Armenia Cultural Tour | Armenia Individual Travel | Pyala Travel - Travel Program

Day 1 arrival Yerevan

Your arrive in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Our local representative will wait for you at the airport and will bring you to your centrally located hotel. Here you can rest from the flight and the often nightly arrival.   In the afternoon you will explore the city while walking with an English speaking guide. See how the city and its population is looking for a new identity after the Soviet past. By clear weather you can see from many places the two peaks of Mt. Aratat, the holy mountain where Noah’s Ark would be. The mountain is located near Yerevan, but not on Armenian territory, but just across the border in Turkey, in an area that many Armenians see as historic Armenian territory. Of course you will visit the Matenadaran; a famous library of ancient Armenian manuscripts and the monument in memory of the genocide of the early 20th century.

Day 2 Yerevan / excursion Garni and Geghard

Today you will visit Garni and Geghard. At Garni is a temple from the first century, which is a little like a Greek temple. These are the remains of what once was the summer residence of the Armenian princes, a complex full of palaces and temples. The temple overlooks a beautiful canyon. You can make a beautiful walk of more than an hour in this canyon. Along the way you pass strangely shaped rocks. You then drive a little further to the cave monastery of Geghard, one of the highlights of a visit to Armenia. This monastery is situated on the edge of a mountain and is partly built into the wall. The dark chapels provide a fantastic acoustics.

Day 3 Yerevan – Sevan via Khor Virap en Noravank

You leave Yerevan for a special trip to the south of Armenia. The first stop is the beautiful located monastery of Khor Virab. Not only is this the monastery where Christianity in 301 became the state religion of the country, it is also beautifully situated at the foot of Mt. Ararat, with only the Turkish border as a barrier between the monastery and the mountain. Then you wil travel through the scenically beautiful province of Vayots Dzor. After more than an hour you reach the village of Areni, famous for its Armenian red wine. The next stop is the monastery of Noravank. Also this monastery is beautifully situated at the beginning of a canyon, surrounded by impressive rocks. You follow the route to the south, through the mountainous region. 
A following beautiful route will take you on the Selim pas to Lake Sevan. Ever since the time of the Silk Road, the Selim Pass has been a major passage on trade routes. Near the top of the pass, about 2400 meters, you will find a 14th century caravanserai. After you go down the hill, you visit the village Noratus, where you will see hundreds of Armenian crosses in a field. It is also possible to take a walk to the 10th-century fortress Smbataberd.   

Your overnight will be at the beautiful Lake Sevan, one of the three holy Armenian lakes, and the only one on Armenian territory (the other two are Lake Van in Turkey and Lake Urumiyu in Iran). The lake was originally of volcanic origin and contains a lot of fish. On a peninsula in the lake is a small island. On this island you find the Sevan Monastery. Also take a visit to the church Arakelots and the one from Astvatsatsin. You will stay in a charming hotel on the lake.

Day 4 Sevan Lake– Dzoragets via Haghartsin and Goshavank

You will leave the lake and drive through the Mountains of the so-called Lower Caucasian Mountains to the mountain resort of Dilijian. In this wooded hills you will find the monastery of Haghartsin. This monastery was built over 300 years. Another impressive monastery is the one of Goshavank, founded in the 12th century in the village of Gosh.
You will stay overnight in Dzoragets, near the Debed Canyon.

Day 5 Dzoragets – Haghpat

Today you take a walk through this region accompanied by a local guide. You will visit the monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat, which are on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Haghpat means high wall and when you stand before the monastery, you will understand why. The acoustics in the monastery is special and it is very photogenic. The monastery of Sanahin was particularly known for its school of calligraphy.   Continue to enjoy the beautiful setting (again) and the friendly atmosphere at the homestay. 

Day 6 Haghpat - Yerevan, via Amberd

Today you travel back to the capital. On the way to Yerevan you pass Lake Kari and Mt. Aragats, the highest mountain in Armenia with four peaks of which the highest reach 4,095 meters. At the foot of one of  those peaks, in a pretty desolate area at 2,300 meters, you find the beautiful and impressive Amberd fortress from the 7th century.  Along the way you can visit the monastery Saghmosavank and the special "Park of Letters' with all the letters of the Armenian alphabet. At the end of the day you are back in the capital Yerevan.

Day 7 Yerevan

A final day in the Armenian capital. At the start of the trip you may not have visited all sights in or near the city. See the national museum with findings from all those places you’ve seen on the road; visit the Russian Sjoeka market or buy some souvenirs at the Vernisage market and enjoy the last moments of this beautiful and friendly country at a cosy terrace, for example at the Opera.

Day 8 depart Yerevan