Vanadzor does not top Armenia’s touristic routes for its natural beauty. Yet, the country’s third largest city was once called “the green town” as it lays on the slopes of the Pamback mountain range, covered with forests and it abounds with mineral waters, making the town of 82,000 a popular thermal resort. 

For Emma Petrosyan, 24, and Vaghinak Karapetyan, 20, Vanadzor is a pot full of green opportunities ready to be explored. The two Yerevan-based nature and mountain biking lovers turned to the EcoLab foundarion, which supports young people to develop projects for social change and designed the Boo Mountain Bike Park Project, Armenia’s first mountain bike route.

Emma Petrosyan, a founder of Boo Mountain Bike Park Project. 

Vaghinak Karapetyan, a cofounder of the project.

Gor Giginyan, 20, a volunteer supporting the development of the route. 

The first mountain bike route in Armenia, “Boo Mountain Bike Park Project” is being build due to volunteers efforts.

Ecolab gave them a house, which is the starting base for the biking routes and called it “boo” - owl in Armenian - after the numerous nocturnal birds stationing on the house. With the help of enthusiastic volunteers, Petrosyan and Karapetyan are developing the routes.

The “boo mountain bike park” is more than an entrepreneurial adventure: it is a dream to develop and promote a mountain biking culture in Armenia, not only as a sport, but also as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Maria, a member of volunteers group.

Emma Petrosyan says that she will move from Yerevan to Vanadzor as soon as the project is finalized.

Vanadzor. According to the 2015 census, the town is home to 82,800 people, making it Armenia’s third largest.

As soon as the bike route is ready it will be opened from the end of the spring to the middle of autumn.

In the Pambak mountain range.