Mount Aragats

At 4,090 metres, Mount Aragats is Armenia's highest peak and an extinct stratovolcano rising northwest of Yerevan. Its summit plateau comprises four distinct tops encircling a caldera dotted with small crater lakes, their shores lined with dark basaltic lava — tangible evidence of ancient volcanic activity. For Armenians the mountain carries deep national symbolism: it forms a visual pair with Mount Ararat, which now lies across the Turkish border and can only be viewed from a distance. Experienced hikers target the north summit on a long day trek from the base; the southern approach is more gradual and rewards clear-weather days with wide-open views across the Ararat plain back toward Yerevan.