Climbing Ararat is quite similar to an all-inclusive hotel in terms of service. Here your stuff will be carried by mules, delicious food will be cooked by a local chef, and the support staff will deal with the organization of the camp. Climbing Ararat from Turkey is all-inclusive, but in the mountainous variant and the level of service can be compared only with Kilimanjaro or expeditions to 8000m.
Ararat is one of the easiest and at the same time one of the most colorful. It is not only a climbing tour, but also a trip to the region of Eastern Turkey, where we will see the colorful life of Kurds, the heritage of Armenians, the Ottomans and the ancient civilization of Urartu, and visit Lake Van, the largest soda lake in the world!
We have a program with only local guides, without the KULUAR team leader , but with the same high service: climbing Ararat with local guides.
Climbing Ararat, or as the peak is called by locals Ağrı Dağı (Mountain of Pain), is an ideal option for those planning to discover the big mountains. The mountain requires no special skills, but climbing Ararat is already 5,000 meters!
A true Turkish All Inclusive in mountain tourism. Clients bags are carried by mules, the delicious food is prepared by the chef, and the camp is set up by the support staff. All you have to do is enjoy!
Besides the ascent to Ararat you will enjoy the interesting excursions in its surroundings.
The program includes high quality acclimatization which will let you get used to the altitude and enjoy the sceneries of Ararat.
We do not cancel or reschedule groups. If the consultant has given his approval for the ticket, you may buy it without any hesitation. There will be no cancellations through our fault.
Consultant participated in many climbs and will advise you knowledgeably.
The experienced team leaders of KULUAR Club, who have been on Ararat more than once, will accompany the participants during the whole program.
During the time of operation of the club we have worked out an algorithm allowing maximum quality organization of hiking and climbing. You can personally convince yourself of this by applying for participation.
More than 25000 participants have already been with Kuluar and 97.8% were satisfied. We are sure you will, too!
The opportunity to save money on equipment by going to climbing with Kuluar.
Our program starts in the morning in Van (VAN airport), where we will meet the whole group and then take a transfer to the town of Dogubayazit. After arrival we check-in at a comfortable hotel, have a rest, check our gear. In the evening we have a welcome dinner.
After breakfast at hotel and getting ready we load the car and drive to Eli village (2200m). Upon arrival our stuff is loaded on mules, and we start our trek to the camp at 3200m, which is in fact our base camp.
After 3-3.5 hours we set up our tents, have lunch, rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Ararat.
In the morning, after breakfast, we leave the Base Camp (3200 m) and start acclimatization hike to the Summit Camp (4200 m). The way is going along the steep rocky trail, and takes about 3 hours. We hike there for better acclimatization. Today we have to pass the 4000 m mark and breathe the "new" air in the upper camp. Then we go down and have lunch.
In the evening we have dinner and rest.
After breakfast we hike to the summit camp. On arrival we set our tents, have lunch and rest. Then we will make a short acclimatization hike, so that to get some more new altitude and then we will check the compare boots and the crampons for tomorrow's ascent. It is important to try to get enough sleep, because we are going to ascent the summit at night.
We wake up around midnight, prepare some tea and have some little breakfast, and start our for Ararat ascent (5137m). Despite the fact that we are in Turkey in the middle of summer, it will be very cold at 5000 at night, so be sure to wear in warm clothes and take warm tea in a thermos. Good warm gloves are a must. There will be crampons on your feet. It's not comfortable to wear them, but our team leaders will tell you how to do it.
Duration of the ascent is 4.5-5 hours. We start on steep rocky slopes, then at about 5000m we come out to the ice pre-top slope. On the summit we enjoy the fantastic views from the legendary mountain and take pictures. We did it!
Then we descend to the Summit Camp (4200 m), have some rest, have lunch and continue our descent to the Base Camp (3200 m), where we have dinner, share our impressions and spend the night.
Today we go down the well-known route, get in our cars, and go back to the hotel. In the afternoon you can walk around the city center and have lunch in one of the colorful local cafes. Then we go to the town, to the palace of Itskhak Pasha. It is an incredibly beautiful complex of more than 100 rooms and halls, built of pink volcanic tuff!
And after the tour, we'll go to a traditional holiday dinner with a Kurdish family who helped us throughout the climb! Overnight at the hotel.
In the morning, after breakfast, we leave for Van. Depending on the time of departure, you can take a walk to the city castle and the nursery of the famous local cats, take a boat ride to the island of Akdamar, or just have lunch and go for a landing. Climbing Ararat is over, see you on the next peaks!
Important! The decision on the possibility or impossibility to continue the ascent is made only by the Kuluar Teamleader, is mandatory in the execution and is not subject to discussion. We are interested in as many participants as possible to climb the summit, but safety is always in the first place!
Subject to weather conditions and general wishes of the group, the guide has the right to make changes in the itinerary.
You must have a valid passport with you, no visas are needed.
You must have no illnesses from this list in order to participate in the hike.
Climbing Ararat opens many peaks for you. After Ararat, we recommend:
We have prepared for you the "Ararat" memorable medal, which you will receive after climbing.
You need to buy your tickets in advance, as soon as we confirm your participation in the trek.
Our recommendations for flight selection services can be found in this article.
You need good insurance to participate in the program. Please do not ignore this point. It has saved some participants thousands of dollars. Our recommendations for insurance can be found here: "Insurance for Kuluar Hikes Participants".
Weather conditions are one of the most important factors in successful ascent. The weather in the mountains changes very quickly. To summarize, it is usually good in the morning and getting worse in the evening. At altitude in the evening and at night it is cold. So be sure to take warm and nice clothes! The sun is often out in the daytime, at these altitudes it is especially dangerous. The sun's rays are reflected from the snow and you burn instantly. Do not forget to take sunscreen!
Starting in 2025, we will have a good update: now the participants will not live in ordinary tourist tents, but in large ones with mattresses and pillows inside. This will make your stay at Ararat much more comfortable.
It should also be noted that these tents are in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
We strongly recommend prepare for the ascent. Start running three months before your planned ascent. It is good if you can run 10 km at a quiet pace and not exhausted. Do not try to run fast, try to run longer. If you can measure your heart rate - run at a pulse rate of about 130-140 beats per minute. If there is no such an opportunity - run at a pace at which you can speak.
In order to take part in Ararat ascent you should have some experience from previous treks. Any hikes in the Caucasus, Georgia and other high mountains are optimal. A good option is the winter Carpathian Mountains. For example:
If you do not have the necessary hiking experience and can not get it, be sure to contact our manager and talk in person. You can go to Ararat without any previous experience, the main thing is to have a clear understanding of where you're going.
The cost depends on the number of participants:
| Number of participants | Value |
|---|---|
| 5 and more | 980€ |
| 4 | 1150€ |
| 3 | 1250€ |
| 2 | 1500€ |
*Please note: It is not the consultant task to select an individual flight for each participant. The consultant gives general recommendations, based on his experience and shares flights of other participants, so you can fly together. It's up to the participant to select and purchase his own convenient air ticket. If you want the manager to buy you a ticket, book a hotel or an extra excursion, read the conditions on the page: additional services.
Full payment for the program is made on the first day of the trip to the teamleader in dollars.
To reserve a place in the group you need to make a prepayment of $300.
Important: The cancellation prepayment must be paid back:
Kuluar has one striking feature that clearly sets it apart from the huge number of Ukrainian tourist clubs: care. It doesn't matter whether it's an easy walk somewhere in Borzhava or a serious climb up a 5,000-metre peak — they care about you.
A week ago, I successfully climbed Mount Ararat with Kuluar club, and I am sure that our guide played a big part in this. Our team leader, Olya Vasanova, was attentive to us the entire time, constantly reminding us to apply sunscreen, giving valuable advice about clothing, and regularly asking us how we were feeling at altitudes of 3,200, 4,200, and higher. Another interesting thing was that throughout the entire climb, our oxygen saturation was measured in the morning and evening.
Sometimes she scolded us for walking too fast during the streches, or for to continue doing minimal things in the camp (walking, rearranging backpacks, etc.) — all so that we could acclimatise to the altitude as well as possible and reach the summit.
I was very pleasantly surprised and delighted that I climbed such a high mountain for the first time with Kuluar and your team leader.
Therefore, it is clear that if you are going to the mountains, you should go with Kuluar!
