{"id":735,"date":"2011-03-03T03:17:23","date_gmt":"2011-03-03T06:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=735"},"modified":"2011-03-03T08:10:51","modified_gmt":"2011-03-03T11:10:51","slug":"top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-armenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/03\/top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-armenia\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Reasons To Go Bicycle Touring In Armenia"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by Tom Allen of Ride Earth<\/a> and Tom’s Bike Trip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reason #1: \u00a0 Mountains<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you love slogging for hours up 40km ascents and burning down the
\nother side, then repeating the process over and over again for days on
\nend, then Armenia is for you. There is literally no route through this
\ntiny nation that doesn’t involve serious mountain passes. The highest
\non the through-route to Iran is over 2,500m in altitude, and day-rides
\nto areas such as Aragats can reach over 3,000m. The gradients are<\/p>\n

unforgiving and the climbs very, very long, but luckily the traffic is very low.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A nice country for climbing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"wildflowers\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reason #2<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0 Size<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Armenia is small and the population is low. While it’s possible to
\ncover the country end-to-end from Georgia to Iran in less than a week,
\nit’s really worth taking the time to explore the minor routes and the
\nroad down to the Iranian border. The even-more-mountainous
\nNagorno-Karabagh represents a unique opporunity to travel in an
\nautonomous and stable yet still internationally disputed territory,
\nwith the same currency and language as Armenia itself and a permit
\neasily obtained in Yerevan.<\/p>\n

Reason #3<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0 Sevan<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lake Sevan, a large high-altitude lake at nearly 2km above sea level,
\nis one of Armenia’s natural wonders. Although a popular destination
\nfor summer day-trippers from the capital, much of the lakeside is
\nquiet and accessible away from the tourist beaches around the
\npeninsular – perfect for wild-camping and swimming. And if you’re
\nheading south to Yeghegnadzor, the mountain road is one of the most
\ndramatic you’ll find this side of the Pamirs.<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise<\/a>
Sunrise on the lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bike<\/a>
Bike and Bivvy in Armenia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reason #4:<\/span><\/strong> Isolation<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Armenia, on paper, sounds dangerous and difficult. It’s still
\nofficially at war with Azerbaijan, the borders are closed on the
\nTurkish side as well, and there’s no end to the reports of tension
\nbetween these nations. But none of this need put you off – the reality
\nof Armenia is very stable; transport by bus and train from Tbilisi is
\neasy and cheap, as is coach travel to and from Tabriz and Tehran. As a
\nforeigner, you’ll still be a relative novelty – most foreign visitors
\nstill come from the Armenian diaspora, and this usually works in your
\nfavour. (Except with taxi drivers, who’ll try to rip you off.)<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking to get lost? Armenia's the place for you.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reason #5: <\/span><\/strong> Ararat<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The national symbol of Armenia lies ironically on Turkish land, but
\nthe sight of Ararat on a clear day is something that will stay with
\nyou forever, however clich\u00e9d that might sound. It alone is reason
\nenough to visit the up-and-coming capital of Yerevan, and to spend
\nsome time relaxing in the modern city centre, marvelling at the
\ncontrast between the glamour on show here and the shambolic make-do
\nlifestyle out in the provinces.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Stunning<\/a>
Stunning Mount Ararat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tom Allen<\/strong> is from England.\u00a0 He regularly goes on bike adventures to scary-sounding places like Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Syria and Mongolia, and finds that they\u2019re not actually scary at all.\u00a0 2011 will be the year in which he writes a book and makes a film of his travels.
\n<\/a><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

:: adventure cycling blog<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

:: short films<\/a>
\n<\/a> <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

:: still images<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by Tom Allen of Ride Earth and Tom’s Bike Trip. Reason #1: \u00a0 Mountains If you love slogging for hours up 40km ascents and burning down the other side, then repeating the process over and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[33,37],"tags":[52],"yoast_head":"\nTop 5 Reasons To Go Bicycle Touring In Armenia - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/03\/top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-armenia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 5 Reasons To Go Bicycle Touring In Armenia - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is a guest post by Tom Allen of Ride Earth and Tom’s Bike Trip. 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