The Ultimate Adventure in Armenia

Great adventure with lots of activities and finishing on top of Mount Aragats was the highlight. Our guide Anahit was superb, friendly, informative and just lovely person. My only criticism was too much time was given to lunch! Far too much food and time wasted that could have been spent at some of our one night stays where we had little opportunity to explore. Just tweak the schedule and it will be perfect!

Lovely mix of activities and culture. Particularly enhanced by our guide "Anahit". She really did play a great part in making this trip fantastic!

Unique country with amazing scenery and midblowing volcanic formations. Saw many things I've not seen in other countries.

My only criticism is that the hikes were wonderful, but apart from one, they were out and back - would've much preferred circular walks or a drop off and pick up in a other location.

The itinerary was more relaxed than on other trips, wasn't expecting that but actually grateful for the laid back style.

Armenia is a stunning country and absolutely should be witnessed.

Pros for the trip:

• All of the accommodation was excellent.
• The food was plentiful
• Our guide was brilliant and knew almost everything you could want to know about Armenia

Cons:

• You move a lot and therefore it doesn’t feel like you ever truly get to relax on any of the evenings
• The programme could have been condensed as two cave house hikes back to back felt really samey. It would have been better to save one of those days for a day in Yerevan at the end.
• The first day is jam packed and more consideration should be given to lunch. Making kebabs isn’t a needed activity - instead we should arrive with this food already prepared (we can see it in the oven but absolutely do not need to make them). On this day we ate breakfast at 7am and then ate lunch at 3pm - unnecessarily long.
• There was hardly any free time until the last two nights. This made everyone feel incredibly exhausted.
• There were too many monasteries etc included. Around the glamping there are tons of lovely grassy trails, included some of these would have been nice. For lake Sevan, there was essentially no point staying there as we arrived at 7pm and left at 9am. This could have been better considered to include a morning hike around the lake?

Overall Armenia is a stunning country and has some unbelievably brilliant sights. Anahit was a fantastic host but I think the agenda should be adjusted to give the places we are staying more limelight, which would give greater variety and also feel less like we are driving sleeping driving walking most days.

Very well constructed tour of Armenia which seamlessly mixed thrilling activities like rafting and caving with the beautiful nature of the mountains and gorges. The driving was comfortable and modest in length considering how much of the country we experienced and always mixed with great activities. Very welcoming country/people. Excellent guide and high quality accommodation with plenty of food. This is Armenia done comprehensively.

This trip had everything. From adventure activities and hiking in stunning natural landscapes, to delicious local food and visits to beautiful historic sites. It was great to be able to share the experience with a lovely group of people too. It was a well-organised, varied itinerary which made for a very memorable trip. The white water rafting and night staying in the glamping pods were personal highlights for me. The cultural element should definitely be shouted about more because Armenia is an extremely interesting country, rich in history. Anahit was a brilliantly knowledgeable guide and made the trip even more enjoyable.

It was a fantastic first MBA adventure and I would absolutely recommend!

The tour had loads of variety in terms of landscapes, culture, food and activities. It was a memorable trip with fantastic scenery, interesting history and a great bunch of people. Armenia has lots to offer and it felt like we really experienced a good cross section of the country in a short space of time. Recommended!

Good mix of activity alongside culture. I feel that the itinerary listed on line does not do justice to the cultural element of the trip although this may have been better than expected due to our very knowledgeable guide.

It was a good trip, but definitely not the best MBA trip I've ever been on. There was a lot of time in the van, and the scenery was good but not unreal.

We had a group of 10 intrepid travellers ranging in age from 30 - 60 (me being the upper age). It was a fabulous group of like minded people who got on well together. It is a full packed schedule of sightseeing, activities and hiking with driving in between. The bus was comfortable so I didn’t find the distances a problem.

Most of the meals were provided and the food was delicious, home cooked, fresh and plentiful. We seemed to be eating a lot!!

Anahit our guide was lovely. Excellent historical knowledge and an experienced mountaineer. She set a perfect pace especially when it was very hot. She was good at rounding us up and getting us organised when we had a lot to pack in.

The accommodation was all really comfortable and clean and staff and Armenian people in general couldn’t do enough for us.

The mix of sightseeing, activities and hiking was good with plenty of historical knowledge provided by Anahit. The tour doesn’t cover much of Yerevan so if you have extra time a walking tour and visit to some of the sights there is well worth it.

I thoroughly recommend this tour you won’t be disappointed.

This trip was fabulous, a great group of people and a varied and well organised programme over 8 days.

It is full on, as in order to get everything in things need to stick roughly to schedule. Armenia is a beautiful country, and you get plenty of active moments as well as plenty of quieter ones.

Our guide Anahit was very knowledgable and incredibly passionate about sharing her country's culture and history with the group.

You will not be hungry on this trip, I'm not sure the concept of a light lunch has reached Armenia yet. The food is brilliant but there is a lot of it.

The hikes on the trip were relatively easy for someone with reasonable fitness, but would be perfectly achievable if a little more challenging for someone who is a bit unsure whether they're up to it.

I would very much recommend this trip to anyone wanting a nice trip off the beaten track but who isn't looking for a multi-day expedition style trip. Fulfilling days, beautiful sites, comfortable hotels, good food, great wine and if you're lucky (like I was) a fantastic bunch of people.

Given that this was MBA’s first Armenia trip, it was very good! The overall experience was well-organized and enjoyable with only minor setbacks. The local guide team was truly wonderful and our guide, Anahit, went above and beyond to deliver a fun trip.

Positives:

1. The itinerary was well-planned with the right amount and content of activities. The rafting day was switched due to weather (thoughtful move by Sati from the tour company) and I would actually suggest keeping that altered schedule. It was nice to rest our legs in between two days of more demanding hikes.
2. One of my bags was damaged during the journey to Yerevan and our guides were great about helping me get it repaired quickly.
3. The tour company was flexible with needing to change plans (hotel booking for extra night) as I dealt with various logistical challenges due to military conflict in neighboring countries. Of note, Armenia felt very safe throughout.
4. The tour company manager (Sati) checked in frequently with all travelers and was incredibly helpful throughout the trip.
5. Ample amounts of vegetarian food were provided at nearly every meal and I was very appreciative.
6. Solely for our comfort, the tour company provided private rooms for a few nights for all travelers, which was incredibly thoughtful.
7. Daily plans were communicated clearly, transportation was seamless (even when our van broke down once), our driver was great. .

Minor suggestions for improvement:

1. The breakfast and lunch provided on the final and most difficult hike did not align with my dietary requirements. I was therefore hungry and dizzy with a headache for a substantial portion of the hike. I would suggest being more attentive to this particularly on more active days.
2. Given that most of the group arrived in Yerevan very early in the morning, the welcome dinner that night might have been more enjoyable if it was earlier and quieter. The restaurant that we went to had loud music which was difficult to appreciate and hindered the group getting to know each other early. We also did not have a farewell dinner, which would have been a nice way to bid our guide and driver goodbye.
3. The group members hiked at different paces and I was slow. On the first hike, I got lost and was harassed by some males because the group was so far ahead and the guide did not notice. This was remedied for the most part on subsequent hikes. However, on the last and most challenging hike over uneven terrain (volcanic shale, snow), it was hard to know which path to follow and I often twisted my ankle and generally moved slower because I feared worse injuries. A second guide would have been helpful.
4. It would’ve been useful to have had laundry services at any hotel where we spent more than 1 night. I wasn’t aware that the hotel in Yerevan had the option of a half-day booking. This would’ve been good to know in advance as my flight wasn’t until 1:40am and the extended booking would’ve allowed me to do laundry before continuing with my travels.
5. I would suggest staying at 1 hotel for the 3 nights we were in the Dilijian area instead of 3 different ones.
6. The hotel in Goris did not have AC and the room was quite small for sharing. When we slept with the windows open, we were bitten by mosquitoes.
7. It would have been good to know that we needed to give advance notice to use the hot tubs at the glamping eco-lodge. Since we only stayed for one night, we did not get to use them.
8. Hotel pickup at 11pm for my 1:40am flight resulted in a very rushed experience at the airport. I suggest an earlier pickup.

Overall, I enjoyed this trip with its variety of activities and caring guides and would recommend it to other travelers.

The varied activities together with our excellent guide, Anahit, provided a great insight into Armenia, its history and culture. Hiking through abandoned cave villages, into deep gorges, to the top of Mount Dimats and finishing with the southern peak of Mount Aragat, introduced us to the very varied landscape of the country. Caving, the zip lines and rafting were all fun, though I wish all had been longer. I would strongly recommend staying on at least an extra day in Yerevan to experience this lively, vibrant, very clean capital with its amazing building, small city parks, huge choice of restaurants and great jazz clubs.

I recently completed this very versatile and action-packed tour in Armenia, with beautiful hikes, river rafting, caving, ziplining, wine tasting and cultural immersion. I particularly enjoyed climbing on Mount Dimats (with stunning views) and Mount Aragats (with the breathtaking volcano crater), as well as hiking through the abandoned village of Old Khot and the cave city Khndzoresk. Among the highlights were also the spectacular monasteries Khor Virap and Tatev, and the accommodation at the amazing glamping spot. Of course, this experience would not have been the same without our fantastic guide, Anahit, a lovely, knowledgeable person, with outstanding guiding skills, patience, and the warmest smile!

This was an amazing trip that far exceeded my expectations!

I signed up mostly because of the activities (caving, hiking, rafting, ziplining, food classes) and because it fit my time-window for being away. I knew almost nothing about Armenia. I came away not only energized by the activities, but also kind of blown away by the country. A crossroads between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, aspects of all of that seep into Armenia's culture and incredibly rich history. Yerevan, the capital, is a beautiful, energetic, cosmopolitan, clean (!!!) and well-functioning city. And the nature in the outlying provinces was often breathtaking.

Both the MBA host (Sati) and guide (Anahit) were fantastic -- with deep knowledge of Armenia and its history. Both were professional, friendly, attentive, easy-going and well-organized -- a joy to interact with! I was impressed at how, when the forecast unexpectedly showed rain on a day were supposed to do a long hike, they immediately pivoted, switching that day for another on the itinerary that would be less impacted by the weather. I was also impressed that, although my flight arrived into Yerevan at 2:00am, Sati was online, texting me to make sure everything went smoothly at 3:30!

Accommodations were in line with what I've experienced on similar trips with Intrepid and GAdventures (this was my first MBA trip), although I will put in a huge plug for the ecopods we stayed in for the night of "glamping. " Just superb! In fact, as we spend three days in or close to the Dilijan area, but change hotels three times, I would strongly suggest that future trips stay in the same place at least two of the three nights, as it's much easier when you don't have to pack/unpack all the time; and, optimally the multiple nights would be in the ecopods! I'd also recommend that a day or two in advance, people are given the option of paying to have their hot tub turned on, as each pod has a private, outdoor hot tub, with an incredible view, but they take 7 hours to heat, so we were unable to use them on our one night there.

Food was excellent and overly plentiful -- there was always a huge quantity leftover, to the point that I had to ask our guide what they did with it all. Always multiple fresh salads, lots of meat, some fish, and tons of freshly baked bread.

The activities were excellent and kept us on our toes! Caving was great, hiking beautiful (especially the capstone summiting of Mt. Aragats on the last day!), and zip-lining super fun. If you're big into rafting, you may be disappointed, as it's just a two-hour trip, but it's always nice to be out on the river and there were plentiful Class II and III rapids. The "BBQ Class" was not really a class at all, so don't get your hopes up for that, but the wine-tasting was much more interesting and better than expected, in terms of both the activity itself and the quality of the wine at Trinity (I live an hour from Napa Valley, so not easily impressed).

Overall, this was a superb trip that may have been my first with MBA, but certainly won't be my last!

If like me you know very little about Armenia before this trip, it will likely exceed all your expectations! It really is a hidden gem of a country with lots of history and stunning scenery. I think the rating of moderate is accurate. If you don’t like tight spaces the caving will be a bit of a challenge but it is absolutely doable with a calm attitude. Likewise with Mt Aragat, it’s a significant jump in altitude from the rest of the trip but the hike is gradual and more than manageable and the view at the top is worth every step! Sati, Anahit and our driver Gary were all fantastic and were really invested in making sure we had a memorable time. Sign up to this trip, you won’t regret it 😁