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VISA
You can get the Nagorno visa in Yerevan
or directly in Stepanakert (tha capitla of nagorno)
as I did.
For the former option from a post lioninzion
on the LP TT (Sep-2007) :
'The NKR embassy in Yerevan is at
17A Zaryan Poghots (Street), in the upper suburb of
Arabkir, about a 5-10 minute walk from the top of
the Cascade. Or you can take the Metro to Barekamutyun
Station and take a minivan up Komitas Poghota, get
off at the top of the hill (in front of the exceedingly
Soviet old Academy of Sciences complex) and the embassy
is about a 2 minute walk from there. There are great
views over central Yerevan to Mt Ararat from this
part of the city too.
A 7-day visa costs $21, plus an extra fee if you want
it on the same day. In which case you drop off your
passprt and fill out forms in the morning, and collect
passport with visa in the afternoon.
The dram is the currency of NKR.'
Instead, as most do, if you prefer to get it directly
in situ, from Yerevan Kilikya Avtokayan (northern
bus station) take the marshrutka (minibus) to Stepanakert
(8h, 10 euro). When I crossed the border the minibus
stopped at the check point, but nobody asked me anything
(not even to show the passport, but I guess I was
just lucky).
Anyway , even in case they question you, tell them
you will get the visa in the capital, because at the
embassy in Yerevan they told you this is the procedure.
The day after I went to the Foreign Affairs Office
in Stepanakert on Azatamartikneri Poghota (Avenue),
the main street between the bus station and the square
at the city centre (from the bus station on the left
just before the bridge). I got the visa valid 5 days
for 11.000 dram (21 euro) in 30min. The woman wrote
a document listining the place I was supposed to be:
Stepanakert, Shushi and Gandzsar monastery.
On the way to Gandzasar (by taxi 8.000 dram) I didn't
meet a single check point and as Ill for Shushi. Only
when exiting the Nagorno at the check point I was
asked to show the visa and the paper.
The soldier checked it carefully and kept the paper.
MONEY
The Armenian local currency is the one
used in Nagorno, the change ratio at the time of the
travel (Dec07) was:
1 USD= 307 DRAM. (buying DRAM)
1 EURO= 458 DRAM (buying DRAM)
You can change money almost everywhere
and you can pay bigger amounts (i.e. accommodation)
directly in euro, but you risk to loose money with
the change ratio
GENERAL
TIPS
UXO (mines)
I'm sure you alredy know Nagorno is one of the
most mined areas onthe world. In my opinion for a
backpacker this is the minor danger you can encounter,
unless you don't want to wander in the fields off
of the paths around the eastern frontline.
Agdam
I wasn't there, because I think just Shushi itself
is enough to satisfy you post-war town curiosity.
Anyway if you are not the case, have a read here
for some info (post from LP TT Apr-2007 by: Chirol)
Russian language helps
Dont' underrate how it could help to have even a basic
knowledge of Russian, in particular to know the numbers
will tunred out extremely useful in negotiations.
English won't support you that much.
Early dinner
Finding an open restaurant after 21.00 can be quite
tough, so move on earlier unless you want to experience
the risk of skipping the dinner
Motion sickness
If you suffer motion sickness, the twisting mountainy
roads and the high speed of Armenian drivers wont'
help. Bring you pills!
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