The Great Silk Road

– Arrival.
– Meet at the airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Note: Arrival/departure days will be adjusted as needed according to the flight itinerary of the groups.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– City Tour around Yerevan- the capital of the Republic of Armenia. Having a history of almost 2800 years, Yerevan is a modern city with high rise buildings, nice cafes and parks. It’s a combination of reach history and a modern lifestyle. Yerevan was originally designated to overlook the biblical Mount Ararat, and indeed the Holy Mount can be seen from every corner of the capital. You will see all major sights of the capital including Opera house, Republic Square, Kievyan Bridge, Baghramyan Avenue, the Presidential Palace, Academy of Sciences, National Parliament as well as “Cat statue” by famous sculptor Fernando Botero at the Cascade area; enjoy the panoramic view of Yerevan etc.
– Lunch. Visit the History
– Museum where artifacts and items from prehistoric time to our days tell us the reach history of the land and its people.
– Leisure time.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– Matenadaran is an ancient manuscript repository located in Yerevan, Armenia. It holds one of the world’s richest depositories of medieval manuscripts and books.
– Departure to Echmiadzin, the spiritual center of Armenia, where the Holy Seat of Catolicos is situated. The legend has it that Jesus Christ descended from the sky to show the place where he wanted a church to be built. The construction of the church began in 301, the year when Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion.
– St Hripsime church is considered to be one of the 7 wonders of Armenia.
– Zvartnots temple is the pearl of the 7th c. architecture listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– Depart to Selim Pass to visit the 14th century Selim Caravanserai. In medieval Armenia many buildings were built along commercial routes for the accommodation of travelers. One of those, the caravanserai of Selim, was built in 1332 by Prince Chesar Orbelian, according to an inscription in Armenian and Arabic. This caravanserai offered hospitality to travelers along the highway crossing the Selim (Sulema) mountains. This building is an excellent example of Armenian secular architecture in the Middle Ages.
– Noratus is an ancient cemetery with numerous Armenian cross-stones (Khachkars).
– Proceed to the lake Sevan. Sevan Monastery is 9th century, located on the peninsula with a beautiful view of the lake.
– Lunch in Sevan.
– Resort town of Dilijan with beautiful scenery of mountains covered with thick forests.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Dilijan.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– Goshavank monastery complex (12-13th) is located in a beautiful site on green hills.
– Monastic complexes of Haghpat and Sanahin – included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. These magnificent samples of Armenian architecture are located on the picturesque canyon of Debet River.
– Lunch.
– Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia, which greatly suffered from the devastating earthquake in 1988.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Gyumri.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– City tour in Gyumri.
– Lunch in Gyumri.
– Mastara is a 5th century church with unique architecture.
– Continue to the town of Talin to visit Talin Cathedral (7th century).
– The temple of Arutch (7 c A.D) is decorated with frescos (now seriously damaged) and half-destroyed Aruch Caravansarai (13th century), one of the few caravanserais preserved on the territory of Armenia.
– Return to Yerevan
– Dinner.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Khor Virap (translated into Armenian as Deep Pit). Here in the deep pit Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years. The church is situated in the Ararat valley against the biblical Ararat Mountain, were Noah’s arch cast anchor.
– Continue to the monastery of Noravank (5-13th cc), erected on a breathtaking site, on brick-red cliffs of Amaghu canyon. It has rich decorations both internally and externally.
– Lunch in Noravank area.
– En route to Noravank visit to Areni wine factory, wine tasting of local grape varieties.
– Proceed to Syunik Province to the town of Goris, nestled in the bowl of green hills and mountains.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Goris.

– Breakfast at the hotel.
– Departure to the monastic complex of Tatev (9th century). The complex stands on a plateau on the edge of the deep gorge of the Orotan (Vorotan) River. Tatev was one of the most important centers of Armenian art and science. Visitors easily can get to the Monastery thanks to the longest reversible aerial tramway section in the world (WINGS OF TATEV). This itself is a great attraction, affording panoramic views of the valley below.
– Lunch.
– Karahunj (Armenian Stonehenge), an ancient observatory, older than that of England.
– Return to Yerevan.
– Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.

– Vernisage open-air handicraft market where you can buy souvenirs as reminders of your trip and Armenia.
– Farewell party dinner at traditional Armenian restaurant with live music and performance.

– Checkout.
– Transfer to the airport.