Tour to Khor Virap, Noravank, Bird's Cave, Areni wine factory

Itinerary
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Stop At: Khor Virap, Artashat, Lusarat Armenia

The first stop of the tour is Khor Virap monastery in the oldest Armenian capital, Artashat. The name of Khor Virap Monastery is translated as “deep dungeon”. The first Catholicos of All Armenians Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was imprisoned here for 13 years for the preaching of Christianity by order of the Armenian pagan king Trdat III. When the king was stricken with a disease his sister dreamed of an angel who said that Trdat would be saved only after the liberation of Gregory the Illuminator. After the cure tsar proclaimed Christianity as the official state religion. Khor Virap has an important historical significance for Armenia. Today tourists have the opportunity to descend into the underground dungeon which is located inside the chapel of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The best view of the holy mountain Ararat opens from the territory of the monastery.


Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Noravank Monastery, Areni Armenia

Noravank means “New Monastery” in Armenian. However, today this name does not fit, as the monastery is already more than seven centuries old. The beautiful Noravank Monastery was built in the 13th century on the ledge of narrow winding gorge above the Amaghu River, near the city of Yeghegnadzor.

Pay special attention to the writings and alphabet at Noravank Monastery. The Armenian alphabet was designed so that a single swastika (visible on a khachkar outside Surb Karapet) was a monogram of the alphabet: every letter could be found in its shape.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: T'rchuneri (Bird) Cave, Highway, At the Entrance To Noravank Canyon, Areni Armenia

The excavation is located above the Arpa River, inside a Karst Cavern made from tens of thousands of years of mineral water dripping into limestone crevices.

Excavations of the slope leading to the cave uncovered remnants of a defensive wall—its construction date yet to be set—that used to guard entry to the cave. Possibly it was built during the medieval period; Copper and Stone Age layers in the cave in some places show traces of 13-14th century activity.

Areni-1 is one of the rarest and best-preserved late Chalcolithic (Copper Age) monuments in the South Caucasus, study of which gives us a chance to understand not only the peculiarities of the material culture in the 5th-4th millenniums BCE, but which also shows us that wine-production in Armenia has at least a 6,000 year history.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Areni Wine Factory, Areni Armenia

The last stop of the tour is Areni Wine Factory where we will taste the wines made of fruits with unique taste of the Armenian mountains.

The small Armenian village Areni is a place of pilgrimage for those who know the value of fine wines and are interested in the history of ancient architecture. The international festival has been traditionally organized here since 2009 where guests taste different grades of young and aged wines produced at Areni winery. It was founded in 1994 on the basis of a small family business. Anyone can visit the winery where tourists are guided by excursions and told about the process of creating the most valuable drink. It is difficult to be indifferent to the unique taste of local wine which can be purchased directly on the territory of the factory. Collection of products and the manufacture of wine are produced manually which significantly improves its quality.

Duration: 1 hour