7-day horseback riding through Dzoraget Canyon, Armenia

Seven days in the saddle across Armenian mountain valleys and medieval sites

A 7-day horseback riding tour through Lori Province in Armenia, where you ride through the Dzoraget Canyon and surrounding valleys, stay in guesthouses and forest camps, and visit medieval monasteries and historic villages. The tour includes all meals, accommodations, horses with full riding gear, and a guide who speaks English or Russian. Children from age 12 are welcome, and pickup from the airport is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and outdoor activities

• Arrive at Lori province
• Welcome with local food and drinks
• Visit equestrian center by Lake Tsover
• Enjoy paddling, archery, and fishing
• Dinner and overnight in wooden cabins

Day 2: Ride to Dzoragyugh village

• Ride through pasture lands
• Visit House-Museum of H. Tumanyan
• Descend to Debed Ravine
• Cross river over bridge
• Ride to Dzoragyugh village
• Dine in cozy restaurant
• Overnight in guesthouse

Day 3: Explore Dzoraget valley and monastery

• Ride down Dzoraget valley
• Visit Hnevanq medieval sanctuary
• See medieval fortresses on hills
• Ride to wooden campground in forest

Day 4: Trail to Antaramut hamlet

• Ride Old Stepananavan road
• Pass Kurtan village
• Visit scenic hidden falls
• Overnight in camps

Day 5: Descend to Debed village

• Ride down Debed valley
• Lunch in riverside restaurant
• Cross river over bridge
• Visit Debed village
• Dinner and overnight in guesthouse

Day 6: Mountain trail and return to lake

• Ride trail high into mountains
• Gain altitude of 1600 meters
• Canter along Tsovaqar Mountain ridge
• Descend to Lake Tsover

Day 7: Departure transfer

• Transfer to airport

The experience

The ride starts at Lake Tsover, a forest-ringed natural lake where you meet your horse at the equestrian center and settle into lakefront wooden cabins. Day two takes you down through pasture lands to the House-Museum of the Armenian poet H. Tumanyan, then down a sinuous trail toward the Debed Ravine and into Dzoragyugh village on the canyon's south hillside. By day three you're riding into the Dzoraget valley itself, where the trail climbs to Hnevanq, a 7th-century medieval sanctuary built on a steep hillside above the river, with medieval fortresses perched on rocky outcrops between sections of rapid water and quiet backwater.

Days four and five move you deeper into the valley: through the Antaramut hamlet and past hidden waterfalls near Kurtan village, then down to the Debed village, a settlement flanked by forests and cascading streams. The final riding day climbs high into the mountains, gaining 1,600 meters of altitude for views across the ridge of Tsovaqar Mountain before descending back to Lake Tsover. Throughout, you sleep in comfortable guesthouses or wooden camps nestled on hillsides, and meals are local: vegetables, native cheeses, bread and wine, often served outdoors under trees.

The tour includes horses with all riding gear, all seven days of breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a guide in English or Russian. An air-conditioned vehicle handles the airport transfer on arrival and departure. The itinerary assumes at least moderate physical fitness (the riding is steady and the final day climbs to altitude), but children from age 12 can join.

What’s included

• Horses with all riding gear.
• all accommodations in guesthouses and mountain camps.
• breakfast, lunch and dinner for all seven days.
• guide service in English or Russian.
• airport pickup and air-conditioned vehicle transfer.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Child (12 to 17 years) · Under 12: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Lori Canyon Equestrian

Is this one for you?The ride covers steady ground each day with one high-altitude climb on day six to 1,600 meters, so plan for full days in the saddle and moderate physical effort. The fixed itinerary and group structure mean you move with the same riders and guide through each valley and village, which keeps the pace consistent and the camp and guesthouse stays predictable.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (12 to 17 years). Children under 12 can't be included in the booking.

What is Hnevanq monastery and why does the route go there?

Hnevanq is a 7th-century medieval sanctuary built high on a hillside above the Dzoraget valley, constructed by representatives of the Orbelians family, descendants of the ancient Mamikonyans military leaders. The ride reaches it on day three, and the monastery sits among medieval fortresses on steep rocky hills where the river below shifts between rapid currents and quiet pools, creating the most dramatic scenery of the canyon.

Where do you sleep each night on this ride?

Accommodations alternate between guesthouses in villages and wooden camps on forest hillsides. Day one is in lakefront cabins at Lake Tsover; day two in a guesthouse in Dzoragyugh village; day three in a forest camp; day four in camps again; day five in a guesthouse in Debed village; and day six back at Lake Tsover before the airport transfer on day seven.

What meals are included and what are they like?

All breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven days are included. Meals feature locally grown vegetables, native Armenian cheeses, bread and local wines. Picnics are often served outdoors under the shade of trees, and dinners in villages are in cozy restaurants or guesthouses.

Do I need my own horse experience to join this ride?

The tour assumes at least moderate physical fitness and steady riding over seven days, but does not require prior experience. You meet your horse on day one at the equestrian center at Lake Tsover and have time to become acquainted before the riding begins.

What is included in the price and what do I need to arrange separately?

The price includes horses with all riding gear, all accommodations, all meals for seven days, guide service in English or Russian, airport pickup and transfer, and all fees and taxes. Airfare to Armenia is not included.