Armenia: Aragats South Peak
Aragats Peak is Armenia’s highest, and while this route to the South Peak doesn’t quite hit the high point it does keep to solid ground and non-technical trekking, allowing hikers to head up and down in a day trip – even doable from Yerevan, if you were to get an early enough start.
Total km: 10.5 km (round-trip)
Total days: 1
Elevation gain/loss: 700m+/700m-
Start point: Kari Lake
Endpoint: Kari Lake
GPS Files
Aragats South Peak is the easy-hike version of the highest point in Armenia – Aragats North. Start out from Kari Lake – as early in the morning as you can manage, as the peak tends to cloud of early and if you’re still going by midday it’s likely to be under clouds at best or rain and hail at worst.
From the lake shore, loop behind the small hotel complex and follow the jeep road as it climbs through an open meadow (full with wildflowers in spring) onwards and upwards towards the very obvious peak, trying to avoid the spring snowline if you’ve arrived early enough in the year where this is a concern still.
After crossing the first of several rocky patches about 3km from the trailhead, a few hundred meters on is a sharp turn off the jeep road and up a well-defined trail. The elevation gets a touch steeper here, though it’s nothing crazy, and the trail soon transitions into a set of switchbacks that zigzag quickly towards a saddle.
On the way, turn back occasionally for fine views back down to Kari Lake and – if you’re reasonably lucky with the weather – across the Ararat Valley to the majestic peak of Mt Ararat itself – at 5,137m, a good deal higher than Aragats.
Once you finally hit the saddle between Aragats South Peak and Aragats West, it’s only another 200m to the south. The views up to Aragats North – the highest peak of the cluster – are already exception from the saddle, but who could possibly make it this far and not walk the last few hundred meters to the ‘peak’ proper on the south edge?
Enjoy the views from the top. It’s possible to carry on from here to the North Peak, however local guides report that it’s a little trickier in terms of footing, and most people make it into a two-day walk as the midday often sees clouds rolling in to cover the peak and obscure any views.
Assuming you won’t continue onwards, return back to Kari Lake via the same trail, hopefully beating those clouds down and avoiding the inevitably rain and hail – something we didn’t quite manage.
Good To Know
Getting to Aragats South Peak
Public transport runs from Yerevan to Byurakan, a town lower on the southern flank of Mt Aragats, but up from there you’re at the mercy of taxis or hitching. The best solution is just to rent a car, although if the timing works out groups like Armenian Geographic do also run organized tours from Yerevan.
Where to Stay and Eat
There is a small hotel at the trailhead beside Kari Lake, though food was quite poor value for money and the staff were overwhelmingly unfriendly when we visited, and so we cannot in good faith recommend visiting. One could put a tent up in the valley above the lake, but it’s a fairly high traffic area and so you shouldn’t expect much in terms of peace and quiet.
The next-nearest option is down in Byurakan, which is where we stayed. There are everything from budget family guesthouses to high-end resorts, plus some interesting Soviet-era history and ruins and a decent dining scene for how small the place is. This is our recommendation.
