So, how much does it cost to travel in Armenia?
Here’s the lowdown on our expenditure…
Antony and I spent 18 days in Armenia, travelling from April 5, 2016 until we headed over the border into Georgia on April 22. Costs are given in Armenian Dram. The exchange rate for Dram to New Zealand dollars is 344 AMD = $1 NZD
Image from natoura.am
Accommodation. Out of the 17 nights we spent in Armenia:
- 10 nights were free (8 nights at a workaway placement in Kapan where we got free food and accommodation in exchange for some volunteer work, 2 nights couchsurfing in Vanidzor)
- 7 nights were in Bed & Breakfasts (Private room in the house of a local family, breakfast included. 1 in Meghri, 1 in Tatev, 5 in Yerevan)
Total accommodation cost: 106,512 AMD or $309 NZD
- Average per paid night (for a couple): $44 NZD
Syrian Restaurant, Yerevan
Food. Half of our trip (9 days) was spent workawaying in Kapan, where we received free food. As such the cost of food is for the 9 days after that plus the odd snack in the first 9 days. We received breakfast as part of our accommodation cost and ate lunch and dinner out most days. Lunch sometimes just bread and fruit or we had a late breakfast and then one big meal late afternoon.
Total food cost: 63,410 = $184 NZD
- Average (over 9 days) per day: $20 NZD or $10 per person
Our bus from Kapan to Tatev.
Transport. From arrival at the Iranian/ Armenian land border we used a taxi to the nearest town (Meghri), then a bus the next day over the mountains to Kapan. From there we used a bus to Tatev and a bit beyond before we got a driver to take us to Yerevan stopping off at monasteries and stonehenge along the way. We used public buses and also taxis within Yerevan, both very cheap. We got a driver to take us on 3 different day trips exploring the area, the final trip finished up with us in Vanidzor. We had a mix of hitch-hiking and a marshutka in the Debed Canyon before taking a shared taxi to Georgia. We travelled approximately 1,038 kms (not including travel within Yerevan).
Total transport cost: 111,500 AMD = $324 NZD
- For 2 people, per km cost: $0.31 NZD
Garni Temple: one of the few sights with an entrance fee; less than $3 NZD p.p.
Sightseeing & Activities. We saw so many cool places in Armenia and just about all of them were FREE!! Wonderful for the budget traveller, especially after Iran where we paid a lot for mosques and other attractions. All monasteries were free to visit and museums were reasonably priced. Antony’s visit to the swimming pool in Yerevan was a third of this total!
Total sightseeing & activities cost (for 2 people): 10,100 = $29 NZD
- average per day for 2 people: $1.60 NZD
Armenian Simcard, free
Communication: This reflects how much we spent on an Armenian sim with data, texts & calls (1000 AMD), also postage of a package home (6,600AMD) and purchase and postage of a few postcards & magnets.
Total Communication cost: 11,720 AMD =$34 NZD
Health & Welbeing: Includes Antony’s haircut and fees for using the toilet in various places!
Total Health costs: 1400 AMD = $4 NZD
Armenian Visa – at the border. 3000 AMD = $8.75 NZD pp.
Other:
- Visa on arrival: 3000 AMD for a 21 day visa = $8.75 NZD x 2
- Garden tools for Kapan Workaway: 2350 AMD = $6.85 NZD
Only a couple of magnets were purchased as souvenirs and gifts (categorised here under ‘communication’). No money was spent on clothing & shoes in Armenia.
Total cost of our time in Armenia: 312,992 AMD = $910 NZD
- COST PER DAY (for two) = $50 NZD, or $25 NZD per person
Please note because we workawayed for nearly half of the time in Armenia this made the trip cost per day much cheaper than if we been paying for food and accommodation the whole time.
For more about where we went and what we saw have a read about Tatev, Stonehenge and the other monasteries we visited on the way to Yerevan here, read about our day trips from Yerevan here and here, and our adventures in Debed Canyon here.
Armenia is a great little country to visit and although the roads are not great, especially the main one from the south to Yerevan, there is plenty to see and learn here. We can recommend staying in Yerevan and doing day trips from there to the major sights with a private driver. If we go again we’d love to go in autumn when all the fruit is ready and the trees are changing colour and we’ll take hiking boots so we can explore the mountains in the south.