FAQ – frequently asked question

The trekking season on Ararat lasts about three months. It starts in the middle of June and finishes in the middle of September. However, it does not mean that you can’t climb the mountain earlier or later. There is still quite a lot of snow that has not melted yet until the middle of June and sometimes even longer, so the climbing is more difficult. It is also cooler and the higher you climb, the colder it is. The same situation is at the end of September and at the beginning of October. But at this time it starts snowing. You can climb Mount Ararat in every season, although it is the best and the easiest to do in June-July-August-September.

Ararat is not difficult to climb. It is often said that it is a good 5-thousand-metre-tall mountain to begin an adventure with such high mountains. There aren’t big difficulties during climbing Ararat. Going up to 4200 metres above sea level does not cause many problems apart from the symptoms of altitude sickness. The peak attack day is a little bit harder – it is already high, at the beginning it is dark (we start at 2 a.m.) and from about 4800 metres above sea level there is snow and you need climbing irons. And later, it is only downhill:) But you need to be quite fit not to get exhausted.

You start climbing Ararat from the height of about 2100 metres above sea level.

Yes, you need a permission. You can get it in the Turkish Embassy in your country or in Dogubayazit (it is best to contact us, we will do it). To get the permission you need a passport (a photocopy/a scanned copy). The permission costs 50 dollars.

The expedition on Ararat lasts from 2 to 5 days. Everything depends on group’s willingness, on acclimatization. There are groups that climb the mountain in two days and one night. There are groups that take it easy and want to acclimatize better and so they devote 5 days and 4 nights for the whole stay. In our offer you will find 4-day and 5-day expeditions. Private groups may decide on any number of days and nights spent trekking.

Trekking on Ararat is not difficult and requires (for your own comfort) trekking sticks as well as, for the last stage of climbing, crampons. Ice axes and a helmet are not necessary.

The whole neighbourhood of Ararat is interesting, culturally different from Europe. There are areas inhabited by Kurds. Apart from the fact that you can see how they live, you can also visit a few Armenian (e.g. the ruins of an old Armenian Ani) and Ottoman (e.g. Ishak Pasha Palace) monuments. You can see interesting natural phenomena like e.g. the salty lake Van or hot springs Diyadin. But not only. We invite you to INTERESTING PLACES. We can help organize interesting trips in the surroundings.