While you think about must-visit locations world wide for avid hikers, you won’t consider together with the Caucasus on that listing. However Armenia, a landlocked nation that has underrated seashores surrounded by mountain views, and Georgia, a rustic recognized for epic mountain climbing trails, are each properly value a devoted mountain climbing journey. Add Azerbaijan to that listing and you’ve got a trifecta of mountain climbing bliss. However what a few mixture of all three? Touted as the primary worldwide mountain climbing path inside the Caucasus, the Transcaucasian Path will span throughout all three of those international locations and two continents. The path takes hikers by way of huge valleys, rural meadows, and over mountain peaks, connecting shepherd paths to ATV routes and different pathways.
The Transcaucasian Path is notably the brand new child on the block relating to long-distance mountain climbing trails. Just lately opened in 2022, the lesser-known path has been within the works since 2015 and is bound to make the lists of avid hikers. As of 2025, the path will be hiked in a number of totally different parts in all three international locations, together with an extended portion in Armenia that stretches over 500 miles and takes as much as 45 days. As soon as absolutely accomplished, the path will check the endurance of hikers, winding 1,864 miles by way of numerous landscapes in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
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Methods to hike the Transcaucasian Path
An aerial view of Dilijan Nationwide Park in Armenia – trabantos/Shutterstock
The Transcaucasian Path made our listing of 25 finest long-distance mountain climbing trails world wide, and with good motive; it is stuffed with off-the-beaten-path pure magnificence. As a result of the path remains to be damaged up into parts, when to hike the path will depend upon which nation you will be trekking by way of. In Armenia, the path is finest hiked from mid-Might to mid-October. For Georgia sections, you will possible want a later begin on account of excessive altitudes, making early-July to mid-October essentially the most preferrred time to move out. As a result of the Azerbaijan parts are a bit milder in local weather, you will possible be capable of hike in all seasons with some variations.
For individuals who determine to trek the biggest portion of the finished path by way of Armenia, most hikers embark from Yerevan, the nation’s capital metropolis, to verify they replenish on provides. From Yerevan, they then catch a bus to Meghri or Gyumri and take a taxi to Lake Arpi to start the path. This hike requires loads of planning, so it will be finest to spend a couple of days in Yerevan triple-checking your listing of necessities earlier than heading out.
Alongside the path, you will come throughout beautiful views of the Gegham Mountains and Lake Sevan, and you will make your method by way of conventional villages and Arevik Nationwide Park. A lot of the hike would require wild tenting, however there are a couple of Armenian Drams, cash-only guesthouses, alongside the route that price anyplace from $13 to $16 per night time and embrace breakfast. Should you’re not feeling bold sufficient to finish the entire trek, you can too rent guides for multi-day hikes on parts of the path in Dilijan Nationwide Park, the Gegham Mountains, and the Vayots Dzor province.
Different useful data for mountain climbing the Transcaucasian Path
Sevanavank Monastery overlooking Lake Sevan in Armenia – Christophe_cerisier/Getty Pictures
On the r/Ultralight subreddit thread, Redditor u/Prestigious-Mango479 speaks about their expertise mountain climbing the Transcaucasian Path from July to October 2023. “This path has just a little little bit of every thing: stunning mountains, deserts, forests, tiny villages with beautiful folks, superb meals, wild tenting, visitor homes, historic websites, off-trail journey, and extra.” Within the thread, u/Prestigious-Mango479 additionally breaks down mandatory data like prices, size, gear they used, in addition to how and the place to resupply meals, and what the path circumstances had been like.
Remember the fact that there aren’t any bodily path maps obtainable, which implies that downloading route planning apps is a should. Interactive maps, guides, and GPS information for the routes will be discovered on the TCT’s official web site. Hikers can even be added to a Slack channel, which provides you direct entry to path planners, in addition to current hikers who’re a wealth of knowledge. Some hikers have began to attach unfinished parts of the path by way of Georgia and Armenia. You may be part of the TCT Trailblazers program, a thru-hiking assist program that gives useful maps, recommendation, and different sources for finishing the extra undeveloped sections.
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