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Mountaintop Eats

“Can't Miss Culinary Experience”

Forbes Magazine

Our Wild Food Adventures are 5/5 star rated 3 course dining experiences in Armenia’s most beautiful natural settings, hosted by professionally trained local chefs and benefiting local wildlife conservation. All the dishes on our menus are authentic to each location and are prepared using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients.

Both the journey and the destination are the stars of this Wild Food Adventure as you traverse rocky, Martian-like terrain to the golden peaks of Yeranos on a 1.5 hour off road ride. On the way, you’ll get spectacular views of the Azat Reservoir and Mt. Ararat not many get to see, and get in touch with your inner adventurer. You’ll even encounter an ancient burial ground, dated to be between 4,000 and 6,000 years old, where a drachma from the time of Alexander the Great was discovered! Once at the summit, you’ll settle down for a 3 course traditional BBQ meal, starting with homemade cocktails and ending with mouthwatering local desserts. See all the details and book this Wild Food Adventure through the form below!

Your Location

Located just a 45 minute drive from Yerevan, this Wild Food Adventure takes place near the summit of Mt. Yeranos. Characterized by a semi-desert, dry mountain steppe landscape, you’ll feel like you’re traveling on another planet as you pass massive walls of red rock, deep valleys, and rolling yellow hills that seem to stretch on forever. If you chose to have this experience in the spring months, the surrounding countryside is awash with green vegetation. But for the most part, this part of Armenia is quite dry. The north-western slopes of the Yeranos Mountains are actually part of the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, one of the world’s oldest protected natural areas founded all the way back in the 4th century by the Armenian King Khosrov III Kotak. That’s around 1,700 years of history!

Your Hosts

Born and raised in the village of Dvin at the base of the Yeranos Mountains, David has always been connected to nature. Exploring the mountains with his father has been one of his favorite activities since he was a child. You could even say that his childhood was spent in the mountains, where he recognized every bush and stone. Even today, he is very fond of guiding hiking groups or just giving them advice, directing them to culturally significant sites in the area. A history enthusiast, he’s also taken part in the excavations that unveiled the coin of Alexander the Great very near where your dining table awaits!

Your Ride

You’ll meet your hosts at their home in Dvin village, from where you’ll hop into vintage Soviet SUVs and go on a 1.5 hour off road ride to your dining location. Transportation from Yerevan comes standard with each booking of this experience.

Your Menu

Like all our Wild Food Adventures, the menu of Mountaintop Eats was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Ararat province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. Scroll down to see the full menu! Please note that the menu is fixed, and includes options for vegetarian diners. If you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, we will be sure to ask during the confirmation process after you have submitted your booking request form through this site. 

4 – 5 hours

•

8 people max

•

3 course meal

•

Vegetarian friendly

•

Professional local chefs

•

Untouched nature

•

4 – 5 hours • 8 people max • 3 course meal • Vegetarian friendly • Professional local chefs • Untouched nature •


Menu

Welcome Cocktail & Amuse-Bouches

Appetizers

Armenian tabbouleh with basturma

Cauliflower salad with roasted bell pepper almond sauce

Main Course

Armenian pork and chicken barbecue

Potato and okra barbecue with
grilled vegetable salad

Vegetarian option (by prior request):
Rice pilaf with chickpea kyufta

Dessert

Walnut halva and local seasonal fruit

Drinks

Local beer | Homemade vodka | Homemade compote | Still and sparkling water | Coffee and tea

This menu was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Ararat province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced.

Your table is ready, book now

Use this form to send a booking request and our team will get in touch with you to confirm the details of your adventure, including pricing, transport & dietary restrictions. Pricing by group size below.*

2 people: 100,000 AMD per person
4 people: 66,000 AMD per person
6 people: 52,000 AMD per person
8 people: 49,000 AMD per person
10 people: 45,000 AMD per person

*Free cancellation up to 72 hours before each adventure.

Adventuring for Good

Transforming the lives of both travelers and local people through meaningful and responsible experiences is why we do what we do at 2492. We believe that Armenia can be a wonderful place to both visit and live in, which is why each of our experiences are thoughtfully built not only to connect you with local people and ways of life, but also positively impact the lives and communities that you encounter. For our Wild Food Adventures, that means: 

  • Local, seasonal ingredients: All our dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients sourced from local communities.

  • Native, authentic recipes: With the support of an expert Armenian food historian and our nonprofit arm ONEArmenia, your hosts have created a menu that is true to the culinary and cultural traditions of each location while preserving its cultural heritage with local and near-forgotten recipes.  

  • Expertly trained community hosts: Your hosts have been trained in the culinary arts, hospitality, customer service, hygiene, food waste management, first aid, and environmental protection at the Yeremyan Academy, Armenia’s top culinary school, so that you can enjoy the Armenian Highland in comfort and feel good knowing that your experience has little to no impact on the environment. 

  • Untouched natural landscapes: A donation of 2,000 AMD from each individual’s booking in your group will go to the Caucasus Nature Fund, who will double that amount and send to the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, a nearby protected area that’s around 1,700 years old and home to 1,849 plant species – more than half the flora of Armenia – as well as the brown bear, Armenian mouflon, and Caucasian leopard.

FAQ

Questions? Concerns? Burning existential queries on life? We can help (with the first two).

  • Unfortunately not, as our menu is fixed.

  • If you are a vegetarian then absolutely yes. Some dishes in the lineup are already vegetarian-friendly. For dishes that are not, we have prepared vegetarian alternatives. Simply make sure to inform us if you or someone in your group is vegetarian when submitting your booking request. Unfortunately though, not all our vegetarian alternatives are vegan and dairy products are used extensively in Armenian cuisine so at this point we are unable to cater to vegans.

  • It will depend. Please let us know of any allergies and/or dietary restrictions anyone in your group may have using the booking request form, and we will see if we can remove/replace ingredients affected, though we cannot guarantee that there won’t be cross contamination.

  • No, however do bear in mind that some of our experiences include off-road driving on bumpy roads in order to reach the final location. If you have any physical impairments like back problems that might be affected, please inform us and we can advise on whether or not your desired experience is suitable.

  • Unfortunately, our regular itinerary is not. However, we aim to make our trips as accessible as possible so please let us know if you have any special requirements and we will try to find a solution within our means.

  • For safety reasons, children under 12 are not able to participate in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs and Mountaintop Eats experiences. However, children are welcome in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Vineyards experience.

  • English, Russian, and Armenian.

  • There are no pets allowed at the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs or Mountaintop Eats experiences, as both are set at high altitudes with rough terrains, and the former is also set within a protected area. As for Areni Vineyards, pets are welcome so long as they remain on their best behavior.

  • No, Armenian cuisine is not very spicy by nature. But that doesn’t mean it lacks flavor!

  • Of course! A fixed amount is included in the price of your experience and you can order additional alcohol during the experience itself, depending on what is available in the location. Note that we are unfortunately not able to provide an extensive menu given the wild nature of the experience. If you do not drink alcohol, don’t worry – a non-alcoholic alternative will be provided.

  • Though we cannot control the exact conditions on the day of your experience, insect repellent will be available for you to use in case of insects. We have done our best to select locations where there are few such critters but there is a chance you will come across other animals such as snakes (though they generally avoid people anyway). Our guide and local partners will advise you what to do in such situations.

  • We will notify you 48 hours before the experience start time if we need to postpone or cancel, in the case of a heavy rain forecast. Still, we recommend you bring a raincoat anyway in case of unexpected rain. Otherwise, the Armenian sun can be quite strong and while your dining area is arranged under a canopy, we recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen in case. As the evenings can get quite cool, we also suggest bringing warm layers.

  • There are no fixed toilets, however your hosts will of course show you a safe, comfortable and private place to “go in the wild.” Hand washing equipment will be provided. In case you need a fixed toilet, these will be available at the start and end points of your experience.

  • Not at all. The ride to Areni takes around 2 hours and transportation is easy to arrange. You can contact us for more information. As for Yeranos, transportation from Yerevan is included in the price of your booking.