Tatev Monastery & Wings of Tatev

1. 1
   Hotel in YerevanPick-up at your address at the chosen time09:00
2. 2
   Areni, short stopAreni is a wine-making village in Vayots Dzor, in the valley of the Arpa River. On a hill by the river stands the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin, built in 1321. Its builder, the master Momik, also carved the Virgin and Child above the west portal and the symbols of the Evangelists on the pendentives of the dome. Around the church is a cemetery with khachkars, the oldest from the 8th century, and carved tombstones. Wineries and shops along the highway sell wine from the local Areni grape, and in early October the village holds a wine festival.30 min

   

   

   

   

   

   © BarevTrip

   Areni is a wine-making village in Vayots Dzor, in the valley of the Arpa River. On a hill by the river stands the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin, built in 1321. Its builder, the master Momik, also carved the Virgin and Child above the west portal and the symbols of the Evangelists on the pendentives of the dome. Around the church is a cemetery with khachkars, the oldest from the 8th century, and carved tombstones. Wineries and shops along the highway sell wine from the local Areni grape, and in early October the village holds a wine festival.

3. 3
   Noravank MonasteryNoravank is a 12th–14th century monastery in the narrow gorge of the Gnishik River, beneath sheer red cliffs. In the 13th and 14th centuries it was the seat of the metropolitans of Syunik and the burial place of the Orbelian princes. Its best-known building is the two-storey Surb Astvatsatsin church of 1339, with narrow steps running straight up the facade to the upper chapel. Next to it stands the 13th-century main church, whose narthex keeps carved tympana and tombstones.45 min
4. 4
   Wings of Tatev cable carA passenger cable car across the Vorotan River gorge, running from a station near the village of Halidzor to Tatev Monastery. Two cabins travel in opposite directions along a 5,752-metre line with no intermediate stops, and Guinness World Records lists it as the longest non-stop double-track cable car. The ride takes about twelve minutes, passing high above the floor of the gorge before arriving beside the monastery on the edge of a cliff.45 min
5. 5
   Tatev MonasteryTatev, a working monastery, stands on a rocky promontory above the Vorotan Gorge in southern Armenia. Its main church, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, was built in 895–906, and fragments of 10th-century wall paintings survive on its walls. In the 14th and 15th centuries the monastery was home to a university. Within the fortified wall stand churches from the 11th to 13th centuries, living quarters and the Gavazan, an octagonal stone column that can sway. The Wings of Tatev cable car runs across the gorge to the monastery from the village of Halidzor.80 min
6. 6
   Shaki waterfall on requestShaki is a waterfall about 18 metres high in Syunik, a few kilometres from Sisian. Here the short Shaki stream, a left tributary of the Vorotan, drops into a gorge from a broad ledge of dark volcanic rock in many separate strands, with trees growing along the rim. A small hydropower plant shares the stream's water with the falls, so the flow varies noticeably from hour to hour and day to day. A path of about 300 metres leads from the roadside car park to the foot of the falls.30 min
7. 7
   Hotel in YerevanReturn to the same or another address in the city≈ 21:00

Driving between stops takes about 8 h. You can change the order by telling the driver.