty. I hope it changed since then because the setting is excellent. In any case, if looking for basic facilities and a roof, this will do.
After examining my kingdom where I was the only guest for the night, I went for a brief hike into the forest hoping to find some deer. A local told me to sit quietly by a little stream and wait for them to come for a drink. It was a bit cloudy and cold, and sitting quietly is not really my thing so after half an hour or so I went back to prepare my dinner.
As almost in any village in Armenia, there is also a shop in Shikahogh to do basic groceries.
Day 9. Shikahogh State Reserve – Meghri
The day was just starting when I left Shikahogh’s visitor center. It was a little over 7am and the sun started to light up the slopes of the mountains. A tiny rodent crossed the road and hid into the grass. Besides birds and lizards there aren’t many animals I saw from the wheels.
Riding out of Shikahogh means climbing up and down for about 12km. Enjoy it, as afterwards it’s a steady ascent to Gomarants pass at 2227 meters. But this climb is beautiful and the surrounding forests up to the very top will let you have a shaded rest and make the climb all not too heavy. Little lizards will make the cliffs whisper and birds and butterflies will keep you occupied. For another 12 km you will follow the rivers with several water sources and places for rest. The villagers in Tsav said that I can even drink from the rivers, but I would rather stick to the water sources.
After a gentle chain of switchbacks I have reached the pass and surprising as it was a sudden change in the landscape and vegetation caught my attention. From here starts “Arevik” national park which is park of the bigger state reserve. The landscape here is noticeably drier. But what a view! The layers of beautiful ridge-backs in various shades of blue take my eyes until Iran!
Taking in the view and some photos of course, I continue the road downhill. I use the breaks and stop all the time as it’s a shame to pass this beauty too quickly. Now a huge lizard crossed my way. I see an abandoned village, an old church deeper in the mountains and zero cars. Zero is an amazing number.
Closer to the border, some green patches start to pop like oases in the desert. These are the famous pomegranate gardens of Meghri and its surrounding villages. Some trees grow outside of the gardens so if you are careful you can feed on this sweet fruits around October-November.
When it comes to the border, even if you are not officially crossing it, you are in the border area and you will be required to show your passport (not the ID) and asked not to take any pictures or videos. Don’t be surprised if the guards speak Russian – there are Russian soldiers who serve here. Some old Soviet-era stuff lies abandoned on the way to Meghri.
Day 10. Rest Day in Meghri
Meghri means ‘honey’ in Armenian and whether the name came from that word or not, it describes the town rather accurately. Meghri is the warmest and one of the lowest altitude places in Armenia, located on the river Meghri and surrounded by mountains. It’s climate makes it a perfect place for growing almost every fruit that grows in Armenia and some grow only there. When walking the streets of Mets and Poqr Tagh in October you will unavoidably see red pomegranates swinging on the trees ready to burst out, garlands of kaki fruits hanged to dry for winter at the balconies and purple and white figs laying under the sun adding every ray of it to its already honey-like flesh. And surrounded by all these you will start smelling the honey at the streets of Meghri.
Besides being a fruit paradise, Meghri also preserved two old churches in Mets and Poqr Taghs. The church in Poqr Tagh boasts a magnificent interior painted with excellent frescos and a beautiful panoramic view over Meghri.
Tip: if you want to get back to Yerevan, you can take a van from Meghri that goes directly to Yerevan. It runs daily (if the Meghri pass is not covered with snow) in the mornings and you will most likely be asked to pay some sum for taking the bike with you.
Links to the campsites & visitor centers
- Khosrov State Reserve Visitor Center
- Crossway Camping
- Kapan ARK Camp
- Shikahogh State Reserve Visitor Center
Gallery (click to enlarge)
Are you not feeling tired?
Hi, I usually plan the day so it’s mostly enjoyable. And in case I feel tired, then I can always choose to end the day and find a nice camp spot nearby.