Hors to Yelpin

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Cave · Fall Colors · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Safety and Security:
The mobile connections of Ucom and Viva Cell-MTS functions with some interruptions. In case of emergency, call 911 or 112. Be aware of off-leash dogs in the villages and bears on the mountains.

How to reach to the trail:
First of all, the runners must reach to Hors Village by car. Please, use taxi service with taximeters.

Trail description
This trail is located in Vayots Dzor Province. It starts from Hors Village, passes through red, rocky mountains, gorges, and caves, and ends in Yelpin Village. The panoramic view is incredible, and on the way, runners can see Mount Ararat.

Monuments description:
This trail is rich with natural monuments, such as the peaks Karkatar and Vardenis, the longest sierra of Armenia. It is also recommended to visit Areni 1 Cave and Noravank and Spitakavor Monasteries in Vayots Dzor.

Areni 1 Cave is the oldest winery in the world. A 5500 year old leather shoe was discovered here. The age of the shoe was defined in the scientific laboratories of Oxford and California.

Noravank Monastery was constructed in the 13th Century, and is located in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu River. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, that make the terrain incredibly wonderful.

Spitakavor Monastery was constructed in the 14th Century and is considered an Armenian monastic complex. The monastery is located on the slopes of Teksar Mountain and has a difficult terrain, but the monastery can be reached either on foot or with an all-terrain vehicle. It is about 8.4 kilometers (5.2 miles) from the University of Gladzor's Museum and Tanahat Monastery, and about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) to the Proshaberd Fortress.

Trail technical parameters:
Best period: May-October
Distance: 138 km from Yerevan
Duration: 2 hours 17 min
Trail length: 23.5 km
Duration: 7 hours
Altitude from the see level: 1671-2961-1496m
Take bottled water with you.

Flora:
The region is very rich with wild and colorful flowers. Some species are included in the Red Book of Armenia.

Fauna:
The province is known due to the rare endemic animals such as bezoar goats, mouflons, Caucasian bears, wild pigs, panthers etc. Here, runners can see snakes and other reptiles.