During our first trip through Armenia in May, we are now back for some remaining highlights. We will visit Yerevan and Mount Aragats and stay at Lake Sevan for a few days. Summer is in full swing and that is noticeable by the temperatures in the city, higher in the mountains the climate is pleasant.
The journey we made through Armenia after the summer of 2023. (light green, dark green is the pre-summer trip)
Camping 3 Gs
Secure storage
At the end of May we flew home from Armenia, our Milady Landy was safely stored in a shed at camping 3Gs near Yerevan.
At the end of July we flew back to Yerevan, Armenia. Not exactly a smooth journey where everything went wrong, delays, technical problems, more delays, lost luggage. But luckily our luggage arrived a few days later and we were able to resume our journey.
We enjoy the luxury of 3Gs camping and the hospitality of Sandra and Marti before we continue our journey.
The camping and B&B
3Gs camping is truly the best camping we have visited in ages. In addition to the genuine hospitality of Sandra and Marti, the campsite is fully equipped according to top European standards.
Not a single tile is crooked and the facilities are excellent. 3 fully equipped kitchens with tables and chairs that campers can use freely. A toilet and shower building that is kept super clean and even has a heated floor in the cold periods. A lovely swimming pool, also very clean with plenty of sunbeds. And of course a lot of space for camping, both for campers / overlanders and for tents. There is even a B&B where you can book a well-equipped room with a private shower/toilet and breakfast for a few days.
The shed for the temporary storage of overland vehicles is certainly also worth mentioning. Travelers like to leave their vehicle here, for a shorter or longer period.
Sandra and Marti even entrusted us with the management of the campsite a few times, for a few hours. They have to go to Yerevan to take care of some business.
Service to Milady
Because I, Gert Jan, fear that the Death Wobble has not yet been completely solved, I will take care of the steering. I remove a filler plate (shim) from the steering balls on both sides. This increases the preload on the steering wheel a bit (I can’t measure it now, but it feels tighter) and I expect that the vibration of the steering wheel will also stay away.
On the road again
So when we finally have our luggage back and the maintenance has been completed, we can continue. We have now enjoyed the luxury and hospitality of Sandra and Marti from 3Gs enough and are on our way again, on our way to new adventures.
Yerevan
The City
We park our car in the, at this time, empty parking lot at Mother Armenia, a statue that symbolizes the freedom of Armenia. In 1967, the statue replaced the statue of Stalin that has stood here since World War II.
It is warm, 35°C, but we walk via the Cascade, a gigantic staircase made of limestone, to the center of Yerevan. In the cascade, under the external staircase, there are seven escalators along which there are also exhibition halls and platforms that together form the art museum Cafesjan.
We dine in restaurant Lavash, tasty traditional starters and a risotto and a stew as main course.
Later we walk to the Square of the Republic where we admire the performance of the ‘Singing fountains’ in the evening. The music and dance of the water jets is mesmerizing.
A taxi takes us back to our Milady. The parking lot is now completely full and for a long time we hear the visitors of the city leave in their cars.
Genocide Monument and Museum
[free after Sonja’s story on Polar Steps]
When you are in Yerevan, you can’t help but visit the Genocide Monument and Museum, Tsitsernakaberd (Swallow Fortress). We arrive early and when we visit the monument we are very impressed. Dwelling on the eternal flame, accompanied by serene music, makes you aware of the terrible suffering inflicted on the Armenians, the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians who perished in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. In the museum you are also confronted with the atrocities that people do to each other 😞.
Zvartnots Cathedral
In the afternoon we take the time to visit Zvartsnots Cathedral, a medieval Armenian cathedral built in the seventh century that is now a ruin. Nevertheless, we think it is worth seeing the remains of the cathedral.
Byurakan observatorium
[free after Sonja’s story on Polar Steps]
At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Byurakan. The observatory of Armenia is located here, on the southern slope of the Aragats volcano at 1500 m above sea level. A giant stargazer built by the Soviets decades ago. Nowadays, the viewer is fully computer controlled and the images are also photographed digitally. There are several stargazers on the grounds of the observatory, one of them – the small one in the distance in the first photo – was even built by the Nazis and transported here after the war. We meet 8 Belgians with whom we get a tour of the observatory. A pleasant meeting 🥰.
Mount Aragats
The drive to Lake Kari
Although Mount Ararat – located in Turkey – is the symbol of Armenia, see our previous blog, Mount Aragats with its 4,095 meters is the highest peak in Armenia. After our night at the observatory we travel further up the slopes of the mountain. On the way, an Armenian sheepherder lets us stop. What is going on? He shows us a charging cable for a telephone and tries to make it clear to us in Armenian that we have to give the cable to someone a little further away. With his hand he indicates that we should give it to a child.
We let ourselves be surprised and indeed, after about ten minutes we approach a tent camp. On the side of this camp, children are waiting for us and ask for the cable. Their grandfather (papa-papa) invites us to their tent for a cup of coffee or tea. We are also treated to lavash (bread) with paner (cheese). In the bathtub, covered with a wooden plate, he shows that they make cheese here.
Of course we can’t avoid buying a piece of cheese. We say goodbye and drive on to the lake. Here we take a nice walk around the lake and we decide to climb the southern top of the mountain tomorrow.
Slightly higher above the lake we find a place to spend the night. Hopefully we will have good walking weather tomorrow 😉.
Hike to the top
[free after Sonja’s story on Polar Steps]
Aragats is a mountain and stratovolcano in Armenia and is 4090m high. The mountain has not one, two or three, but even four peaks! Today we climb the south peak (3887m). The highest peak is the north peak (4090m), but to reach it you need crampons, pickaxe and ropes. We leave early with good weather and do not meet any other hikers for the first few hours.
On the way we pass through a very varied area of alpine meadows, steep slopes and impressive rock massifs. We walk at a leisurely pace because we have to get used to the altitude. The trail is sometimes difficult for us, but after 3 hours of climbing, we reach the south summit. The view of the crater is fantastic. How insignificant you feel when you stand there.
We meet Stefan and his Ukrainian colleague and have a nice chat. Stefan is from Bolzano and speaks English and Russian in addition to Italian and German. The way back is tough and sometimes Sonja has to descend sitting 😉. The weather is threatening, every now and then we hear a thunderclap and drops fall. We leave our jacket in the backpack, but we keep it close at hand. Fortunately, the shower lingers at the top and we arrive dry.
When we are back at the lake, Micha and his friends invite us for a snack and a drink. Thanks to Stefan’s help we can have a conversation with each other. What a special encounter this is!
Because the weather at the top of the mountain seems a bit threatening, we decide to look for a camping spot a little lower, a small crater lake where we already saw overlanders. Every now and then a few splashes of rain fall, but the threatening thunderstorm of earlier in the afternoon does not materialize.
We are here with another German couple in a large overland truck and a couple of friends, Germany-Iran, who camp with a tent. A quiet night.
Amberd Castle
After a restful night by the lake on Mount Aragats, 25 km away we visit Amberd Castle, a 10th century fortress at 2300 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Aragats. The name translates to “fortress in the clouds” in Armenian. Close to the fort is also the 11th century Vahramashen Church.
Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope
[free after Sonja’s story on Polar Steps]
In Orgov we visit the ROT54, the Radio-Optical Telescope, also known as ROT54. It was built between 1975 and 1985 and was active between 1986 and 1990 before its use was discontinued. In the mid-1990s it was proposed to restore the telescope. In 1995–2010, the telescope was modernized with new control computers and new feeds, and observations resumed. The research complex has been abandoned since 2012 and I find it a bit spooky 😫. In the control room I try to make contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, every attempt failed 😞.
Sevan
We spend a few nights at Lake Sevan, at a high altitude of over 1,900 metres, so temperatures are also good in summer.
Sonja gets up at 6 am to admire the sunrise. There is no one else on the beach, we love the peace and quiet 🥰.
In the course of the afternoon, Joska and Nico drive onto the site. They are traveling to the Middle East with their Toyota Landcruiser (with the same roof of PSP Expedition Campers) and follow us on social media. It’s always nice to meet our followers live. We spend the evening and morning together, cook and eat together and have nice conversations with each other. We hope to meet again somewhere along the way and spend more time together.
Haghpat Monastery
We visit our last monastery in Armenia: the Haghpat Monastery, a medieval monastic complex built between the 10th and 13th centuries. Haghpat Monastery was once one of the greatest scientific centers, with a rich collection of manuscripts. The main church of St. Nishan (967-991) has beautiful frescoes inside. Serene music sounded upon entering this church. A nice end to our visit to Armenia!
Border crossing Armenia-Georgia
[free after Sonja’s story on Polar Steps]
Here I, Sonja, am not allowed to stay in the car and I have to go to passport control alone. That goes without a hitch. When I look for Milady Landy, I see Gert Jan standing on the roof. Apparently he has to take a picture of the contents of our trunk. Fortunately, this check is not a problem.
When Gert Jan arrives at passport control, he is referred to the police. Apparently he drove 2 times too fast (15 and 16 km too fast) and therefore has 2 fines on his leg 😞 After paying 11,600 Dram (about € 28), we can cross the border to Georgia.