Trails

From Janapar

Backbone (Himnakan Janapar)

Section	Description	Distance	Difficulty	Offshoots	Maps
Vardenis -> Tsar	Head from the southeast corner of Lake Sevan over the mountains to the Karabakh Region.	~25km	Medium	No
Tsar -> Karvachar	Descend from the mountain plateau village through a canyon with a geyser to Karvachar.	~25km	Medium	No
Karvachar -> Zuar	Hike over a mountain to Zuar village and hot springs	25km	Medium	No	1, 2
Zuar -> Dadivank	Follow the river down to Dadivank Monastery	19km	Easy	No	1, 2
Dadivank -> Vaghuhas	Hike along the Tartar River to Vaghuhas	22km	Easy	No	1, 2
Vaghuhas -> Vank	Hike over the hills to Gandzasar Village then up to Gandzasar Monastery and back down to the village.	14km	Medium	No	1, 2, 3
Vank -> Kolatak	Hike along rivers and forested mountains. See old church 2km above Kolotak.	20km	Medium	No	1
Kolatak -> Ptretsik	Hike directly into the wilderness and forested mountains the whole day.	17km	Difficult	No	1, 2
Ptretsik -> Stepanakert	Hike through the foothills and villages to reach the Capital.	17km	Easy	No	1
Stepanakert -> Shushi	Explore Stepanakert, and hike up to Shushi.	14km	Medium-Difficult	No	1
Shushi -> Mkhitarishen	Explore Shushi, then hike through gorgeous Karkar Canyon, stopping at the Zontik Waterfall and Hunot ruins	10km	Medium-Difficult	No	1,
Mkhitarishen -> Avetaranots	through forested hills and fields	16km	Medium-Difficult	No	1, 2
Avetaranots -> Karmir Shuka	Skhtorashen has a massive tree nearby thought to be 2,000 years old.	15km		No	1, 2
Karmir Shuka -> Azokh	Explore the Azokh Cave.	11km	Medium	No	1, 2
Azokh -> Togh	Walk around Mount Togh to Gtichavank, then on to Togh Village	18km	Medium	No	1
Togh -> Hadrut	Hike the last stretch to Hadrut, and make a trip up to Spitak Khach Vank to light a candle upon completion.	16km	Medium	No	1, 2

Speeding up the hike

Most people hike at about a pace of 5km per hour on a flat path, while difficult terrain and wet conditions can slow you down. These trail sections are usually planned in order to give you some time to enjoy the sights along the way, as well as the company of others. However, if you are interested in completing the trail sooner, you can pretty easily double up on sections a few times during your hike. For example you could hike from Shushi to Mkhitarishen to Avetaranots in one day instead of two if you push ahead, as the combined total of these two sections is still only 25km. Karmir Shuka to Azokh to Togh can likewise be doubled up, as can others, depending on your pace and how much oghi (vodka) the villagers convince you to drink the preceding night!

The Forbidden Monastery

We recommend taking a car/taxi to get to the region where you can visit the forbidden monastery of Yerits Mankants. Because it is in a military zone, behind multiple checkpoints, you must first get permission. Much of the surrounding areas saw serious fighting, and should not be explored without serious inquiries into safety issues. Information on permission is on the Tonashen village page. You may however visit Mataghis Village nearby without prior permission and hike an hour or so to Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery.

Difficulty

Easy (or Easiest) - This classification is used to identify the easiest trails that are suitable for beginning trail users and those who don’t have the skill or desire to use more challenging trails. These trails have a low level of risk for the user and consequently offer less variety than those of greater difficulty. These routes are appropriate for novice through advanced users. They generally follow obvious, well-marked trails and roads. Grades are gentle, and few obstacles will be encountered. This requires little skill and entails little physical challenge. Tread is smooth, level, and wide, with generous clearing of trees, limbs, and other vegetation above and to each side of the trail to permit easy passage. Elevation gain or loss is minimal. Streams are most often crossed with bridges.

Medium (or More Difficult) - Trails in this rating category are designed to meet the expectations of the majority of trail users. They require skills beyond that of a novice and at times will challenge the average trail user. These routes are appropriate for intermediate through advanced users. Terrain may be steeper, trails narrower, and some obstacles may be encountered. This requires a minimal skill level and provides a minimal physical challenge. Tread surface contains roots and embedded rocks. Clearing of trees, limbs, and other vegetation above and to each side of the trail may result in occasional contact by the users. Elevation gain or loss is moderate. Streams are most often crossed by fording.

Difficult (or Most Difficult) - These trails are designed for trail users with advanced skill, who are seeking a higher risk level. These routes are recommended for advanced to expert users only. The terrain is steep, and routes are not well marked. Trail users should have considerable skill in their chosen activity, as well as knowledge of navigation and survival before attempting these trails. This requires a high degree of skill and provides a definite physical challenge. Tread is seldom graded except on steep side slopes for safety and prevention of soil erosion. Minimal clearing of trees, limbs, and other vegetation results in hampering the progress of the user. Elevation gain or loss is usually severe. Streams are crossed by fording and are sometimes difficult.

Notes

Difficulty is a range from Easy to Difficult. Difficult usually indicates a good deal of elevation during the days hike. Easy indicates a smooth, clear trail, probably dropping in elevation.

Distance is the full days hike, including the trips up to Monasteries that are considered a part of the trail. Optional offshoot/side trails however, are not included in the figure.

Maps should be downloaded and printed before hiking. AG Print in Yerevan can print them quite nicely on A3.

Directions - When you need to ask where the trail is, always ask where the arahet (trail) is, or to be even more exact, Ur e kapuyt yev deghin n'shanov arahetuh? (Where is the blue and yellow marked trail?).