Arrival – Yerevan walking City Tour

Arrival in Land of NOAH. At Zvartnots International airport you will be welcomed and assisted through immigration and customs by Santa Maria Tours representative, then escorted to your hotel. Your guide meets you at the lobby to start your trip with a city tour in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia and the largest city in the country. As one of the oldest capitals in the world, Yerevan was founded in the 8th century BC and was known as Erebuni. Visit some of the main streets of Yerevan such as Baghramyan and Mashtots Avenues, as well as Abovyan Street which still showcases century-old houses and historical buildings. Next, go sightseeing to the Victory Park, from where a panoramic view of the city and the majestic Mt. Ararat opens. Continue your walk through the Cascade, an architectural complex of a massive staircase with fountain terraces to the Opera and Ballet Theater. The Cascade also houses the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, which offers a rich collection of Armenian and international contemporary art, including a selection of artwork from the personal collection of its founder Gerard L. Cafesjian. The program also includes a visit to Matenadaran, an outstanding repository of Armenian manuscripts. Located on the Mashtots Ave., the museum is named after Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian Alphabet, and houses over 23000 treasured pieces of manuscripts and scrolls.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: None
Duration: 3-4 hours
KM: 4 km

Garni Temple – Geghard Monastery

Start this day by visiting the pagan Temple of Garni, one of the most visited historical sites of Armenia. Built in the 1st century AD, the Temple of Garni managed to survive the destruction of all the pagan temples following Armenia’s adoption of Christianity in 301. Following severe damage by earthquakes, the temple was reconstructed in the mid-20th century. Situated on a cliff, Garni overlooks a spectacular view of the Geghama Mountains and the gorge of Azat River.

After lunch in Garni village and an opportunity to participate in the preparation of the traditional Armenian bread: lavash, the trip continues to the medieval Geghard Monastery, located deep within Azat Valley and founded by Saint Gregory the Illuminator. It’s worth mentioning that Geghard has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. After cultural monuments, we still have monuments of nature to visit. The basalt column in the gorge of the Azat river, called “Symphony of stones”, the details of it’s appearance we will learn during the visit.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 5-6 hours
KM: 75 km

Sevan – Sevanavank – Goshavank Monastery – Haghartsin Monastery

After breakfast at the hotel, take the road to the Blue Pearl of Armenia – Sevan, at an altitude of 1900 meters above sea level. We will visit the Monastery complex of Sevanavank on the top of a hill in the Sevan peninsula. After admiring the scenery of Sevan lake, we will continue our route to the 13th century Haghartsin Monastery. In 2011, the monastery underwent a major renovation by Armenia Fund with a donation from HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah. The last stop of the tour will be Goshavank Monastery, one of Armenia’s most famous religious sites for a variety of reasons. Its fascinating location, surrounded by dense forests, the color palette of the buildings, the statue of Mkhitar Gosh (Armenian scholar, thinker, and writer), and the one-of-a-kind collection of embroidered khachkars (cross-stones) distinguish this destination from others.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 8-9 hours
KM: 248 km

Free day – Departure

Overnight: None
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 1 hours
KM: 13 km