Ararat (5137m), Suphan (4058m), Nemrut (3050m)

Long day spent in the airports for reaching our destination: city of Van. After landing on Van Ferit Melen airport, we will have the transfer to our hotel, in the city, and a free afternoon.

After meeting with local guide at the hotel, we will drive to visit the beautiful Van Castle, an ancient fortress built by the Urartian kingdom during the 9th to 7th century BC. It is a remarkable stone fortification located on a steep-sided bluff overlooking Tushpa, the old Urartian capital.

After that visit, we will drive about 33 km to ferry terminal and have short cruise to Akdamar island, the second largest of the lake’s islands. It lies 3km from the southern shore of Lake Van and was an important Ottoman administrative centre. The Church of the Holy Cross, the most famous and best-preserved medieval monuments around the lake, was built here in AD 915–921 as the palace chapel for Gagik I Artsruni, ruler of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan (“Land of Princes”). Its exterior sculpture is rich and large portions of its wall painting have recently been conserved.

Once we complete the visit here, we will drive to campsite near the Nemrut Crater Lake.
Dinner and overnight at the campsite.

After breakfast we will start our trek to the West side of the Crater Lake and climb to the summit of Mount Nemrut. Nemrut Dagi is a dormant volcano (stratovolcano) that had its last eruption in 1692. Much earlier, about 60.000 years ago, during a big eruption lava of Nemrut has bared a river and Lake Van has been formed.
Nemrut has a great caldera, which is 8 kilometers in diameter and about 40 kilometers in circumference. The crater rims are up to 700 m higher than the caldera surface. The highest point is in the northern rim – 3050 m.

After descent from the summit, we will be transferred to Mount Suphan. We will pitch our tents on the campsite. Dinner and overnight there.

After early breakfast we will start to ascent to the summit of Mount Suphan (4058 m). Süphan Dağı is the third highest mountain in Turkey offering breathtaking views of Van Lake and surroundings. In the Urartian religion, Mount Suphan is a god and the god’s name is Eiduru.

After completing our climb and having a break on the top, we will descent to campsite, for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we pack our things and drive to Dogubayazit, to a hotel, where we can take a shower and having some rest. Then we will have a lunch in city center. Afterwards we can visit Ishak Pasha Palace (Ottoman's palace from 17th century, which is located 7 km from Dogubayazit). Its construction was started in 1685 by the bey of the Beyazit province Colak Abdi Pasha of the Cildirogullari, a family of hereditary pashas related to the House of Jaqeli. Construction was continued by Ishak Pasha, a descendant of Abdi Pasha, who was to give his name to the palace and became the pasha of Çıldır from 1790 to 1791. According to the inscription on its door, the Harem section of the palace was completed by Ishak (Isaac) Pasha in 1784.

The afternoon will be free for exploration or rest.
Dinner and overnight in Dogubayazit.

After breakfast in hotel we will pack our equipment and drive to Cevirme Village, near to the foot of Mount Ararat. Porters will put our luggage on horses and we will start our trek to the Camp 1 (Base Camp) at 3200 m. On the camp we will have lunch, drinking hot tea and pitch our tents. Rest time and dinner.
Overnight at Camp 1.

After breakfast at Camp 1, we pack our equipment and start our ascent to Camp 2, located at 4200 m. Horses will carry our luggage to Camp 2. Once arrived at campsite we will have lunch, pitch our tents and prepare our equipment for next day (ascent to the summit).
Dinner and overnight at the campsite.

Today is the longest (and hardest) day of the trip. After a very early wake up, and having a light breakfast, we start climbing to the top of Mount Ararat (5137 m). After reaching the summit and short break for taking photos we will start to descent to Camp 2, where we will have a rest, lunch and we will pack our things. After a rest we will continue descent to Camp 1 and later to Cevirme Village, where minibuses will wait for us. We will back to Dogubayazit, to the hotel.

In the morning, we will have breakfast at the hotel. Then, depending of our flights schedule, we will have the transfer to the airport in Van.