We offer a tour during which you can appear in the most famous pilgrimage site of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Monastery Khor Virap. It stands before the snowcapped flanks of Mount Ararat offering a spectacular view of the mountain, the national symbol of Armenia.
It is where Grigor Luisavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the adoption of Christianity in Armenia in the year 301.
In fact, the name Khor Virap means “deep pit”, named after the prison where St. Gregory the Illuminator was held.
The next stop will be Monastery Noravank, which dates back to XIII—XIV centuries. The complex includes the 1339 St. Astvatsatsin (“Burtelashen”) sepulchre-church, St. Stepanos Nakhavka and gavit, the St. Grigor Church and Stepanos Orbelian Sepulchre, the remains of medieval chapels and residential quarters and a modern office and hall. Taste Armenian wine in Areny wine factory.
The next stop will be the Birds cave, which is one of the rarest and best-preserved late Chalcolithic (Copper Age) monuments in the South Caucasus, study of which gives us a chance to understand not only the peculiarities of the material culture in the 5th-4th millennium BCE, but which also shows us that wine-production in Armenia has at least a 6,000 year history.
The last point of our trip will be a mountain spa town - Jermuk. The name of the town is derived from the Armenian word of “jermuk” or “jermook” meaning “warm mineral spring”. Jermuk is famous for its hot springs and mineral water brands bottled in the town. It is attractive for its fresh air, waterfall, artificial lakes, walking trails, the surrounding forests and mineral water pools.