Colorful Armenia (9 days / 8 nights)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will have a walk in the pink city of Yerevan. This ancient city is 29 years older than Rome. We will start walking in the most pleasant Republic Square with Government buildings, History Museum, and Marriott Hotel surrounding it. In the evening we can enjoy the colorful singing and dancing fountains. Walking up one of the oldest streets in Yerevan – Abovyan Street – we will appear on the richest avenue in Yerevan – the Northern Avenue with many brand shops, luxurious cafes, and restaurants. Our next stop – the Opera and Ballet House and the Swan Lake – face Northern Avenue. We will enjoy our time in the fascinating weather of sunny Yerevan while walking around Cascade Monument. If we walk up the “huge staircase” of 500 meters in height and 50 meters in width, we can enjoy the wonderful panorama of the city with the spectacular Opera House, Mount Ararat as well as the view of the whole city. We will then walk up the huge stairs to the Park of Freedom. Here the whole city seems to be in our hands. Magnificent view. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will start a most panoramic tour of the Southern part of Armenia, with changing views that cannot be admired anywhere else in the world. Drive to Ararat valley and pay a visit to the Monastery of Khor Virap. This is the very place where Armenia was proclaimed as the first country to accept Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD. The monastery offers the closest and the most open view to biblical Mount Ararat. Continue driving to an unusual and peaceful spot – Noravank Monastery. The whole magic of Noravank (13th century) trip attracts a traveler just at the point of turning the road to the Monastery. The narrow road leading to the monastery is blocked by beautiful rocks on both sides.Once there high above the main road we have the impression as if we are in heaven, and if we stretch our hand, we will touch the sky. Continue to the village of Areni to taste delicate smooth and gentle Armenian wine. Recent archeological expeditions in this region have unearthed the oldest in the world winery, thus proving that the village has the oldest traditions of wine production. Continue driving to Jermuk spa town, which is famous for its hot springs and mineral water brands bottled in the town. It is attractive for its fresh air, waterfalls, artificial lakes, walking trails, the surrounding forests and mineral water pools. Overnight at a hotel in Jermuk.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will start the tour in the captivating nature of Syunik Province. One of the most inspiring sights in the region is Shaki cave waterfall. It cascades down from 18 m. height. The territory around the Shaki waterfall is a unique architectural depository. The cave village of Khndzoresk is our next stop. Here we can find ourselves in the past and see the cave dwellings that people lived in the past some 60 years ago, notwithstanding the development of science and life in general. It’s a place where a visitor can feel as if the time stopped at some point in the past just for us to admire all the beauty of the wildness. Continue the tour to the 9th century Tatev Monastery. Perched atop the Vorotan River Gorge, this monastic complex was an important political stronghold and one of Armenia’s most advanced medieval universities hosting students in humanitarian sciences. Because of its forbidding location, it was once hard to access, but now a 5.7-kilometer-long cableway (Wings of Tatev) has been built to take visitors to the monastery, offering an exciting journey with breathtaking views over the river gorge below. Return to Jermuk. Overnight at a hotel in Jermuk.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leisure time. Overnight at the hotel in Jermuk.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will return to Yerevan with a stop at Selim Caravanserai and Lake Sevan. Built along the Selim Pass, the caravanserai once hosted weary travelers and their beast of burden passing by. This unique architectural monument of Medieval Armenia is a splendid relic of the days when Armenia was a crossroad for economic, cultural and military affairs. Drive to the azure Lake Sevan. Lake Sevan has a unique combination of great size, high mountain location, and comparatively “soft water”. Lake Sevan is one of the greatest freshwater highmountain lakes of Eurasia. It is located at about 2000 meters above the sea level. (Optional* lunch tasting barbeque from Sevan trout). Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will explore the top tourist attractions of Armenia and make the first stop at Garni Temple, where we will enjoy the astonishing view to the gorges all around. Garni is a pagan temple built in the 1 st century, the only survival of the Hellenic epoch in the whole territory of the Caucasus. Upon desire the guide will accompany us to the place called “Symphony of stones” in the gorge. Continue on to the Monastery of Geghard (UNESCO). The monastery was first recorded in a document of 1250. Geghard is famous due to the relics, among which the most important one is the spear which had wounded Christ on the Cross presumably brought there by the Apostle Thaddeus. Here in Geghard, we can also watch the process of “lavash” baking in the traditional underground oven “tonir”, and (optional*) enjoy the medieval vocal concert. Return to Yerevan. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.