Table of contents

• Motorcycle tour in Armenia Between Ararat and the Caucasus
• Noble boutiques, hip cafes and German luxury SUVs
• We roll downhill into the wide Ararat valley
• What a grandiose landscape
• A place between oblivion and the last hope
• This is how I imagine Mongolia
• What would the world be without dreams?
• More information about Armenia

Jo Deleker

18th pictures

Jo Deleker

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Jo Deleker

2/18
The joy of the XT is infectious: the Yamahas provide fun in front of the Alaverdi prefabricated buildings. The V8 engine of the Russian PAZ 672 bus ran on liquefied petroleum gas, as the gas tanks on the roof prove.

Jo Deleker

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Monument to the unique, ancient Armenian alphabet.

Jo Deleker

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In the capital, Yerevan, you are connected to the world.

Jo Deleker

5/18
Wide high valley at an altitude of 2000 meters with ancient volcanic craters.

Jo Deleker

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Mystical: forgotten bus at Tatev.

Jo Deleker

7/18
Tatev Monastery high above the Vorotan Gorge is 1100 years old and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jo Deleker

8/18
Pub culture in Yerevan.

Jo Deleker

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Departure from Gormarants Pass, 2230 meters, in the afternoon haze of the Iranian border.

Jo Deleker

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Young people prefer to ride on the XT than on the gas bus.

Jo Deleker

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Football is also played in this corner of the world in their free time.

Jo Deleker

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Magical atmosphere in the 800 year old Geghard monastery.

Jo Deleker

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Artyom confirms that his Dnepr team is roadworthy.

Jo Deleker

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Tatev through town with an old Russian GAZ 53 truck.

Jo Deleker

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A bee has breakfast in the blooming thistle.

Jo Deleker

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This very fun road curves up into the green and cool highlands to the 2,410 meter high Selimpass.

Jo Deleker

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“Gas station” in Tatev. Five liters of fuel for each XT from buckets.

Jo Deleker

18/18
The journey lasted two weeks, in which 1800 kilometers were covered. The start and end destination were the capital Yerevan.

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Motorcycle tour Armenia – Ararat Caucasus

Motorcycle tour in Armenia
Between Ararat and the Caucasus

Riding a motorcycle through Armenia was previously reserved for long-term long-distance travelers. But now you can rent XTs in Yerevan and discover the exciting country in two weeks.

Joachim Deleker

May 28, 2018

A few months before our trip we knew at most three things about the country in the Lesser Caucasus: the radio Yerevan jokes, the Ararat volcano and the Ottoman genocide of 1.5 million Armenians 100 years ago. Admittedly, that is a lot of ignorance about a country. But at that time in geography lessons it was more important for the faculty to study the natural resources of South Africa than to lecture on an insignificant republic of the Soviet Union. Now finally we want to improve our lack of knowledge.

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Between Ararat and the Caucasus

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Noble boutiques, hip cafes and German luxury SUVs

And so we fly to Yerevan, the country’s metropolis, city of millions, hot, loud and hectic. The center is a fascinating mix of a few old and many new buildings, the latter in the popular style of post-Soviet monumental architecture. There are noble boutiques of western style, hip cafes, attractive people, shady parks and ten-lane boulevards, on which German luxury SUVs stroll at the maximum level of tuning, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X6 and above all the Mercedes G-Class with AMG-V8, black and evil. So many swanky boxes that we see here in an hour, it took a month in Stuttgart. How can they afford it? Better not ask. Business.

Jo Deleker

Tatev through town with an old Russian GAZ 53 truck.

A Hyundai taxi takes us to the Araratour rental station, where two blue XT 660 Rs are waiting for us. Perfect mopeds for this country, light, robust and economical. Andrea does the paperwork with us and then drives us out of town before the thermometer cracks the 40-degree mark. Mid-June, summer in Armenia. Thanks to a map, navigation system and intuition, we can find our way out of town, curve uphill into cooler climes to the campsite 3Gs. A green paradise with a pool and palm trees at an altitude of 1,600 meters, created by the Dutch Sandra, who fell in love with Armenia.

We roll downhill into the wide Ararat valley

At the end of the valley we find the Geghard Monastery, 800 years old, Unesco World Heritage, pitted gray walls, a magical atmosphere in the cool and dark interior, warm candlelight flickers on ancient frescoes and mighty arches. Complete silence. Goose flesh. There are dozens of such monasteries, Armenia was the first Christian country in 30000. At seven the Yamahas are ready to go, we roll downhill into the wide Ararat valley, the hottest region in the country. The initial asphalt crumbles, disintegrates into holes, stones and sand, the renaturation to a proper slope. Very nice. The green of the mountains is quickly replaced by a yellow-brown desert. Even so, there are a few farms, irrigated fields and orchards. An old Russian GAZ truck, loaded with straw as high as a house, roars in front of us, powdering us with thick dust. Quickly over, the laughing driver raises his thumb.

Jo Deleker

Wide high valley at an altitude of 2000 meters with ancient volcanic craters.

And then, like a mirage, a glacier shines through the heat haze, unreal high up. A glacier? The summit of Ararat, 5,165 meters high, so close and yet inaccessible, the huge volcano on the other side of the Turkish border attracts everyone’s attention. No chance of getting there, the border is denser than Goretex, only permeable for air and looks. Tragic, but since the Armenian genocide, there has been an Ice Age between the countries. We follow the main road M2 eastwards. Shortly before Yeghegnazdor – the Armenian names don’t easily cross your tongue – we find the Crossways campsite. Two young women create this little oasis with a lot of love and commitment. A spirit of optimism, investing in the future, hoping for tourists – that’s what we see so often in this country.

What a grandiose landscape

The M2 swings in wide curves to the Vorotan Pass, 2,344 meters high. Round, green mountains over 3,500 meters high on both sides. What a grandiose landscape, not a tree disturbs the view into this vastness. Meditative driving at 90 km / h, cool headwind, thick clouds pushing over the mountains from the east. We feel the change in climate, from the Caspian Sea humid air pushes over Azerbaijan, condenses as it rises to form clouds, which ensure that the landscape is covered with a thick green carpet.

Jo Deleker

Tatev Monastery high above the Vorotan Gorge is 1100 years old and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The road curves in a fun way into the Vorotan Gorge, swaps the good tar for dusty gravel in the valley floor and then climbs steeply up to Tatev. A quaint village with simple houses, some B&B and the 1100 year old monastery. Another magical place, dark walls, mighty vaults, the atmosphere of a millennium. Silence and amazement. But there is no gas station in Tatev. We had not expected that. And the XTs desperately need liquid hydrocarbons. Gayane, the young boss of our B&B, advises us to ask in the village shop. There they send us down a side street to a green sheet metal gate. We knock, a questioning round head peers through the crack in the door. “Bensin?” “There. Skol’ko? ”“ Pjat litr, five liters. ”The man nods, disappears into the courtyard and comes back shortly afterwards with a full bucket and a tin funnel from the times of the Russian Revolution, each XT fills five liters of fuel into the tank and collects 900 Dram, almost the normal gas station price. Perfect. Off to the Iranian border.

A place between oblivion and the last hope

The mountain road to Kapan is rustic, rocky, full of holes, winding and dusty. Ideal for the Yamahas. It stays cool and gray, the outlook hazy. Behind Kapan, an industrial city far beyond Schone Wohnen, a new tar road curves into the mountains, right along the border with Azerbaijan. Old bunkers and soldiers’ graves are a reminder of the nonsensical war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is still not over. The countries are crazy enemies.

Jo Deleker

Departure from Gormarants Pass, 2230 meters, in the afternoon haze of the Iranian border.

In the haze of the afternoon we see the Iranian border, impassable for rental motorcycles. So turn back, head north, we give the XTs their spurs, time to walk a few meters. Back up to the Vorotan Pass, where the clouds have long since dissolved, then turn right onto a slope into the mountains. Karmrashen is written on a place-name sign, behind it farms and indestructible “Progress 132″-Combine harvester from the GDR. A place between oblivion and the last hope. The through-town lies dead in the blazing midday heat, wild west atmosphere, and actually a cowboy is riding across the piste. Instead of pulling the Colt, he waves to us.

This is how I imagine Mongolia

The slope mutates into a track, car-sized holes slow us down, we meander through a gentle, green high valley, old volcanic cones, fields, deserted. The GPS shows bravely straight ahead, although we doubt the lane, which is getting narrower and narrower. The Ortlieb panniers pick grass on both sides, no car has driven here for a long time. But it actually goes on, over a nameless pass and down into the beautiful Yeghegistal, which brings us to the main road M10. We cycle higher and higher in perfect radii, past the only preserved caravanserai in the country, 700-year-old vaults, once part of the Silk Road, up to the Selim Pass, 2,410 meters. This is where the highlands begin, soft hills, dense green grass all the way to the horizon, where gentle 3,500-meter mountains tower up. Flower fields, sandy slopes, fords, nomad tents and flocks of sheep. This is how I imagine Mongolia. What a wonderful expanse.

Jo Deleker

Artyom confirms that his Dnepr team is roadworthy.

A light yellow Lada stops, is laden with apricots up to the roof. A thin man gets out, gives us two handfuls of the yellow fruit, just like that, smiling and without words. Spasiba – thank you! The friendliness of the people makes us speechless again and again, hardly owning anything ourselves, but giving presents to strangers. If only it were like that everywhere. In the north, the Armenian inland sea, the Sevansee, extends twice the size of Lake Constance. But in contrast to the Swabian Sea, it is almost uninhabited. We spend two hours dusting northwards on the east bank, every now and then a Lada or GAZ truck comes across, a few small towns, nothing else. The next day we are in Alaverdi, not far from the border with Georgia. Alaverdi, what a beautiful name for such an ugly city. Poisonous yellow clouds of exhaust gas from the copper smelter float ominously over the narrow valley, monstrous ruins of Soviet heavy industry shape the city. End times mood. But as soon as we stop, curious children surround us. Everyone wants to sit on the Yamahas, put on our Arai helmets, take selfies and happily turn the throttle. Enthusiasm, carefree laughter, parents click photos with their cell phones from the balcony of the wrecked prefabricated buildings. Pure life, what a contrast to the depressing houses they live in.

What would the world be without dreams?

Slowly it is time for the way back to Yerevan, we drive through green hills and valleys to Aragats, the highest mountain in the country with 4092 meters. A narrow road curves up to a lake at 3200 meters. The thunderstorm of the night washed the dust out of the air, it has never been so clear on this trip. This is our chance, it is already dawning as we drive the enduros over the bumpy road, pursuing our mission full of vigor. And how lucky we are: 100 kilometers away, Mount Ararat presents itself sublime under a cloudless sky. What a gigantic and beautiful volcano. Oh, if only the Armenians could be closer to their holy mountain in Eastern Anatolia. It is high time for relaxation between the countries, time for open borders, for eventful motorcycle tours in both countries. A dreamlike vision, sure, but what would the world be without dreams, without visions?

More information about Armenia

Experience new things, broaden your own horizons, that works best in Armenia. Especially since the country is quite easy to travel to with good rental motorcycles. Assuming a little spirit of discovery.

General & History: Armenia is a landlocked Asian country, slightly smaller than Belgium, between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Most of the country is mountainous and lonely. 100 years ago the country extended far into what is now Turkey. Between 1915 and 1918, around 1.5 million Armenians were deported and killed by the Young Turks, a nationalist party in the late Ottoman Empire. The highly recommended Genocide Museum in Yerevan is a factual and extremely vivid reminder of this genocide. Turkey has denied the genocide to this day, describing it as a “war-related security measure”.

In 1922 Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. In 1988 a severe earthquake destroyed large parts of the country in the north. 25,000 people died as a result of the quake. Shortly afterwards, the war with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh exclave began, which has not really ended to this day and claimed more than 30,000 deaths. In 1991 the end of the USSR followed and Armenia became an independent state. Today there are only open borders to Georgia and Iran.

Jo Deleker

The journey lasted two weeks, in which 1800 kilometers were covered. The start and end destination were the capital Yerevan.

Getting there: From Cologne to Yerevan it is more than 4,300 kilometers over the Balkans and through Turkey. A bit far for a normal long vacation. Flight connections from Frankfurt or Dusseldorf to Yerevan are offered by Aeroflot via Moscow, Ukraine Airlines via Kiev, Lot via Warsaw and Lufthansa / Austrian via Vienna. Tickets are available from around 300 euros.

Motorcycles: There are two rental locations in Yerevan. The author had the best experience with Araratour where it is well maintained Yamaha XT 660 R for the daily price of 90 euros. Info: https://araratour.com/de/. Guided tours are also part of the program. The contact person is Andrea Pessl: a.pessl@araratour.com. The second agency is Silkroad Armenia (www.silkroadarmenia.am). Here, too, there are guided tours or the brokerage of 650 enduros (XT, DR, KLR) from 60 euros per day. German-speaking contact with Narine Kharazyan: german@silkroadarmenia.am

Travel time & Entry: Armenia has a continental climate with cold winters and very hot summers of up to 45 degrees. Ideal travel months are June to mid-July and mid-September and October. It is generally five to ten degrees cooler in the highlands than in Yerevan. A passport is sufficient for entry, the German driver’s license for the bikes.

Accommodation: In addition to two campsites, there are now numerous B.&B and hotels that can easily be reserved through booking.com. In the main summer travel season it can get tight. Equipment and price level are well below German standards.

security & Money: Armenia is one of the safe countries with very little crime. Most of the people are noticeably friendly and helpful. Currency is the drama, money is replenished at ATMs or in exchange offices that can be found in cities. The official language is Armenian, Russian is also spoken. Occasionally you can get on with English, but less often in the country.

literature & Cards: There are only two travel guides, a 470-page book from Trescher-Verlag for 21.95 euros, which is aimed primarily at church-loving cultural travelers, and the English book “Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan”. A good map on a scale of 1: 250,000 comes from the Verlag Reise Knowhow for 9.95 euros. Orientation is also possible with the detailed OSM maps for the navigation system.

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