Mount Aragats

On this tour you will visit Amberd, a fortress on the southern slope of Mount Aragats, founded in the 7th century. Next up is Lake Kari at the height of 3250 m on the slopes of Mount Aragats, the highest point of Armenia (4090 m). Up next is the stop for Armenian Dry Fruit production and tasting. Visit Saghmosavank, 13th century Armenian monastic complex, unique due to its frescoes with biblical themes and the perfect harmony with environment – vertical cliffs of Kasakh gorge. There comes the Alley of Armenian Letters (Alphabet Alley), that was built on the slopes of Mount Aragats in honor to the 1600th anniversary of the creation of Armenian alphabet. This monument is unique not only in Armenia, but all around the World.

You will leave the city and drive some 1 hour to get to Mount Aragats, where you can enjoy the nature and at this season snow. Then you will visit to Saghmosavank Monastery located near the Kasakh gorge. Saghmosavank is a 13th-century Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Here you can enjoy nature, culture and history. And after this you will go to the Alphabet Park where you will find all the Armenian letters and take photoes. It was built in 2005 when Armenian alphabet celebrated its 1600th birthday. At the end of tour you will come back to Yerevan.

Get ready in order to explore: Day 1: Yerevan - Garni - Arch of Charents - Geghard - Lake Sevan - Tsaghkadzor - Yerevan • The Arch of Charents. It’s a place where you can admire the most beautiful view of Mount Ararat. • Garni Temple is the only preserved pagan temple in the entire territory of the Caucasus. The construction dates back to the second half of the 1st century and was dedicated to the Sun God. • Geghard which is a medieval monastery declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. According to tradition The Geghard Monastery was founded by Saint Gregory in the 4th century on the site of a sacred spring. The peculiar character of the construction is reflected in its austerity and the magnificent natural scenery of the canyon, surrounded by precipices and curved cliffs. • Then you will make a stop to visit the Sevanavank monastic complex on the peninsula and contemplate the beautiful landscape of Lake Sevan, which is the pearl of Armenia. • And the last visit is Tsaghkadzor, a ski resort of Armenia, where you will take the cable car and rise up to the top, from where the magnificent atmosphere and spectacular nature of Tsaghkadzor unfolds. Day 2: Yerevan - Khor Virap - Areni-1 (Birds’ Cave) - Noravank - Yerevan • Khor Virap Monastery, one of the most important sanctuaries of Armenians. Its history is closely linked to the religious and cultural history of Armenia. The monastery is located at the foot of the biblical Mount Ararat. • Areni-1, also known as Birds’ Cave. The cave represents a rocky room with niches and aisles, which was inhabited in different epochs by ancient civilizations. During the archaeological excavations in the cave was discovered the ancient leather shoe. It is considered the oldest shoe in the world, the age of which is supposed to be about 5,5 thousand years. • And the last visit is one of the wonderful monuments of medieval Armenia, the Monastery of Noravank, located in an impressive canyon. Noravank is considered one of the most attractive places in the country. Day 3: Yerevan - Saghmosavank - Alphabet Monument - Cascade Complex - Tsitsernakaberd - Vernissage - Yerevan • Saghmosavank, 13th century monastery located on the right bank of the Kasakh River. Overall, its excellent location provides additional beauty and comeliness to the monastery. • Armenian Alphabet Monument. 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. • Cascade Monument, one of the most famous landmarks of Yerevan, the Cafesjian Museum of Modern Arts. •Afterwards you will visit the Genocide memorial “Tsitsernakaberd” to get closer to one of the saddest pages of the Armenian history. •The last stop is Vernissage, a large open-air exhibition-market in Yerevan, where you will find anything and everything. Get an unforgettable experience.

Hi everyone You will be picked up from your hotel ( if it is in Yerevan) and drive to Saghmosavank Monastery, 13th century monastery with a nice view of canyon. After spending some time there, you will visit to the Alphabet Park, where you will find all Armenian letters. So you can find your name's first letter and take a picture with that. All the letters and statues are made of Armenian tufa stone. After that you will head to Aragats Mount (the highest mountain in Armenia , the peak is 4096m) to enjoy snow, to play snowballs, to have the gorgeous view of Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats at the same time. Drive back to Yerevan, back to the city center or to your hotel. Enjoy your winter in Armenia.

The excursion starts at 11:00 at the location you specified 1 point One of the significant and famous Monasteries of ancient Armenia is the Hovhanavank Monastery. Located in the same name village, in the Aragatsotn region. For a long time in the medieval church, which dedicated to John the Baptist, were kept such significant relics as the Shroud, in which Jesus Christ was shrouded and the Nail which pierced His right hand (the relics now keeping in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral). 2 point The next attraction is the equally famous Saghmosavank Monastery, which is also located in the same name village and Aragatsotn region. The cross-domed Church in ancient centuries was famous for its library, where created thousands of manuscripts and were stored (currently manuscripts now stored in the Matenadaran). Near the Monastery there is an amazing high gorge above the Kasakh River, from where opens a magnificent view of the beautiful nature, and where you will have the opportunity to take beautiful memorable photos. 3 point After the research of the Monasteries we will drive to the famous Monument of the Armenian Alphabet. The Monument was built in 2005 in honor of the 1600th anniversary of the creation the national Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots. Located in an open area, on the road to Mount Aragats, in the Aragatsotn region. There you will have a great opportunity to take a walk in the fresh air and take a memorable photos near the first letter of your name. 4 point Final point of our amazing tour will be the Amberd Fortress. The fortress is probably the most famous and majestic castle which left from Ancient Armenia and which many centuries served as an outpost of this region. Built in the 7th century, the fortress is located at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, halfway to the highest mountain Aragats. Near the castle is also a small Church, built in 1026. The castle was destroyed in the 13th century by the invasion of the Mongols and reached us only in the form of majestic ruins. This is a very interesting place for exploring, walking in the fresh air and, of course, for memorable photos on the background of massive ridges and fantastic nature.

The excursion starts at 10:00 at the location you specified 1 point At the beginning of our tour, we will go to the one of the best wineries in Armenia, Armenia Wine factory, which was built in 2008 and now is one of the largest producers and exporters of the high quality wine. With their own laboratory, about 300 people every day using the amazing varieties of Armenian and French grapes to improve and create wines of high quality and taste. The wonderful winery built entirely by the red stone tuff and located near the city Ashtarak, in the small village Sasunik (15 km from Yerevan). Inside the factory (accommodating more than 10,000 tourists every year) you will have the opportunity to see the majestic halls and cellars, taste the one of the best wines of Armenia and optionally visit an interesting museum. 2 point Next we will head to the Voskevaz winery, which means “Golden Vine”, which is located in the small same name village, in the mountainous Aragatsotn region, on the landscape of the majestic Mount Aragats. The winery was founded in 1932 and has been keeping its quality standard in the Armenian market for almost a century. The fabulous building of the factory resembles a castle, which was restored in 2004 and now every year it is overhauled for visiting by tourists and wine lovers. The Voskevaz factory uses exclusively the Armenian grape varieties for its products and is a pioneer in the creation of Armenian dessert wines. In the excursion package you will not only have a walk around the old and beautiful castle, but also during the degustation of the national Armenian wine have an interesting history of the plant and winemaking process. 3 point Upon completion of unforgettable degustation, we will go to the famous second largest city Gyumri. One of the most ancient settlements in Armenia famous by his unique architecture, the square, monuments at every turn and of course the old city, which we will explore with you. After the wonderful Armenian lunch, we will visit other main sights of Gyumri, the majestic monument of Mother Armenia and the mighty Black Fortress, where I will tell you about the part of the architecture that has the form of the Greek goddess of revenge Nemesis monument, about how the Black Fortress protected the western borders of Armenia, preventing enemies even think about an attack from this direction and many other interesting facts from history.

Mount Aragats is a four peaked volcano massif in Armenia. Its northern summit, at 4.090 m above sea level, is the highest point in the Armenian Highlands. In the slopes of Mount Aragats there is Lake Kari (Stone Lake). It is located 3.190 m above the sea level and has a perimeter of 1.150 m. The lake appeared from ice formations. It is surrounded by snow most of the time and that is why water is rather cold. On the way we will visit the Armenian Alphabet Monument. 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. All the letters and statues are made of Armenian tufa. Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 in order to make the Bible accessible to Armenians and spread Christianity. The last destination will be the fortress of Amberd. It is a 7th-century fortress located 2.300 meters above sea level on the southern slopes of the Mount Aragats. The name translates to "fortress in the clouds" in Armenian. The site includes a rich variety of buildings (church, chapel, baths, walls, gates, etc.), in a spectacular position defined by good natural defenses.

After hotel pick-up, head to the Aragatsotn Province to see the treasure of Armenian. First you will visit Saghmosavank. It’s a 13th century monastery located on the right bank of the Kasakh River. Overall, its excellent location provides additional beauty and comeliness to the monastery. Also, you will visit Armenian Alphabet Monument. 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. Later we'll drive towards Amberd, a 10th-century fortress, located 2,300 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Aragats and at the confluence of the Arkashen and Amberd rivers. Driving back to Yerevan. Afterwards you will visit Vernissage, a large open-air exhibition-market in Yerevan, where you will find anything and everything. Enjoy your stay in our country.