NATURE AND TRADITIONS OF ARMENIA

9 days / 8 nights

YEREVAN – GARNI – GEGHARD - KHOR VIRAP – NORAVANQ – ECHMIADZIN – ZVARTNOTS – LAKE SEVAN- HAGHARTSIN – SANAHIN – HAGHPAT- SAGHMOSAVANQ - AMBERD

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Day 1 YEREVAN Flight to Yerevan by Austrian Airlines, Czech Airlines, LOT, Aeroflot, Air Italy, etc. Day 2 YEREVAN Arrival to Zvartnots International Airport early in the morning. Meeting with travel agency representative. Transfer to hotel. Check in. Rest. Breakfast in hotel. Preliminary tour in Yerevan city. Visit to Victory Park, view of Holy Mount Ararat and Yerevan city. Walking tour to Cascade, Opera house, North Avenue, Republic Square. Dinner in Armenian traditional restaurant. After dinner visit Republic Square for listening and seeing the fountain and light show. Overnight at hotel. Republic Square Day 3 YEREVAN– MATENADARAN - GARNI– GEGHARD - YEREVAN (80km) Breakfast in hotel. Visit to Matenadaran, the Institute of ancient manuscripts. It has over 17000 units which include numerous fragments from Armenian and foreign ancient manuscripts, complete parchments, copies of first printed books etc. The oldest manuscript, that has been preserved completely, is the Vehamor (Our Lady) Gospel written in the 7th century. Some of the most impressing items in Matenadaran are the Msho Charentir, the largest manuscript that weighs over 27 kilos and the tiny church calendar of 1434 which not bigger then a passport photo and which weighs only 19 grams. Matenadaran Trip to Geghard Monastery (12th - 13th centuries). Geghard Monastery is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It is famous for its rock architecture and the church carved inside the rock. Name of the church comes from a legend. According to it a spear (geghard in Armenian) was kept here with which Jesus Christ was pierced on the cross by one of the Roman legionaries guarding him.

Drive to Garni temple, the oldest surviving building. This temple, built in the second half of the 1st century AD, was dedicated to one of the deities of Armenian pagan pantheon, Mitra the Deity of Sun.

Return to Yerevan. Dinner. Overnight at hotel. Geghard monastery Day 4 YEREVAN – KHOR VIRAP – NORAVANQ - YEREVAN (250 km)

Breakfast in hotel. Drive to Khor Virap Monastery where the Biblical Mount Ararat reveals its breathtaking size and splendor. The Khor Virap Monastery situated on a hill not far from the border with Turkey. Drive to the masterpiece of medieval Armenian architecture Noravank Monastery (13th-14th centuries).The Noravank Monastery, situated on a ledge over Arpa river gorge surrounded by fantastic red rocks, was founded in the place of an ancient monastery and took on special significance as a cultural and religious center in the 13-14th cc. Stopover in the Areni village for wine tasting at the local wine factory. Return to Yerevan. Dinner in restaurant. Overnight at hotel. Khor Virap Day 5 YEREVAN–ECHMIADZIN–ZVARTNOTS- YEREVAN (50 km) Breakfast in hotel. Drive to Echmiadzin, the spiritual and administrative center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Visit to Museum of St. Echmiadzin, where you will see a Holy Spear, with which Jesus Christ was pierced on the cross Ride back to Yerevan. On the way visit to Zvartnots temple.The temple was built in the 7th century in accordance with the design of Catholicos Nerses III "the Builder". It collapsed from an earthquake in the 10th century. Zvartnots is a three-tiered central-dome construction with striking sublimity and is considered as one of the wonders of Armenian architecture. Visit to Genocide museum and Memorial complex in Tsitsernakaberd. Free time in Yerevan. Dinner in restaurant. Overnight at hotel.

Day 6 YEREVAN- LAKE SEVAN - HAGHARTSIN – DILIJAN (80 km) Breakfast. Drive to Lake Sevan. Visit churches on Sevan peninsula. Lake Sevan, known in the ancient times as the Geghama Sea, is the "blue-eyed beauty" of Armenia. Being one of the biggest highland freshwate r lakes in the world it is 1900 m above sea level. Sevan Peninsula, with its two 9th century churches adding a romantic touch it, is the best place to admire the beauty of the lake. Drive to Dilijan. Visit to Haghartsin monastery. The Haghartsin Monastery, built in the X-XIII cc, is situated 18 km away from the town of Dilijan, in the woody valley of Ijevan mountain range. During the Silver Age, the monastery was a major center of Armenian church architecture and ranked among the leading cultural hearths of medieval Armenia. Check-in hotel in Dilijan. Dinner. Overnight at hotel in Dilijan. Lake Sevan Day 7 DILIJAN - SANAHIN – HAGHPAT – YEREVAN (320 km) Breakfast in hotel. Check-out from hotel. Visit to Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries. These monasteries are under the protection of UNESCO and are included in the list of world heritage sites. The Sanahin Monastery is situated on a small plateau at Debed river canyon, 1000 meters above sea level. The exact time of its establishment is not known; however, historians’ evidences prove its existence long before the X century, while in the X-XI cc the number of monks had already reached several hundreds. In Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries, medieval calligraphers studied theology and humanities, translated Euclid’s and Plato’s works bringing together antique and oriental traditions typical to the Silver Era. Return to Yerevan via Ria Taza. Check-in hotel in Yerevan. Dinner. Haghpat monastery Day 8 YEREVAN Breakfast in hotel. Drive to Ashtarak. On the way visit Saghmosavanq monastery and Amberd castle. Return to Yerevan. Visit Armenian market “Shouka” for buying Armenian national sweets, dry fruits etc. Free time. Dinner in Armenian restaurant.

Day 9 YEREVAN Early in the morning check-out from hotel. Transfer to the airport. Departure from Yerevan. Armenian sweets