Barbecue Festival 2019

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Zvartnots International Airport. Transfer to the hotel.

Stop At: Hotel Silachi in Yerevan, Armenia
Our guide will meet you at the Airport. After that you will be transferred to Hotel. Check-in. Free time.

Duration: 12 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 4* "Silachi" Hotel in Yerevan

Day 2: Garni Temple – Geghard – Sevanavank – Dilijan – Haghartsin Monastery.

Stop At: Garni Temple, Garni, Kotayk Province
Take trip to Garni. This Pagan Temple was built in the Ist century AD. It is the only temple that remains from the Pagan times in Armenia. It was devoted to the God of the Sun Mihr, and was a gift to the queen. In 1679 it was destroyed by earthquake. In the 1975 the Temple was restored.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Gegard Monastery, Goght, Kotayk Province
We will continue our trip to Geghard a medieval monastery being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The whole complex is awash with detailed sculptures, cliffside monks’ cells, and many striking stone crosses (khachkars), elaborately etched into the rock faces.
Duration: 2 minutes

Stop At: Charent's Arch, Garni, Kotayk Province
Afterward you will see Charents Arch that is located on the road to Garni and is used as a spectacular place to view Mt. Ararat and its valley.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Lake Sevan, Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik Province
Next stop will be Sevanavank, a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan, the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high- altitude lakes in the world.
Duration: 1 minute

Stop At: Dilijan Amphitheater, Dilijan, Tavush Province
Heading to Dilijan. Dilijan usually is called Little Switzerland by the locals. Mild climate and gorgeous nature made this town well known as a beautiful resort. Walking in the Sharambeyan Street, Old Town Dilijan.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Vanatun Monastery Stay in Haghartsin.

Day 3: Haghartsin Monastery - Akhtala Barbeque Festival – Haghpat.

Stop At: Haghartsin Monastery, Dilijan, Tavush Province
Breakfast at the Hotel.
Haghartsin is a 13th-century monastery located near the town of Dilijan in the Tavush Province of Armenia. It was built between the 10th and 13th centuries (in the 12th under Khachatur of Taron); much of it under the patronage of the Bagratuni Dynasty.

Duration: 1 minute

Stop At: Tavush Fort, Berd, Tavush Province
Heading to Akhtala Barbecue Festival.
Armenia is one of the best places to taste a delicious barbecue which is an inseparable part of Armenians’ lives. They have their version of the name for the dish known as barbecue; it is – “Khorovats,” which means “roast.” Khorovats is made on “manghal”: it is a grilling apparatus that works with the flaming coals of fire made out of wood. In contrast, barbecue can be made in the oven. Khorovats in made on the flaming coals, not on the fire. During the Barbecue festival you will taste the best barbecue in the whole world!
After Festival we will go to see Haghpat Monastery complex. The monastery was founded by Queen Khosrovanuysh, wife of the Bagratid king Ashot III, probably in 976. The nearby monastery at Sanahin was built around the same time.

Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: Haghpat Monastery, Haghpat, Lori Province
The location of Haghpat Monastery was chosen so that it overlooks the Debed River in northern Armenia's Lori region. It was built, not on a peak, but halfway up a hillside on a site chosen to afford protection and concealment from prying eyes and also in response to a kind of monastic humility. It is built on a verdant promontory located in the middle of a, mountain cirque which is often wreathed in clouds. A peak on the opposite side of the river is over 2,500 meters high. The monasteries of northern Armenia are not isolated, unlike their counterparts in the country's arid regions. They were built in a village environment and Haghpat is surrounded by many hamlets.
Duration: 1 minute

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: "Qefo" Hotel in Haghpat.

Day 4: Armenian Alphabet Monument – Amberd – Sasunik – Yerevan.

Stop At: Armenian Alphabet Monument, Artashavan, Aragatsotn
Armenian Alphabet Monument is located in Artashavan village of Aragatsotn region, on the Western slope of Mount Aragats. The complex was built in 2005, on the 1600th anniversary of the creation of Armenian alphabet.
The complex includes sculptures of 39 letters of Armenian alphabet, as well as monuments to the great Armenian thinkers. All the letters and statues are made of Armenian tufa. Armenian language is an independent branch in Indo-European language family. Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots in 405; it is used in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Javakhk, in communities of Armenian Diaspora, in different armenological and cultural centers.
A rich literature was created in Armenian language; this is a writing of ancient, medieval and modern civilizations. It also has its contribution in world culture.

Duration: 2 minutes

Stop At: Amberd Fortress, Byurakan, Aragatsotn
The history of Amberd goes back to the 7th century when Armenian princes Kamsarakan started there construction of the fortress. With the time, a small outpost turned into a well-protected fortress. However, the Kamsarakans had to pass this strategic point to another Armenian noble family Pahlavuni, who made it their residence. The great commander Vagram Pahlavuni, who lived in the 11th century, ordered to fortify the complex of Amberd and build there a church later named in his honor – Vagramashen.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Armenia Wine Company, Sasunik, Aragatsotn
Next stop will be Armenia winery in Sasunik village. Here you can taste different sorts of Armenian wine.
Duration: 1 minute

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 4* "Silachi" Hotel in Yerevan

Day 5: Markets GUM and Vernissage. Transfer to the Airport. Departure.

Stop At: Vernissage Market, Yerevan
Breakfast at the Hotel. Check out.
A visit to traditional food market – GUM, and handmade and jewelry market Vernissage in Yerevan.
Transfer to the Airport. Departure.

Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.