Tbilisi – Haghpat – Akhtala – Mikoyan Brothers House Museum

Start your journey from Tbilisi to Yerevan, Armenia.The first stops of the tour will be the medieval monasteries of Haghpat and Akhtala. Akhtala, a 10th century monastery, is famous for its highly artistic frescoes, which cover the inside walls, the partitions, and the bearings of the building. The next stop is the Monastery of Haghpat, which is listed as UNESCO Heritage Sites. It is a unique building illustrating the high level of development of civil architecture in 10th-13th century Armenia. Our last stop of the day will be the Mikoyan Brothers House Museum in Alaverdi, which is dedicated to preserving and showcasing their achievements. We will arrive in Yerevan in the evening, where you will check-in at your hotel and have some rest after a busy and bright day.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: None
Duration: 9-10 hours
KM: 235 km

Free Day

Take a break and walk around the city, visit a museum or shopping mall, have dinner or a drink in one of the best local bars and restaurants. Ask your tour guide for recommendations.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: Breakfast

Garni – Geghard – Symphony of stones – Azat reservoir

Start the day with a visit to 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 the adoption of Christianity in 301. The temple was severely damaged by earthquakes and was reconstructed in 1975, almost 300 years after it was destroyed. Situated on a cliff, the temple 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 two monuments of nature to visit: the basalt columns in the gorge of the Azat river, called “Symphony of Stones” and the Azat reservoir. The reservoir is built for irrigation of the farms in Ararat valley, but became a famous and beloved place for tourists due to its beautiful landscapes and views.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 5-6 hours
KM: 92 km

Echmiadzin – Zvartnots Cathedral – Brandy factory

Today you’ll start the trip by visiting the 4th largest city in Armenia, Echmiadzin. Before 1945 officially it was admitted as Vagharshapat. Nowadays the city is best known as the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church “Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin” and as the location of its Cathedral. The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin was built in Ancient Armenia, in the early 4th century and was following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates. On the way back to Yerevan you’ll stop at the Zvartnots Cathedral. The latter was built in the 7th century and this is the oldest and largest aisled tetraconch church in historical Armenia. The Cathedral was destroyed in an earthquake in the 10th century, but in spite of this it was reconstructed in the 1940s. Thanks to this restoration, Zvartnotss’ ruins are a touristic place to visit. On the way back to Yerevan visit Armenian brandy factory. Have a taste of Armenian cognac with a guided excursion in the factory.

Overnight: Hotel in Yerevan
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 4-5 hours
KM: 33 km

Sevan – Dilijan – Red Deer Center – Haghartsin Monastery – Tbilisi

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 road to Dilijan. Dilijan is a small and cozy town, surrounded by the forests of “Dilijan National Park”. The area of the park is about 200,000 square km. There are many species of plants and animals under protection there. You can see trees like beech, juniper, oak, different kinds of predator birds and not only. We will have a short walk in Dilijan and continue our way to the Red Deer Breeding Center. The center was opened in 2017 with the help of WWF and CNF to restore the population of these magnificent animals in Armenia. At the end of our tour we will visit 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.

Drive back to Tbilisi.

Overnight: None
Meals: Breakfast
Duration: 9-10 hours
KM: 285 km