All of our journeys begin as an idea: a scribbled note after talking to a friend, a memory of a place visited many years ago, or a suggestion from a returning guest. From there it’s a lengthy research process.
And sometimes we happen up something really special. When Chief Trip Designer Emily visited Armenia earlier this year, she knew it would be perfect for Slow Cyclists. Here is how she brought our Armenian Highlands journey to life.
I craft journeys in unfamiliar places; journeys that will make you, our guests, feel connected and alive.
I’ve come across very few travel companies who go to the lengths we do to create experiences for our guests. We build from the ground up. This year I have spent more than 2 months in Armenia.
I began with just a few phone numbers. I hit a few dead ends – both literally and metaphorically – but slowly, piece by piece, and with the help of my Slow Cyclist team and new friends in Armenia, we’ve been able to create an experience that I know Slow Cyclists will love.
This is travel as I think it should be, so I want to tell you about the Armenia that I found.
I first travelled there in February. I found wild mountains, vast steppe, untouched nature, pristine forests and remote villages. But the snow was deep, many roads impassable.
I returned in April and fell in love, first with the capital Yerevan. On my first night I danced to traditional Armenian music in a local tavern. I knew then that it was a special place.”
Out of Yerevan I found endless, beautiful monasteries and priests happy to while away hours chatting; this is a land steeped in ancient Christianity.
I found that if I stand around looking lost, very soon someone will invite me in for coffee. They will remember me when I return weeks later, and hug me like a long lost daughter. They might even start baking a cake for me while I’m still taking my shoes off at their door.
I found a vibrant and rejuvenated wine-making scene. During Soviet times Armenia became the brandy manufacturing centre of the union; Georgia took wine. Armenia lost its 6,000 year old wine-making tradition. Now, long-lost ancient grape varietals are being rediscovered.
I found a food culture as rich and varied as any I’ve come across. At its heart is lavash, the flatbread inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The knowledge and skills of preparing and consuming lavash have been passed down through families for generations. It’s more than just bread; it’s a fundamental part of Armenian ritual and identity.
I found that it’s very difficult to remember Armenian words, apart from ‘bari luys’, which means ‘good morning’ and sounds a lot like ‘Barry Lewis.’ It works as a verb, as in ‘I’m just popping out to buy some bread and to Barry Lewis some locals.’
I found poets and writers, artists and musicians. For me, a culture still deeply connected to its traditional music and dance is something profound. In Armenia’s arts, I found symbols of identity, heritage, tradition, history, joy and sorrow – a way of expressing human connection.
I found the duduk, an ancient instrument made from the wood of apricot trees, the sound from which bypasses the brain and goes straight to the heart.
And so, my journey through Armenia’s wild landscapes, mountains, villages and cities becomes the story of our trip. A wild adventure woven together through the northern highlands of Shirak and Lori provinces, built upon the connections and relationships I forged along the way. A story rooted in an ancient, often troubled history, yet marked by the resilience of its people and their unwavering hospitality.
If you’d like to discover the Armenian Highlands by foot and by e-bike, find out more about our journeys or enquire now.
