Trip details
Day 1
– Departure from the your hotel
– This day will start with a visit to Khor Virap Monastery, on the territory of which, according to legend, there was a deep dungeon for mortal prisoners (“khor virap” translated from Armenian means “deep pit/dungeon”), where our first Catholicos (Patriarch) Gregory the Illuminator was thrown and where he spent 13 years. The sight also offers the best view of the biblical Mount Ararat.
– Afterwards, you will travel to Noravank Monastery. The road to Noravank goes through a beautiful canyon, the rocks of which abound with caves. In these caves, traces of human settlement of the 6th-5th millennia BC were found. Noravank, surrounded by bizarre red rocks, is considered to be one of the most beautiful monasteries in the world.
– Later, you will visit one of the wineries in wine region of Armenia.
– Then trip to Khndzoresk cave settlement. This is the oldest village where the authentic view of cave dwellings has been preserved, however, not a single inhabitant is living there anymore. Walking through the cave settlement will allow you to feel the spirit of the mountain inhabitants of these caves. It is possible to get to the settlement by a suspension bridge connecting the two banks of the picturesque gorge.
Then drive to Goris town for overnight
Day 2
– Tatev Monastery, which is considered to be the pearl of the Armenian architecture. The monastery harmoniously fits into the surrounding nature. It used to be one of the spiritual and academic centers of medieval Armenia (one of the famous universities of Armenia operated on the territory of the monastery for many years). The monastery can be reached by the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway, which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest reversible cableway in the world.
– Afterwards, you will travel through Selim Pass, which used to form a part of the Silk Road and offers amazing views of the surroundings. A steep winding road rises to the top of the pass, to the famous medieval Selim caravanserai, where the caravans of merchants used to find shelter.
– Then you will visit the Sevan Peninsula and Lake Sevan. Sevan is the largest high-mountainous lake in the Caucasus and one of the larges high-mountainous freshwater lakes in the world. On the peninsula, after climbing more than 100 steps, you will find yourself on the top of a hill, where Sevan monastery complex (IX century) is located. From here you will also enjoy an amazing view of the pearl of Armenia.
– Return to Yerevan