Janapar Trail
Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Janapar Trail, in Nagorno-Karabakh, goes through the beautiful landscape of the Caucasus mountains. The marked trail involves 8-16 days of hiking, starting from the southern end of the trail in Hadrut and ending in Vardenis, Armenia. The Janapar Trail is 284 km long.
UnderstandThe trail runs through the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which means "mountainous black garden".
PreparePreparation is like that of any extended trip/hike. You want to pack light, but be prepared to walk all day through different terrain, to navigate, and to protect yourself from the elements.
Get inNagorno-Karabakh is only accessible through Armenia. Most will take a mini-bus from Yerevan to Stepanakert. From there a bus or another mini-bus to Hadrut will get you to the starting point.
WalkThe hike is broken into day-hike sections, with a village or town you can sleep in at the end of each day's hike. Nevertheless, some sections are shorter and might only require half a day of hiking.
Stay safeFollow all of the safety information and warnings off on the Janapar Trail website. Stay far from the front lines, which won't be a problem if you stick to the trail.
Go nextThere is only Armenia which you can safely travel to after having visited Artsakh.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Janapar Trail" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons