TÜRSAB 17044 · Istanbul DMC
Mount Ararat is the highest mountain in Turkey at 5,137 metres and, in the Book of Genesis, the resting place of Noah's Ark. It is a non-technical ascent: no ropes and no climbing experience are required, only steady walking at altitude with crampons on the final snow slope. Every climber needs a Ministry permit and a licensed Turkish guide, both of which we arrange.
Our seven-day expedition starts the moment you land in eastern Turkey and ends with a summit photograph at sunrise. You sleep two nights in a hotel in Doğubayazıt and four nights in fixed camps on the mountain, with raised beds, a heated dining tent and a camp chef. The permit, the governorship approval, the guides, the transfers and your insurance are all handled before you arrive.
Every tour includes a daily 15-minute survival-Turkish session with your guide — order your çay, haggle at the bazaar, greet like a local. Plus free access to Eda, our AI Turkish tutor, before and after your trip.
✨ Open group departures through the season, or a private departure on your own dates.
| Mountain | Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), Ağrı province, eastern Turkey |
| Summit altitude | 5,137 m (16,854 ft) |
| Total ascent | 2,937 m from Çevirme village |
| Nearest airports | Ağrı (AJI) and Iğdır (IGD), connections via Istanbul |
| Base town | Doğubayazıt, 35 km from the trailhead |
| Permit | Ministry of Culture and Tourism, USD 50, plus district governorship approval |
| Guide | A licensed Turkish mountain guide is required by law |
| Largest glacier | The summit ice cap, the largest glacier in Turkey |
| Typical summit day | 10 to 12 hours, starting before dawn |
Fly into Ağrı or Iğdır. We meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel at about 1,600 m. Briefing, kit check and, if the light holds, sunset at İshak Paşa Palace.
A short drive to Çevirme village at 2,200 m, then roughly five hours of walking up to Base Camp at 3,200 m. Mules carry the group equipment; you walk with a daypack.
Walk up towards 4,000–4,200 m and come back down to sleep low, the single biggest factor in reaching the summit. Crampon practice with your guide in the afternoon.
About four hours over rocky ground to High Camp at 4,200 m. Early dinner, kit laid out, early night.
A pre-dawn start by headlamp. The İnönü glacier plateau, crampons on from around 4,900 m, then the final snow dome and the summit at 5,137 m. Descent all the way to Base Camp.
Descend to Çevirme and transfer back to the hotel. Hot shower, celebration dinner, and the first proper night's sleep in a week.
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight, or carry on with us to Istanbul or across eastern Anatolia.
| 7-day summit expedition, open group departure | from €695 per person |
| 5-day mountain programme, without hotel, transfers or permit | from €495 per person |
| Private departure on your own dates | on request |
| High-altitude mountaineering insurance | on request |
| Istanbul stopover: transfers and hotel | on request |
| Eastern Anatolia extension: Ani, Van and Akdamar | on request |
Per person. Fixed departure dates can be booked online with a €150 deposit per person; for private departures and extensions we confirm your exact price within 24 hours.
Pick a date and secure your place with a €150 deposit per person. The balance is due 30 days before departure.
Fewer people, still-settled weather and long golden evenings — the best month for photographs. Nights are noticeably colder than August and the first new snow can arrive on the upper mountain.
The closing month: cold, quiet, often wet or snowy lower down, and the emptiest the mountain gets all year. After the last October departure the fixed camps come down and later ascents run privately with dome tents.
Ski touring only. The mountain is still deep in winter snow, so the route is climbed on skis with skins and descended the same way. Six-day programmes, for people who already ski off-piste.
Still a ski-mountaineering month, but with longer days and more settled snow than March. The upper slopes hold good spring snow while the lower mountain starts to clear.
The first foot ascents of the year, on snow cover that reaches low down the mountain. Camps are temporary at this stage and the weather is less predictable — the most winter-like way to reach the summit without skis.
From mid-June the fixed camps go up: raised beds, a dining tent and a camp chef at 3,200 m and 4,200 m. Snow still covers the summit dome, the crowds have not arrived, and the days are the longest of the year.
The heart of the season: the most departures, the most settled weather and the warmest days, although nights at High Camp stay below freezing. It is also the busiest month at the camps.
The most reliable summit conditions of the year and the driest ground underfoot. Full-moon departures are marked in the calendar, and the 2027 season includes departures timed for the solar eclipse of 2 August.
The deposit comes off your total. It is not refundable, but it can be moved to another departure in the same season. Departures close to the start are arranged by enquiry, because the climbing permit needs time.
More 2027 dates and the 2028–2029 calendar are released through the season — ask us and we will hold a place.
No payment now. Tell us your dates and your experience, and we will confirm availability and your exact price within 24 hours.
Yes. Every climber needs a permit from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, currently USD 50, together with approval from the Doğubayazıt district governorship, and must be accompanied by a licensed Turkish guide. We apply on your behalf and pay the fee; we need your passport details well in advance.
No. On the south route in summer there is no roped climbing and no previous mountaineering experience is required. You put crampons on for the snow from around 4,900 metres, and your guide teaches you how to use them on the acclimatisation day.
You should be comfortable walking four to six hours a day carrying a daypack. Summit day is long, usually ten to twelve hours, and it is at altitude. Regular hill walking, running or cycling in the months beforehand is the best preparation.
The season runs from mid-June to mid-October. July, August and September bring the most stable weather and the highest summit success rates. Ski touring is possible in March and April, and winter ascents in May.
Ağrı (AJI) or Iğdır (IGD), both with domestic connections from Istanbul. We meet you at the airport and drive you to Doğubayazıt, and we take you back on the last day.
Genesis places the Ark on the mountains of Ararat, and this peak has carried that association for centuries. Whatever you make of the story, standing on the ice cap at sunrise is why most people come.
Your guide may move the attempt earlier or add a night at camp, and safety always decides the schedule. Weather changes do not create a refund, which is exactly why cancellation insurance is included in your booking.
Almost certainly not. Standard travel health insurance, including the policy that comes with your booking, excludes high-altitude activity. Turkish law only requires ordinary travel insurance, so a mountaineering policy is your decision rather than a rule. We recommend it strongly: at 5,137 metres a helicopter evacuation is the one bill nobody can plan for. Tell us your age and nationality and we will arrange suitable cover alongside your booking.
Yes. Many of our climbers add a week of Turkish in Istanbul or Izmir before or after the expedition, and every booking includes free access to Eda, our AI Turkish tutor.
Turn the trip into something you keep. Royal Turkish Schools has taught Turkish in Istanbul and Izmir since 2009 — group and private courses, any level, starting every Monday.
Turkish courses in Turkey · Online Turkish courses