Climb to Kaçkar Mountains and Mount Ararat Tour Organization and 11 Days Transalpine Program & Details

General Information:

General Information

Climbers walking to Ararat Base campsite.

Kaçkar Mountains and Mount Ararat Climbing Program is for the mountaineers and the adventurers who would like to climb both of the summits, 5,137 meters high Mount Ararat and 3,932 meters high Kaçkar summit. With this program, you’ll be able to take cultural trips in Barhal, Kars Ani, and Doğubeyazıt. The climbing route for both mountains is the south route. These routes do not pose serious environmental threats to climbers. But it is possible to encounter with occasional heavy rain on Kaçkar Mountains.

Climb to Kaçkar Mountains and Mount Ararat Tour Organization and 11 Days Transalpine Program & Details:
1^st Day: This program starts at Erzurum and we welcome you in Erzurum in the first day. Then we’ll travel to Yusufeli Barhal Altıparmak Village with our vehicles. Here, we’ll settle in our hotels and make our last preparations for the next day’s summit trip.
2^nd Day: After a night at the hostel, we’ll first reach to Yaylalar Village and then Olgunlar Village at 2,100 meters with our vehicles in the morning. Here, our support crew will handle our equipment to transfer them to camp area using mules. We’ll start our hike to Dilberdüzü camp area at 2,850 meters. We’ll reach to camp area after a 5-hour long hike and settle in.
3^rd Day: After spending the night at the camp, we start our hike to the summit at 3,932 meters, usually between 03:00 and 04:00 in the morning. We’ll reach the summit after about a 6-hour long hike. We’ll rest at the summit for half an hour and start our descent to Dilberdüzü Camp area. After a hike for about 5 hours, we’ll arrive at the camp area. We’ll spend this day by resting in the camp area.
4^th Day: On our last day in the mountain, we’ll start our descent to Olgunlar Village after breakfast. TwoArarat support team will welcome us at Olgunlar Village after a three-hour hike and we’ll be transferred to hostel at Barhal Village with our vehicles.
5^th Day: We tour the church in Barhal in the morning and head on to Doğubeyazıt with our vehicles. We’ll visit the Kars Ani Ruins and arrive at Doğubeyazıt. We’ll spend the rest of the night resting in the hotel.
6^th Day: We’ll arrive in Çevirme Village with the altitude of 2,200m in Mount Ararat. At this point, our carriers will handle our equipment to transfer them to the camp area using mules. This is also where our hike will begin. After a comfortable hike of about 5 hours, we’ll arrive at the Base Camp area at 3,200m.
7^th Day: We’ll start our hike to second camp area at 4,200 meters. Even though it’s a much harder stage compared to the previous day, we’ll arrive at the second camp area in about 4 hours. Here we’ll do our equipment check and we’ll have to prepare our bags for the summit climb we’ll start at midnight.
8^th Day: After a night of rest, our summit climb will start with waking up at the time our guide has determined. We will reach the summit in about 6 hours later. And rest for half an hour before starting our descent to second camp are at 4,200 meters. After 3 hours, we’ll reach to the camp area where we’ll rest about an hour and start our descent to the Base Camp area at 3,200 meters, where we’ll spend our last night on the mountain. After 2 hours, we’ll reach the Base Camp area at 3,200 meters, where we’ll spend a beautiful night resting.
9^th Day: We’ll have breakfast. Later we’ll start our descent to the 2,200 meters towards vehicle transfer point. We’ll arrive at this point 3 hours later and then get transferred to our hotel here with our vehicles.
10^th Day: Today we’ll be visiting the historical Doğubeyazıt city and explore its nature then head back to our hotel.
11^th Day: In the morning, we’ll transfer you to the airport with vehicles and that concludes the Kaçkar and Ağrı Mountains Transalpine program.
There is an emergency extra day in our program. Weather conditions on the mountain sometimes make the climb impossible. With a extra day, you’ll have a chance to wait in the second camp area to wait for the weather conditions to improve and then try again the next day when the weather gets better. If there are no bad weather conditions, this day will be used after the summit descent to rest at the Base Camp area at Mt.Ararat 3,200 meters.
Click here to read all the details of the program.

Tour Beginning Location: Erzurum
Tour Ending Location: Doğubayazıt
Mountain Route Used: Kaçkar and Mount Ararat South Route
Hotel accommodation: 5 Nights
Mountain accommodation: 5 Nights
Extra Day: 1

Kaçkar and Ararat Mountains Climb Organization Info:

We have our camping tents and kitchen in Dilberdüzü camp area at the south route of Mount Kaçkar and Mount Ararat Base Camp area. During the climb, our firm will keep a cook at the mountain ready, responsible for preparing your hot food and drinks. On climb days, our cook will provide your rations every morning and the climb nights for your consumption during hikes. There’ll be guards responsible for the camp security. This way the equipment you left behind will be safe and the tents will be under surveillance in the case of bad weather conditions. The equipment you won’t need during the climb will be kept by our contracted pension or hotel to be handed back to you after your return. Equipment you’ll be bringing to the mountain will be transferred between the camps by carrier mules and you won’t be charged any extra fee for all these services.
We request our vegetarian and vegan visitors to inform us in advance about their choices.

Attention: Please do not leave your group during the climb without informing your guide. Staying together with the group will help you to spend less of your energy and protects you from any possible accident that may happen. You should especially have a good choice of gloves and boots. Remember, Mount Ararat is a mountain that has a large ice mass that doesn’t melt throughout the year and affected by cold because of its equatorial position.
You should bring your trekking poles with you and use them during the hike. These poles will not only lower the possibility of an accident, but it’ll also help you lighten your weight so you’ll be less tired. Poles that are adjusted to your heart level will also help you to relax your circulation.

Kaçkar and Mount Ararat Routes:

Mount Ararat South Route:

Mount Ararat South Route Climbing Maps

South Route of Mount Ararat is the most preferred route for climbs and hikes. It is possible to reach to this route from most of the villages on the mountain. The route Two Ararat Firm uses, start at Çevirme (Çarme) Village at 2200 meters. Access from Doğubeyazıt to Çevirme Village, starting point of the hike, takes one hour with vehicles.
Detailed Information

Mount Ararat Climb Gear List:

Mount Ararat Climbing Gear List:

Not all equipment listed below are completely necessary for a climb or trekking. This Gear list is prepared for people who are interested and can participate in these kinds of sports activities whenever possible to serve as an insight and information. Choose the equipment built with light materials as much as possible. Excessive load is both tiring and heavy.
Detailed Information

Mount Ararat Climb Dates & Prices

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Climb to Kaçkar Mountain Range and Mount Ararat Expedition “TransAlpine” 11 Days:

1^st Day: Welcoming Day

We’ll welcome you in Erzurum and transfer you with our vehicles to Barhal Village after a four hour trip. You can spend your time making preparations for the tomorrow’s summit climb and resting at the riverside pension.

Accommodation: Pension Barhal “Altıparmak” Village

2^nd Day: Kaçkar Mountains 2,850 meters Dilberdüzü Camp

This is the first day of our climb to Mount Kaçkar. After breakfast, we’ll reach to the Olgunlar Village at 2,100 meters where the carrier mules are located after an hour long trip with our vehicles. Here, our cook will provide the rations we’ll use during the trek. We’ll be handing over all of our equipment (about 20 kg) to the carriers. We’ll take the equipment we’ll use during the trek to our 15-liters backpacks. Our trek will continue for about 5 hours with little photo breaks en route until we reach the Dilberdüzü Base Camp area at 2,850 meters and will be finished for today. When we arrive at the camp area, our cook will greet us with warm food and drinks. After resting here, we’ll start to settle into our camp. You can spend your free time with little exploration hikes.

Accommodation: 2,850m Kaçkar Mountains Dilberdüzü Base Camp

Climb from 2,200 meters to 2,850 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Ascension	Average Inclination
5 Hours	7km	650m	15°

3^rd Day: Kaçkar Mountains “Summit Day”

Today, we’ll try to reach the summit from the camp area at 2850 meters while occasionally crossing areas with the inclination of 20 degrees. In the morning, we’ll eat the hot meals and take the rations provided by our cook. And then we’ll start our hike with the help of our headlights. Hike usually begins between 03:00 and 04:00. We’ll reach the summit after about 6 hours we left the camp. The part of the hike where we reach the sea lake area will be pretty easy but after leaving sea lake area, a drop off will be waiting for us. After passing this area, the summit of Kaçkar will look much closer. There are no drop-off areas for the rest of the hike. We’ll reach to an area called “terrace” through a narrow trail. This interesting area is almost like it has been left on purpose here so we can see the unique view of Kaçkar Mountains. The hardest part of the climb is this narrow trail used to reach this area. After the break, we will reach the summit in a few hours. There’s a summit register that you can share your feelings with other people. We’ll take a break for half an hour with the amazing view of the summit and eat the foods our cook provided at the beginning of the hike to gain energy, and start our descent to the camp area. Descending on Kaçkar mountains requires care because of the rock structure that’s why our poles carries a great deal of importance. 4 hours of descent ends in the camp area and we spend rest of the day by resting here.

Accommodation: 2,850m Kaçkar Mountains Dilberdüzü Base Camp

Climb from 2,850 meters to 3,932 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Ascension	Average Inclination
6 Hours	5km	1082m	25° – 30°

Descent from 3,932 meters to 2,850 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Descent	Average Inclination
4 Hours	5km	1082m	25° – 30°

4^th Day: “Return to Barhal”

After a delicious breakfast in the morning, we start our descent to Olgunlar Village. We hand over our equipment to carriers after packing everything. TwoArarat support team will be waiting for us at Olgunlar Village where we’ll arrive after a three hour long hike. Carrier mules will reach to the vehicles before us and our equipment will be loaded into vehicles. After a one hour ride, we’ll reach to our pension at Barhal in touch with the nature. We’ll spend our last night in Kaçkar region celebrating with a dinner and having fun.

Accommodation: Pension Barhal “Altıparmak” Village

Descent from 2,850 meters to 2,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Descent	Average Inclination
3 Hours	7km	650m	15°

5^th Day: “Transferring to Doğubeyazıt”

We tour the church in Barhal in the morning and head on to Doğubeyazıt with our vehicles. We’ll visit the Kars Ani Ruins and arrive at Doğubeyazıt. We’ll spend the rest of the night resting in the hotel.

Accommodation: Doğubeyazıt Hotel

6^th Day: 3200m Mount Ararat Base Camp

Today will be the first day of our expedition to the glorious Mount Ararat. We’ll head on Mount Ararat with our vehicles after a breakfast in our hotel. About an hour later, we’ll arrive in Çevirme Village with an altitude of 2200 meters. Here, our cook will provide the rations we’ll use during the trek. We’ll be handing over all of our equipment (about 20 kg) to the carriers. We’ll take the equipment we’ll use during the trek to our 15-liters backpacks. Our trek will continue with little photo breaks en route until we reach the Base camp area in 3200 meters. When we arrive at the camp area, our cook will greet us with warm food and drinks. After resting here, we’ll start to settle into our camp. You can spend your free time with little exploration hikes.

Accommodation: 3200m Mount Ararat Base Camp

Climb from 2,200 meters to 3,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Ascension	Average Inclination
5 Hours	7km	1000m	15°

7^th Day: 4200m Mount Ararat Second Camp

Today we’ll climb back to the second camp area where we’ll start our summit climb and stay the night here in our tents resting at 4200 meters and then start our hike with the help of our guide. The route is on a dusty trail compared to the one we hiked on the first day. Our guide will share the information needed before the summit climb and will check the required equipment during the climb.

The equipment you’ll need during the summit climb should be prepared that day before the climb. We request you to check your bags and batteries since it’ll take time to prepare for a climb that’ll start at night when it’s dark. We request you to check your bags and batteries since it’ll take time to prepare for a climb that’ll start at night when it’s dark. Also it’s possible that you can forget some equipment you’ll need at the summit because of the night. Please tie your crampons to your boots before the climb to test them before you start because this carries utmost importance for your safety. If you’re having any troubles with your crampons, please inform your guide.

Accommodation: 4200m Mount Ararat Second Camp

Climb from 3,200 meters to 4,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Ascension	Average Inclination
5 Hours	3km	1000m	15° – 20°

8^th Day: Mount Ararat “Summit Day”

Today, we’ll try to reach to the summit from the second camp area while occasionally crossing areas with the inclination of 25-30 degrees. We’ll start by waking up at the 4200 meters camp area. We’ll eat the hot meals and take the rations provided by our cook. We’ll start our hike with the help of our headlights. Hike usually begins after midnight between 01:00 and 02:00. We’ll reach at the summit after 6 hours we left the camp. The first stage of the hike may not cause any trouble but as we ascend, the effects of the cold weather may be particularly hard. We’ll start our glacier walk when we reach 4700 meters where Mount Ararat glacier line begins. Here, we’ll fit our crampons and enter the icy plateau safely with the help of our guide. Now we’re really close to the summit. We’ll start climbing with 30 degrees inclination and will reach to the summit of Mount Ararat after passing this 100 meters long area. It’s possible to see the five countries around from the viewpoint of the mountain. “Turkey, Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Nakhchivan. After resting at the summit for half an hour, we’ll start our descent to 4200 meters. When we arrive to the camp, we’ll rest for an hour and eat. We’ll reach to the Base Camp at 3200 meters after a four hour walk and spend our last night at the mountain resting here.

Accommodation: 3200m Mount Ararat Base Camp

Extra Day: It’s possible that a climb may not happen because of the weather conditions. That’s why our program has one “extra” day. We’ll descend to the Base Camp at 3200 meters and spend our last night here, weather permitting.

If not, we’ll stay one more night at the camp at 4200 meters and try to climb to the summit next day if it’s possible. After the summit, we’ll return back to the camp at 3200 meters and rest an hour before we go back to the transfer area at 2200 meters.

Climb from 4,200 meters to 5,137 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Ascension	Average Inclination
6 Hours	3km	937m	20° – 30°

Descent from 5,137 meters to 4,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Descent	Average Inclination
4 Hours	3km	937m	20° – 30°

Descent from 4,200 meters to 3,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Descent	Average Inclination
4 Hours	3km	1000m	15° – 20°

9^th Day: “Return to Doğubeyazıt”

We’ll be moving after the breakfast for our descent from the Base Camp area at 3200 meters to the transfer point at 2200 meters. We’ll be reaching our vehicles after a four-hour walk. Our equipment will already be loaded into the vehicles by our carriers before we arrive. That way, we won’t have to wait here and can hit the road to the hotel to treat our bodies to a hot bath.

In the case of using the extra day, we would lose the chance of staying at the camp at 3200 meters. Instead, we’ll have a break and descend to the vehicle transfer point at 2200 meters.

Accommodation: Doğubeyazıt Hotel

Descent from 3,200 meters to 2,200 meters
Average Hiking Time	Average Hiking Distance	Average Descent	Average Inclination
4 Hours	7km	1000m	15°

10^th Day: “Doğubeyazıt Tour Day”

Today we’ll visit the historical and the natural beauty at the foothills of the Mount Ararat. After we leave the hotel in the morning, we’ll visit the İshak Paşa Palace looking from above, resembling the castles of “Warner Bros”. And then we’ll visit a lot of Kurdish villages and see the geological structure believed to be the Ark of Noah. From there, we’ll move on to visit the Doğubeyazıt sinkhole with its astonishingly intimidating size and visuals located on the borders of Iran and Turkey. Our tour will continue with an ice cave at the foot of the Mount Ararat, which forms icicles even during the hot days of the summer. That’s also where the cave got its name from. Our tour will end with arrival at Doğubeyazıt, but the cities bazaars and the main street which is very lively in summers will be waiting for you.

Accommodation: Doğubeyazıt Hotel

11^th Day: “Farewell Day”

After a nice breakfast in Doğubeyazıt, we’ll get you to the airport with our vehicles and this special mountain program will be complete at the airport with great memories.

For the Pre Climb & Trip Information

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Included

Climbing Transportation,
Carrier (mule),
Climbing Permit Fees,
Crampons,
Mat,
Personal Tent (One tent is for two people),
Professional Mountain Guide,
Cultural Guide,
All the entrance fees for the museum and surrounding areas,
Hot food for the duration of the climb,
Non-alcoholic beverages for the duration of the climb,
5 Nights of Hotel Accommodations including Breakfast,
Summit Certificate,
A Celebration Dinner in the City,

Not Included