Europe

Your passport must meet 2 requirements. It must be:

• less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’)

• valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

For the latest details on visiting countries within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA), please check the UK Government website

The information that we provide is for UK passport holders. A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required, and you should have at least 2 blank pages for each country that you visit.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Please ensure that you check for the latest advice before travel. For the most up to date information on entry requirements, please visit the UK Government website.

If you have a severe allergy please inform the KE office before you travel. We will do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment on KE trips. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you, as 'adrenaline auto-injectors' are not carried as standard by KE leaders and staff. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your adrenaline pen.

Vaccinations

You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you require any specific vaccinations.

GHIC / Medical cover

UK residents should carry a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). This entitles you to state provided medical treatment when you're visiting an EU country or Switzerland. This is not a substitute for medical travel insurance which is vital when travelling overseas.

Getting some additional exercise before coming on an active holiday makes a lot of sense. The fitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find the experience.

You should be aerobically fit and comfortable with walking 6 hours for consecutive days, and possibly for 12 hrs  on the summit day. Hill walking, with a good amount of ascent and descent, is the best training, and we would suggest that you try to fit in a number of long weekend walks before you depart. Running, cycling and swimming are also good for developing cardio vascular fitness and stamina. For this holiday it is a good idea to practice at walking using crampons. Even if it is not possible to access an area of snow, it is worth getting used to walking with crampons on slopes of turf.

The temperatures that we can expect to encounter during the day will vary considerably. In the mountainous areas to the east of the country, the air is drier and the temperature range much greater. Although situated some 1700 metres (5600 feet) higher than Istanbul, temperatures in Dogubeyazit can be quite similar, so quite hot and humid. On Ararat itself temperatures will, of course, decrease as we climb. Typically, we will be trekking at temperatures around 15°C. At night at our highest camp, we can expect the temperature to fall to freezing point. In common with many mountain areas, cloud can build during the day resulting in late afternoon rain.

As a reputable tour operator, KE supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ‘Travel Aware’ campaign to enable British citizens to prepare for their journeys overseas. The 'Travel Aware' website provides a single, authoritative source of advice for all kinds of travellers and we recommend that before travel, all KE clients visit the official UK Government website at travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and read the FCDO Travel Advice for their chosen destination. North Americans can also check out the U.S. Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov for essential travel advice and tips.

KE treat the safety and security of all clients as the most important aspect of any trip we organise. We would not run any trip that we did not consider reasonably safe.  Should the FCDO advise against travel for any reason, we will contact everyone booked to travel to discuss the situation.  We receive regular updates directly from the FCDO and are in constant touch with our contacts on the ground.  If you have any questions about government travel advice, please call our office.

KE do not encourage the use of single use plastic items. We are ensuring that our agents all over the world are working together to reduce the problem and educate those around them. We are leading by example in our KE office by reducing our plastic use.

• Turkey. Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit.

• The Rough Guide to Turkey.

• The Explorers of Ararat and the search for Noah’s Ark. BJ Corbin.

It is an essential condition of joining a holiday with KE Adventure Travel that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation.  When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

For appropriate insurance cover we recommend Campbell Irvine Direct.  Please go to our Travel Insurance page for further information and to get a quote.

The following checklist should help you with your packing. As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum.

You should bring the following items:

• Approach shoes or trekking boots

• B1/4 Season/winter boots rigid enough to fit crampons

• Crampons (C1 10-point flexible crampons are sufficient)
• Trekking poles

• Gaiters

• Socks

• Underwear

• Trainers or sandals for camp

• Trekking trousers

• Waterproof overtrousers

• Waterproof jacket

• Thermal baselayer - leggings

• Thermal baselayer-  shirts

• T-shirts and/or casual shirts

• Fleece jacket or warm jumper

• Warm jacket (down)

• Sunhat

• Warm hat
  

• Sunglasses / ski goggles

• Thermal gloves

• Warm and waterproof gloves or mittens

• Daypack 40 litres

• Headtorch and spare battery

• Basic First Aid Kit including - Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), painkillers, plasters and blister treatment.
  

• Sun protection (including for lips)

• Water bottles 1 litre  (x2)

• Washbag and toiletries

• Antibacterial hand wash

• Small towel

• Sleeping bag (comfort rated -10°C)

The following items are optional:

• Helmet

• Spare laces

• Camera

• Thermos flask

• Insect repellent 

• Pen-knife (remember to pack sharp objects in hold luggage)

• Sleeping bag liner

• Thermarest (Foam sleeping mats are provided)

Notes

We regret that it is not possible to hire equipment through KE for this trip.

Many of the equipment items listed above are available from Cotswold Outdoor - our 'Official Recommended Outdoor Retailer'. When you book a holiday with KE you will receive a 12.5% discount with Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need. The discount code can be downloaded from your MyKE account and you can use this code at the checkout, either in store or online.