4 Days Mount Ararat Expedition

Although no advanced mountaineering experience is required for the ascent of Mount Ararat, you will need to be familiar with the basic use of crampons. Mount Ararat is a strenuous mountain and can be windy and cold. However, it is a popular mountain and has a typical success rate of nearly 95%. If you are fit, prepared and acclimatized, you will have a great chance of standing on the summit of the highest peak in Turkey.
Our schedule will include sufficient time for acclimatization treks, and to experience local villages, culture, and geography.
The schedule also includes spare days should we need to wait for the weather to improve.

Day 1: Dogubayazit to Climb Ararat

Today we will reach the first camp at Mount Ararat 3200m and stay there for the night. We will meet 07:00 AM at breakfast. After last control, we will start our climb. By vehicles, we will head to Mount Ararat until 2200m. When we reach 2200m, we will load all our heavy pack, meal, and water and camp equipment for Mount Ararat expedition to mules. We will take our small backpack for daily needs. Then we will start the first day of Mount Ararat summit climb. On the way, we will rest 10 minutes every 1 hour. Our lunch also will serve on the road with lunch pack you get from your guide when you start the climb.

Our camp for today is 3200m which also known as Mount Ararat Green camp. When we reach camp hot drink and aperitifs will wait for us, all this drink and meals makes ready by our expedition cooker with hygiene until the end of Mount Ararat climb. We have free time until dinner. Who wants can rest or travel around. If the weather is good, dinner will be outside. After dinner and chat under the stars, we will go our tent and rest for tomorrows climb.
Stay Mount Ararat 3200m camp,
Averages ascent 1000m
Averages hike 4 Hour.

Day 2: 4200m Camp at Ararat

Our plan for today is the climb to 4200m high camp and stay there for Mount Ararat summit push.
After breakfast at 08:00 am, we will start to collect our tent and equipment place for loading to the mule. Then we will start to climb Mount Ararat 4200m camp. When we reach camp, hot drink and aperitif will wait for us. Before dinner, our guide will give you technical climb information for Mount Ararat and will teach how to use crampons, ice ax and rope. After dinner will go our tent early for rest and make everything ready for the summit push. After midnight at 02:00 am, Mount Ararat summit push will start.
Stay Mount Ararat 4200m camp attend,
Averages ascent 1000m
Averages climb 6 Hour.

Day 3: Ararat Summit Day

Today after midnight at 02:00 AM, we will start to climb Mount Ararat. Before the climb, our guide will connect to the grand team and get last weather report. Guides will speak everyone in the team and will decide climb today or next day. On bad weather, this day will be used as spare day and climb will be on Day 4.
After taking everything safe climb will start. Few hours after the climb at left, you can see huge shadow of Mount Ararat on the left, which is the biggest shadow of Turkey. We will rest here for taking photograph. About 7 hours of the climb, we will reach 4950m. Mount Ararat glaciers start here, we will wear our crampon and pass white big glacier plateau. Then we will reach the summit of Mount Ararat.
There is only Mount Ararat summit gives you chance to see four countries at one point. If you turn North-Northeast, you can see Armenia and Nakchivan, East Iran and all around is Turkey.
After celebrate and taking photograph we will start to descend at 4200m camp hot soup and drink will wait for us when we arrive. We will rest for an hour there then descend to 3200m camp. After lunch and rest, we will descend to 2200m where vehicles wait for us. We will load our climb gear from mules to vehicles then will go to Dogubayazit. After little rest at our hotel, we will go Turkish bath and massage.
After back to the hotel, we will rest again a few hours then meet in dinner for Mount Ararat climb celebrations party. You will get Mount Ararat climb certificate at this party too.

Day 4: Spare day for climb Ararat

This day is the spare day. If Day 3 we cannot climb Mount Ararat summit by bad weather condition we will use this day for the summit push.
If we do not use the spare day for climb Mount Ararat, we will use it for a cultural and historical city tour of Dogubayazit. You can read this tour detail in Spare Day section.

Spare Day Dogubayazit Tour

Today we will make cultural and historical city tour of Dogubayazit. After breakfast, first, we will visit Ishak Pasha Palace 5 km far from city center. Ishak Pasha Place is one of the most important palaces in Ottoman history and only one with unique build and art.
After that, we will go to visit Noah’s ark Durupinar formation, which believed Noah’s ark by many researchers. You can see many sea creations and rivets fossils founded at site and information of formation at Noah’s ark museum.
Our last stop before lunch at this area is Meteor Crater. With 60m deep and 35m large, the crater is second biggest in the world. On the way of the crater, we can see Iran and Turkey Iran border.
After our lunch in Dogubayazit, we will drive to Diyadin city’s thermal spring. Because water contains many minerals when came from underground Diyadin hot springs used for medical healing from ancient time.
After hot springs, we will back Dogubayazit at night and rest our hotel.

What is Included on a Climb?