Cycling Trail Around Lake Sevan

Mountain Biking Description Trail
The spiritual complex of Sevanavank is located in the province of Gegharkunik, which is the highest spot (1,942m) of the Lake Sevan peninsula. The cycling trail begins in Sevanavank. The distance of the trail is 214 km, so we suggest to complete it over a two day span.
The Vaskenian Theological Seminary of Sevan was established in 1990 on the east of the Lake Sevan peninsula, where clergymen become educated.
After sightseeing, you must start biking down the marked trail. Please note, that all the cycling trails pass through areas where traffic is safe and not overloaded. We suggest to arrange the overnight near Mets (Big) Sevan, about 100 kilometres from the start. You can overnight in a tent, around a small campfire on the lake shore, enjoying the sunset and wonderful mountain landscapes, or you may stay in a hotel. We have indicated a hotel in the city of Martuni.
On the next day, you will continue cycling and will have an opportunity to visit and see the hundreds of ancient khachkars (cross-stones) of the Noratus cemetery, as well as the Hayravank monument on the right side of the main road. From splendid Lake Sevan, you can see four major mountain ranges – Areguni, Geghama, Vardenis, and Gegharkunik. The trail ends near Sevanavank, where it started.

Monuments description
Sevanavank is located on the Sevan peninsula (formerly an island). It was founded by Grigor Lusavorich in the year 305. The island was fortified in the Bronze Age, where there once stood a pagan temple. In the 9th century, Sevan was the stronghold of the princes of Syunik. In 874, Princess Mariam (the daughter of King Ashot Bagratuni and the wife of the Syunik Prince, Vasak Gabur) founded two churches – the Apostolic (small) and Astvatsatsin (Virgin Mary). The construction records written in 874, have been preserved on the eastern tower of the Apostolic church.
Astvatsatsin church also has a three circular base setup. There was a vestibule on the western side, which was one of the oldest known(existed till 1930). Wooden sculptured capitals decorated the vestibule pillars, which are now kept in the State Museum of History of Armenia and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It is assumed that the capitals were brought from some other palace. These are valuable samples of Armenian medieval wood art. Some domed church remains have been preserved on the top of the church. There are numerous khachkars (cross-stones) in the territory of the monastic complex. Between 1956-1957, the churches were repaired.

Lake Sevan is situated at an altitude of 1900m above sea level. Its length is 78km and the maximum width is 56km. The lake itself is 1,260 sq. km and it is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region. The average depth is 26.8m, the deepest place is Pokr (Small) Sevan at 83m. The volume of the water is 32.92 billion cubic m.
The Lake is cut into two parts by the Shorzha underwater dam-Mets (Big) Sevan (the average depth is 37.7m) and Pokr (Small) Sevan (50.9m). In summer, the surface water temperature reaches 21 degrees, and it rarely freezes in winter. Sevan is fed by 28 rivers and streams, among them is the Gavaraget, Argichin, Masrik, and Dzknaget Rivers, but only the Hrazdan River outflows from Lake Sevan. Endemic fish live in Lake Sevan, such as Barbus goktschaicus, Varicorhinus capoeta sevangi, and the Salmo ischchan. The Salmo ischchan has also been taken to Central Asia, where it has perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions there.
The whitefish was brought to Sevan from the Ladoga and Chud lakes of Russia in 1924, and is now productively breeding, and has gained great industrial importance in the area. Sevan National Park was founded in the basin of Sevan. It has four stocks and ten reserves. The lake is considered to be an important breeding center for gulls, the number of which is between 4,000-5,000 pair.
The basin of Sevan has been explored by hundreds of scientists and travelers. During all those explorations there was not even a hint of the existence of hidden historical monuments under the lake. But recently, the secret was revealed, when the water level decreased a little. 3,000-5,000-year-old ruins of castles and dwellings, and a large number of tombs were found.

Noratus Khachkars (Cross-Stones) cemetery is located in the south-east of the village of Noratus. The khachkars date back to the 9th–18th centuries. It is currently the largest surviving cemetery with khachkars, following the destruction of the khachkars in Old Jugha. There are two chapels in the cemetery which date back to the 13th century: the Surb Minas chapel and Surb Amenaprkich (Church of the Holy Saviour of All).
In 1300, Tamerlane (Turkic conqueror) intended to destroy the village. The villagers placed white helmets on tops of the khachkars. From a distance, the khachkars looked like armed soldiers. Hence, Tamerlane decided to bomb the village from afar. As a result, only the cemetery was damaged.

Mount Artanish is 2,461m above sea level. It separates Pokr (Small) and Mets (Big) Sevan on the East.

Flora
There are not many forests in this area, except for the few parks of eastern oak and juniper on the mountain slopes of Vardenis and Sevan. Currently, many tree plantings are being conducted in the basin of Sevan. The flora of the concavity is mostly mountain-steppe․There are mountain meadows in the highlands, and floristic alpine carpets above 2,800m. There are sparse forests of juniper, oak, and maple in some places of the Areguni and Sevan mountain range. There are also sprawling juniper parks in the Sevan mountain range, while the Artanish peninsula is forested. Moist forest remnants have been preserved in the Dzknaget valley. The lake-free space of the Sevan concavity has been reforested with pine, holly, willow and poplar plantations, which are part of the ‘Sevan’ National Park.

Fauna
Rodents, wolves, foxes, rabbits, and badgers are very common in the Sevan basin. There are also such birds as mountain partridges, quail, larks, ducks, geese, heron and several species of fish in the lake. Reptiles are also common in this area. The Sevan National Park Reserve was established in the coastal zone. The Sevan basin is one of the densely populated and intensively used areas maintained for agricultural purposes. There is also a wide variety of birds there. There are resorts, campsites, and other recreational facilities there.

Safety and Security
All networks operating in Armenia are available near the communities here, but a connection may be lost near Mount Artanish. In case of emergency, call 911, a service available throughout Armenia.

Technical parameters
Best period: April - November
Distance: 69km from Yerevan
Duration: 1 hour and 5 min.
Biking trail length: 214km.
Ride duration: 5 hours (1st day), and 6.5 hours (2nd day).
Altitude from sea level: 1,920-1940m
85% of the road is paved, the remaining 15% is covered with sandstone (from the village of Jil to the town of Norakert).
The best drink to have on hand is bottled water.

How to Reach the Trail
To reach the above-mentioned trail, you need to get to Sevanavank. It is most convenient to travel by taxi, which will cost 7,000-7,500 AMD. Taxi services are quite affordable throughout Armenia. We recommend taking a cab with a taximeter.