Goat country

Armenia is seriously mountainous and rugged. The lowest elevation is 350m on the Georgian border and the highest point is Mt Aragats at 4090m - average elevation is 1800m. In addition it is a country of deep gorges, steep valleys and sheer cliffs. While is makes for death dying roads, it also has fantastic tramping and spectacular vistas.

Wild rivers, snowy mountains and waterfalls create an amazing backdrop to small villages located in places almost impossible to reach. Like everywhere in the world these small isolated villages are half empty with young people preferring the bright lights of Yerevan to alpine quiet.

Within Yerevan city elevation varies between 700 and 1300 metres, though the city centre is mercifully flat.

A common sight in the mountains are old but incredibly rugged Russian trucks that slowly grind up the narrow mountain roads.