Trekking mount Kirs

Kirs Mountain Range

Overview
This hike is located in the Hadrut province of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Many tourists visiting Armenia, besides being interested in alternative tourism such as hiking, trekking, and skiing, are also interested in the culture and history of the new, independent, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Besides this hike, there are also many other worthwhile sights in the area.
This route winds up the forest-covered mountain, Big Kirs, one of the highest peaks of Karabakh’s southern mountain range, at an altitude of 2,725 m. The fragrance of a varied abundance of flowers is thick in the air from spring through to summer, and during the course of the hike to the rocky peak, blanketed in fog, hikers are accompanied by a symphony of babbling brooks and beautiful flowing waterfalls.
The route returns via the same path.

Flora
In Karabakh and Armenia, the landscapes are rich and varied. Throughout the course of the hike, high rocky peaks stretch out across the horizon, covered in dense mountainous forests. About forty species of valuable trees grow here, including hornbeam, oak, beech and eighteen kinds of shrub. Thick trees – maple, birch, ash, willow, lime, elm and others – are also common. Over 180 species of herb – perennial, mint, thyme,common horehound, bryony, and others – grow alongside the wide range of mushrooms on the forest floor, many of which are consumed for their nutritional and medicinal properties.

Fauna
The fauna of Karabakh is also quite rich. Roe deer, rock badger and Caucasian bear, and species of wild boar, hare, fox, hedgehog, jackal, field mouse, marten, dormouse, and squirrel inhabit the woods and birds, both large and small, as well as reptiles and insects are in abundance.

Route Characteristics
Best Time/Weather: April to October
Route Distance (round trip): 8 km
Duration: 7 hours (do not rely on the GPS-derived time)
Altitude (from Sea Level): 1,900 – 2,725 m
Existing Trail Surface: 5% existing, 95% moderately discernible
Trail Difficulty: Demanding