Vayots Dzor Compact: Wine & Monasteries

Two days, a little over 400 kilometres, and nearly all of it sealed road: this route is where driving in southern Armenia begins, not where it is tested. It starts in Yerevan at around 990 metres, drops along the M2 into the Ararat plain to 810 metres at Yeraskh, turns east there and then works its way up through tightening hills to the saddle that separates Ararat province from Vayots Dzor. Beyond that saddle sits Yelpin at 1,545 metres, and the road runs downhill beside the Arpa to Areni. From there the river is the thread the whole tour follows: Areni just under 1,000 metres, Yeghegnadzor at 1,194, Vayk at 1,300, Jermuk at 2,080. Between the start and the night’s lodging that makes just under 1,100 metres of net gain, spread over a trunk road that is sealed the whole way.

Terrain in the narrow sense turns up twice, and both stretches are short. The first is the approach to Gndevank Monastery: a spur leaves the Vayk–Jermuk road and drops towards the bank of the Arpa, the surface alternating between asphalt and packed gravel. Dry, any car manages it; after rain the gravel softens, and ground clearance and four-wheel drive become the difference between brisk and careful. The second stretch is the reason this tour is driven in a 4x4 at all: the track from the edge of Jermuk up to the geysers at a shade over 2,100 metres. Loose gravel, washouts, several fords through streams that carry meltwater in spring. This is where low range earns its keep, tyre pressure comes down, and the track carries on all the way to the warm spring.

The spur to Noravank Monastery, by contrast, is twelve kilometres of asphalt laid tight into the Amaghu gorge, ending at roughly 1,590 metres. It is narrow rather than hard; whoever holds the wheel keeps an eye on the bends rather than on the red rock. The Areni-1 cave sits right on the M2, one kilometre east of Areni, with roadside parking and a few minutes on foot. The rhythm of the days follows from that: on day one just under four hours of actual driving over some 200 kilometres, with three stops of half an hour to an hour each and the wine tasting in between; on day two the geysers come first thing — the track up and back down is short but technical, with as much time at the warm water in between as the group wants — after which about three hours of driving bring you back, with one break in the Arpa valley.

Guided, the group travels in convoy, the lead guide setting the pace and taking the track to the geysers first. Self-drive on this route means handling the sealed stages on your own and following the guide vehicle through the off-road section, in low range and with tyre pressure lowered, the way the off-road training at the start explains it. Accommodation follows the comfort class, not the place: in Jermuk a hotel with a spa in the Signature class, a guesthouse in the Expedition class, a wild camp above the town in the Frontier class. The season runs from June to October; the track to the geysers is clear from about May, and anyone who wants the fords at low water lets the snowmelt run off first.