Tsater - Kurtan / Lori trails / Armenia

Tsater - Kurtan is a village to village trail through Dzoraget canyon, in Lori province of Armenia.

▶Distance from Yerevan:

167 km (via Aparan) 3 hr 25 min
174 km (via Sevan) 3 hr 30 min

▶Recommended for:
Hikers who like moderate hikes in gorges through tiny paths and spectacular views.

◤Description of the trail:

--- Kurtan - Tsater trail is a part of Transcaucasian Trail in Armenia, so it's must done for those who want to hike тхе ентиреTCT trail in gerneral or TCT of Lori province.

--- This trail is blazed, but it has many confusing parts, especially at the beginning and at the end, as the middle part is mostly consists of jeep treks.
So having a GPS is essential here.

--- This trail heads to Arevatsag gorge ( Արևածագի ձոր ), which is one of the most attractive spots in Lori․ The only downside of this part of the hike - this place is overloaded, especially in high season ( from May till October)․

--- After Arevatsagi gorge you'll hike to Hnevank monastery ( Հնեվանք ) , which name is literally translated as " The Old Monastery".
Hnevank is 7th-12th century monastery, it's a favorite spot for locals, local people usually hike here from Arevatsag gorge to Hnevank and back (from Arevatsag village).

--- The trail from Hnevank to Kurtan is the most challenging part, as you gain attitude in short distance. This one is also a little bit complicated part, as it's a tiny path, which gets lost in some spots, and that's why it's important to be attentive to the blazed marks and have a GPS.

◤ Which way to hike ?

If you are hiking the whole transcaucasian trail it's better to start from Southern Armenia to the North. So in that case you will hike the trail from Tsater.
But if you are not doing a tct trail for Lori section or any consecutive multi-day hike, you'd rather start from Kurtan village, as the most challenging part of the trail is a segment from Kurtan fields till Hnevank bridge and it's better to go down there, not to go up.


▶Doable:

Though Lori is located in Northern Armenia, the majority of hiking trails are situated in very low altitude and the weather is quite balmy here excluding the cold winter period (January, February).
So Lori trails are normally open from mid March till December (till the first snowfall when the trails got snow blocked).

▶Best season:
May, June↴
It's green, flowery and nice temperature in Lori during late spring and early summer.
From mid September till late October ↴
We have autumn-colored fairy trails after late September and nice temperature till late fall.

▶Not Recommended:
After November till late March the area gets dried, the trees are naked and there is only a little vegetation around.
After mid November till March the trails can be snow-blocked.