MOUNT ARARAT & MOUNT ELBRUS (NORTH ROUTE)

A moderate trekking and high altitude climbing experience...

ITINERARY

Day 1: Meeting in VAN city airport before midday and drive to Dogubeyazit town in 3hrs average. On the way we stop by the "Muradiye waterfalls" and enjoy the view with Turkish tea. After lunch, check in hotel, permits and gear check. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 2: Transfer to Mount Ararat, former Eli village region at 2200m / 7250 ft. We then load the duffle bags on our horses and the start trekking for 4 hrs before arriving "Green Camp" at 3300m / 10850 ft.

Day 3: Rest at camp. Acclimatization hikes up to 4000m / 13150ft for 4-5 hours. Dinner and overnight at Green Camp.

Day 4: Hike up from Green camp to 2nd camp at 4150m / 13615 ft. (2-3 hours)

Day 5: Summit day. Early wake up call at 3:30 and start for the summit bid at 4:30 after a fine breakfast. We reach the summit at 5137m / 16854ft after 5-6 hrs hiking performance. It will take 2-3 hrs to descend back to the camp site at 4150m / 13615ft. Dinner and overnight in the 2nd camp.

Day 6: Descend all the way down to the village road to reach the minibus for the transfer to hotel in Dogubeyazit before lunch time. After lunch, we will see the art demonstration of the very best examples of local handcrafts and carpets. We will visit ancient Ishak Pasha Palace during the beautiful sunset. / Spare day in case of bad weather / Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 7: A) Transfer to Van airport early in the morning for the flight to Istanbul for stop over before fly to Mineralnye Vody. Transportation to Kislovodsk. Walk in the paks of the town. Dinner in a local cafe in the park.Overnight in hotel.
B) Stay in Istanbul in case the charter flight delays for next day.

Day 8: A2) Free day at leisure- Free trekking
B2) Arrive to Mineralnye Vody airport and Transportation to Kislovodsk. Walk in the paks of the town. Dinner in a local cafe in the park.Overnight in hotel.

Day 9: Breakfast, 4x4 vehicle drive to Base camp. 4-6 hours trip by unpaved road depending on weather, crossing mountain rivers.Overnight in camping style big tents at the Base camp at 2600 m.

Day 10: Acclimatization hike. Overnight in tents at Base camp.

Day 11: Acclimatization hike. Probably taking some gear to Camp1 at 3700. Overnight in tents at Base camp.

Day 12: Move to Camp 1 (from 2600 to 3700 m, distance: about 6,5 km). Overnight in a hut at Camp 1 at 3700 m.

Day 13: Acclimatization hike to Lenz Rocks up to 4600 m, distance: about 3 km. Overnight in the hut at Camp 1.

Day 14: Easy acclimatization hike up to some altitude, depanding on current situation. Overnight in the hut at Camp 1.

Day 15: Summit day. Early start (2-4 am), walk up to the West summit, distance: about 6,5 km. Return to Camp 1. Overnight in the hut at Camp 1.

Day 16: Reserve day (or descent to Base camp).

Day 17: Retreat to Base camp. Drive back to Kislovodsk. Walk in the town. Dinner in a cafe. Overnight in hotel.

Day 18: Breakfast. Transportation to MinVody. Fly out of Mineral Vody.

DETAILS

After meeting in Van Airport, we reach the frontier town of Dogubeyazit with 2hrs and 30min. of drive. On the way to Dogubeyazit, we stop by Muradiye waterfalls to enjoy the view and Turkish tea. Having collected our climbing permits from the military and gear check at the hotel, we will taste the best examples of the Turkish Kebaps in the dinner. The 2nd day is the start of climbing this Biblical Peak with 1hr 30min drive to Eli village (2200m) or Cevirme village (2600m) of Ararat with minibus or lorry.

On the way up to the 1st camp we will be able to see the Nomads and observe the Ararat mountain life. We establish our base camp at 3300m on the slopes of mountain. Once acclimatized after spending 2 nights at the 1st camp, we hike up to 2nd campsite on the south ridge 4150m.

Waking up early in the morning (03:30), we make a pre-dawn start at 04:30 for our summit ascent, crossing the upper snow covered slopes; we will reach 4950m where we will put our crampons on before the summit glacier. Finally reaching the summit of one of the world's most enigmatic peaks, we are rewarded by superb panoramic views of the surrounding plains and valleys on the frontiers of Turkey, Iran and Armenia.

Spending the night at 2nd camp after descending down from the summit, we will refresh ourselves for the next day's descend all the way to Dogubeyazit town before lunch. After lunch we will visit ancient Ishak Pasha Palace and see the art demonstration of the very best examples of Turkish handcrafts before dinner and overnight. The last day in Eastern Turkey we will drive back to Van city Airport for the flight to Istanbul. From Istanbul Ataturk Airport, we will fly directly to Mineralnye Vody if the schedule and/or availabilities permit. From Min' Vody, we will transport to Kislovodsk where we will spend overnight before we start our trekking the next day. Except this arrival day and the last day in Kislovodsk, we will spend all nights either at huts or tents throughout the trek.

The climb of Mt. Elbrus from the North has some difference from the standard route. It is not technically difficult same as from the South but it is in pretty distant and uninhabited area and we offer this tour only for those people who already have experience in living in tents and high altitude climbing. There are no lifts and from the base camp at 2700 meters climbers must walk with their personal gear. There are no hotels and the base camp is in tents. Camp 1 is in a hut on 3700 meters. On the summit day we start from 3700 meters. Do not ask to overnight higher - experience shows that this is the highest good point for staying in tents. Next possible camp site is at 4800 meters which is too high.

Being at the North side of Elbrus you may lost your impression that you are at the Caucasus. It is more as Peak Lenin expedition. It is so wide space and you see the great dimension of the confluence of all valleys which are the tributaries of Malka river! Baksan valley (the south side) becomes small and narrow when we compare it with this space.

PERMITS & VISAS

ARARAT CLIMBING PERMIT & VISA

As it is well known, the Ararat Mountain which had been a favorite for climbers until 1980 was closed to the public during the Kurdish insurgence. It was reopened to visitors in 2001 when security in the area was reestablished. Nevertheless, to ensure continuance of security, visits to Mount Ararat are now under strict government control.

Individual climbers are subject to security investigation and only those who are approved are allowed to visit.

Foreigners traveling alone who wish to climb Mt. Ararat should apply to the Turkish consulate in their country and apply for an "ARARAT CLIMBING" visa. Even individuals from those countries that do not require an entry visa to Turkey, should have their passports stamped with a special purpose visa by the Turkish consulate in their own countries. Applications made through the consulate are then sent to the office of the General Staff of Turkey, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and the Ministry of Tourism. Those applications that are approved are then forwarded to the office of the governor of Agri city and the local military police. The same documents are sent to the Turkish consulate of the originating country. Upon entry to Turkey these special visas are shown to the appropriate offices.

These procedures generally take up to two months for individual applicants, but if you join in our Ararat tours, we carry out the proper procedures on behalf of you which is the fastest and easiest way to obtain the necessary visas and permissions.

CAREFULLY FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1) In the booking form, please fill all personal and passport details completely.

2) Send your booking form together with a scanned photocopy of your passport either by fax to number: +902164184522 or by email to address: info@anatolianadventures.com

3) It is important that all participants should inform Anatolian Adventures about the name/location of the Turkish Consulate or Embassy closest to their hometowns. This location can't be changed after we send the application, and it is the place where you will pick-up your special purpose visa stickers after the permit procedure finishes.

Because of the sensitive position of Mount Ararat, being on the border of Turkey, it is officially declared to be 2nd degree Military zone. So without any exclusion, all EU members, USA citizens and citizens of all countries which Turkey does not demand ordinary visa procedure, will have to apply for the Special purpose visa, stating sportive aim.

As soon as we get the passport & Consulate information we apply to Ministry of Tourism for the permit authorization with an official paper. Ministry of Tourism applies to the other authorities for authorization. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Military. When Ministry of Tourism gets authorization from all these authorities, Anatolian Adventures will be informed about the permit. At the same time, Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send an official paper to the Turkish Consulate or the Embassy which the participants should have informed the location before. We then will inform all the participants to go to the consulate or the embassy they have stated in their application forms to get their special purpose visas.

RUSSIAN VISA

All foreign nationals are required to have entry visas to travel to the Russian Federation. Russian entry visas can be obtained at local Russian Embassy or Consulate. Proper invitation (visa support) from a specially authorized travel agency (host company) is required.

A visa to the Russian Federation is a document, permitting stay in Russia for a specific period of time. A visa lists exact entry/exit dates. You can enter/leave Russia on any date within visa period but overstay is a serious violation and in case of overstay leaving the country could be much more troublesome than entering it.

We can send visa support for more days than a period of our real service but for not more than 20 nights. If you need wider period please make real reservations in hotels through us for the extra days or address a visa company to purchase proper kind of visa. A sample of visa company: www.visatorussia.com

Requirements for foreign citizens to enter Russia (tourist visa)

- Passport: must be valid 6 months beyond intended stay
- Russian Visa: required
- Vaccination: not required

Requirements for obtaining Russian tourist visa in a Russian Consulate.

- Your original passport with at least 2 blank visa-designated pages (passport must be valid for at least 6 months after intended departure date from Russia).
- Two copies of Russian visa application form (Consulate's Questionnaire), completed and signed.
- One passport-size photo signed on the back.
- Visa support (invitation) page(s) from host company. ('Voucher' and 'Confirmation' forms)
- Consular fee (different in different countries) must be paid.

We will send you visa support (invitation) page as email attachment. That is a page with two forms: "Voucher" and "Confirmation of Hosting". You have to print it out and pass to the Consulate along with other necessary items. There will be some comments sent with visa support. Those comments will help you to fill out the Consulate application form (questionnaire). If you are going to apply for visa not in the country of your citizenship, let us know that country. Some Consulates (such as in France, Japan and some others) have their own demands for the visa support edition.

All Russian Visas should be registered upon arrival to the Russian Federation.

According to Russian law, your Russian visa must be registered within 72 hours upon your arrival (excluding weekends and official holidays).

If you stay at a hotel, the hotel will register your visa. You will be asked of your visa and passport. A small registration fee may be imposed.
If you are not staying at a hotel and travel on a tourist visa you will have to register your visa at the Passport and Visa Department of the local Police Precinct (OVIR/UVIR office).
In case you have a tour from a tourist company they will register your visa themselves.

Please note that not registering your Russian visa may lead to serious problems: detention by police, fines on departure, prevention from boarding the plane, etc. We strongly advise you to register your Russian visa to avoid possible unnecessary inconveniences. Paying a fine does not free you from registering. If you do not register within 72 hours you must pay fine before you may be registered.