Armenian Heritage: Explore Khor Virap, Garni Temple, and Geghard Monastery

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Immerse yourself in the rich heritage of Armenia with a visit to Khor Virap, Garni Temple, and Geghard Monastery. Explore the country’s pagan history and the spread of Christianity on this captivating tour.

Duration: 8 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Khor Virap - The Khor Virap monastery is located about an hour’s drive away from the capital Yerevan, and offers an amazing view of Armenia’s defining symbol – the majestic Ararat. “Khor Virap” translates as “deep dungeon”, and was built of the place of the former royal prison, located on the historical site of Artashat. It was this very prison in which they kept Gregory the Illuminator, the first Armenian Catholicos, for a whole 13 years.
Garni Temple - Our fantastic tour will introduce you to the exotic Pagan history of Armenia, and show the later development and spread of Christianity in the country. Garni Temple (77 A.D.) – our first stop – is the only standing heathen temple in the whole post-Soviet area. The temple gracefully stands on a high plateau overlooking the Azat river gorge. It is also home to the roman bath house with the mysterious mosaic, made out of 30,000 pieces of natural stones, as well as the ruins of the royal palace, dating back to 3rd century A.D.
The Monastery of Geghard - The monastic complex of Geghard is another historical site included in this tour. Approximately translated into English as “Monastery of the Holy Lance”, it refers to the lance with which Longinus pierced Jesus still hanging on the cross, later brought to Armenia and kept in the Geghard monastery for 5 centuries. The complex is a representation of 13th Century Armenia, which is considered to be the Golden Age of the country’s architecture. However, the most astonishing part is the virtue of the architect, who cut the church right into the solid rock whilst considering all the rules of Armenian architecture.
Symphony of Stones - Garni Gorge is a stunning natural attraction located in Armenia, near the village of Garni. It is also known as the “Symphony of Stones” due to its unique rock formations that create a beautiful symphony of colors and shapes.

What's Included

On-board WiFi
Bottle of Water
All fees and/or taxes
Hotel Pick up and Drop off
Transport by private air-conditioned vehicle
Professional driver

What's Not Included

Food and drinks (upon request)
Professional guide (upon request)

Additional Information

Uncover a significant segment of Armenia’s past by journeying to the Monastery of Khor Virap from Yerevan. It’s a challenge to resist adding Garni and Geghard to your itinerary when exploring Armenia. This marvelous excursion will acquaint you with Armenia’s Pagan origins, and demonstrate the subsequent dissemination of Christianity throughout the region.

Location

Khor Virap

Highway 11 - Near the village of Pokr Vedi, Artashat

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(7 Ratings)

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Agatheh267

Aug 15, 2022

Amazing private tour - Everyone was very nice and helpful. They accommodated the tour for our schedule. Special thanks to the driver. I would recommend 100%

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Dijojosev

Dec 30, 2019

Truly amazing experience with Yerani Travels. - We have taken trip to Khor Virap, Noravank, Areni Cave, “Hin Areni” Winery, Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan, Sevanavank, Dilijan, Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries, Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery in December and the experience was great. The tour guide was very helpful and informative. The hospitality and service provided by the agent from Yerani travel was impressive. And the cost for the trip was very reasonable compare to other local agent from Dubai.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Danijel1970

Sep 15, 2019

Great Cultural Experience in Armenia - It has been a great pleasure to tour these wonderful places with Ylina, our tourguide, the "living Wikipedia" who thoroughly explained everything we saw, as well as told us background stories linked with the history of these placs and Armenia itself. It is difficult to describe the feelings you are overwhelmed by once you assist to such a huge amount of history and natural beauty in one place.

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Dukasrb

Aug 3, 2019

A great tour in Armenia - On Thursday, August 1st I did a private tour with Hovhannes. The tour was excellent in all its segments. Pick up, drive, information received, sights seen, help with purchasing souvenirs. Hovhannes went a great deal out of his regular duties to help me learn a lot. He even volunteered to sing an Armenian song in the Geghard to let me see the acoustics of the Monastery. My thumbs up and 5/5 recommendation for the Yerani travel. And a special thanks and good luck and God bless to Hovhannes for everything.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

From $111 (Per Group)

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up to 15 guests