Gnishik canyon - Amaghu I Classic trail I Armenia

Gnishik canyon is one of the "must see" canyons of Armenia: amazing red landscape, bears, rivers, forests and bezoar goats.
If you want to hike here, it's better to take into account some important points :

--- This is a classic blazed route of Gnishik gorge ( Գնիշիկի կիրճ / Գնիշիկի ձոր ), there is no other better alternatives.
---Gnishik gorge's territory is under control of FPWC (Foundation for the preservation of wildlife and cultural assets), so in Gnishik village ( Գնիշիկ գյուղ ) you'll probably meet rangers , that's why it's better to contact them before hiking and inform them about your plans.
Sometimes they don’t recommend you to hike there, as it’s a wildlife territory.
--- ATTENTION: There is a risk of meeting bears during the hike (we met one), so be careful while hiking, make noise, this is the trail I'll not suggest hiking alone here for that reason.
--- This route is blazed by the Transcaucasian Trail so you'll see a lot of red and white marks during the hike, anyway it's better to have GPS with you to be on the safe side, as some marks may be vanished.
--- You have to cross a river several times, which is usually flooded in springtime and dried after July. It's doable but in 1-2 spots it's not that easy.
--- You start the hike from the Gnishik village (only a few people live there) and end your route in Amaghu ( Ամաղու ).
--- Your ending point - ""Amaghu" is considered to be the name of a village, but it's an abandoned place, where the road ends, so there aren't any people living in Amaghu.
--- SEASON for Gnishik canyon is from the end of April till mid June, from mid October till December.
After June it's very hot and dry here. After December the trail is basically blocked by snow (depending on season) Winter hikes are also interesting here, and it depends on the quantity of the snow.
— BEST MONTHS are May and November.
--- If you want to continue the trail to Noravank monastery ( Նորավանք ), search for the "Amaghu - Noravank Classic trail I Vayots Dzor I Armenia" trail or download
"Gnishik - Noravank I Hike Armenia trail " from my trails section.