Armenia cultural tour
Description of Armenia cultural tour
This ten day tour of Armenia can be tailor made to suit personal preferences so no matter whether you’re interested in religious roots, bread making or architectural masterpieces, this is an excellent opportunity to find out more about the cultural heritage of one of the world’s lesser-known countries.
From the Holy Echmiadzin Cathedral to the Khor Virap Monastery and the Blue Shia Mosque this tour allows you to unearth Armenia’s most significant ecclesiastical sites as well as introducing travellers to a location that was once one of the Silk Road’s most important trading posts.
Set against the border with Turkey is Mount Ararat, one of Armenia’s most symbolic landmarks, and no cultural tour is complete without taking a day trip from the capital, Yerevan, and getting up close to the biblical and often snow-capped slopes.
As this is a tailor made tour you’re welcome to explore in Armenia all year round however, be warned, some places, such as the Amberd Fortress, may not be open as they’re pretty much snowbound from November all the way through to April.
Yerevan, of course, is open all hours and makes for an excellent base from where to get out and explore the surrounding area accompanied by your experienced local driver who also serves as a knowledgeable guide and escort.
Spending more time in Yerevan allows you to witness the influence of the Soviet era as well as memorials and monuments to the past, including the Mother Armenia Monument that also boasts one of the best spots to view the whole of the city.
This ten day tour is an excellent opportunity to uncover ancient and modern Armenia where Kurdish and Iranian influences are just as important as flea markets and folk music whilst city sightseeing in Goris can be just as exciting as crossing the Selim Pass and taking lunch on the shores of Lake Sevan.
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Reviews
2 Reviews of Armenia cultural tour
Reviewed on 28 Sep 2018 by Jacqueline Dumigan
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Travelling on the cable car (Wings of Tatev) and watching the amazing monastery come into view from afar.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for some of the worst "proper" roads you have ever travelled on and bear that in mind when planning to travel long distances in a day. It takes
much longer than you imagine!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
As tourists we were super happy to visit not only the capital but also slightly more off-the-beaten track places in the south and the north, visiting local
attractions and eating out in local restaurants and shopping in local shops.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
An excellent holiday with a very good itinerary. It would have been useful to have been given approximate timings for days and visits so we knew roughly
what time we would, for example, return to the hotel in the evening. Our guide and drivers were great and even arranged special events for us!
Reviewed on 02 Jul 2018 by Valerie Lloyd
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
For me I think it has to be the visit to Khnodzresk via the extraordinary metal bridge, visiting the monastery of Tatev via the cable car and seeing Karahunge. It was such a beautiful spot with all the wildflowers and I saw a hoopoe! I wanted to stay for ever!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for some fairly lengthy drives to go to the south and north venues. There are also many steps to climb!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope that our trip benefited local people and helped support conservation in a small way.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
I thought the holiday very good indeed. It was a new country for us, but did not disappoint.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We promise to sustain the environment and to keep it clean.Our team aims to spread the responsibility of maintaining our strict environmental policy amongst ourselves. We have several team members who identify wasteful and harmful practices in order to do our best to limit our impact on the surrounding environment on this tour. We always strive to improve this aspect of the trip.
We operate a leave no trace policy. We clean up not only after ourselves but others who have left litter on the routes we take. We walk as much as we can on this trip, limiting our vehicle use and making sure never to tread through reserved areas. All of our team walk and cycle as much as possible in their day to day lives.
In the accommodation provided we leave posters to remind our guests to turn lights off when they leave the room. We try and persuade all accommodation owners to implement energy saving policies, such as using energy saving bulbs. We aim to buy products that are not over packaged and print all documents double sides in order to save paper. Our team even aim to buy clothes only manufactured in Armenia to keep money in the local economy.
We buy local produce to reduce our environmental impact as well as encourage our guests to try local dishes such as Madzoun, made by locals using milk and a special technique. Another local speciality you are sure to try during your stay is flat bread “lavash” and plenty of dried fruits.
Our mission is to provide as clear information as we can and to organize travelling in our country with as authentic an experience as possible.
People
We know where to find all things local and we support and recommend our neighbors, spreading the income from tourism to those most in need. When a group arrives in Armenia, our aim is to make the group to get acquainted to the local products, people as much as possible so we take them to the local restaurants, factories, communities, houses. We sustain jobs and cultural diversity by supporting local craft makers and artisans, and promote cultural attractions.We hold a welcome dinner in a local restaurant with Armenian folk music which will really give our guests an authentic taste of Armenian food and culture. On this trip we will visit local communities like Yazdiz, Molokans and Echmiadzin. We will visit the Megerian Carpet Factory which represents local carpets and clients learn the ways Armenian carpets are made with. Also one lunch will be organized in a local cave café where you will taste homemade barbeque with local cheese called “horats”. We will visit the Vernissage flea market which is famous for local handmade jewellery and crafts art. Guests may purchase some of the artisan products made here and support local vendors. In Garni lunch will be organized in a local house where clients will have chance to participate in Armenian flat bread “lavash” making ceremony in underground heater called ‘tonir’ and also learn how to make Armenian sandwiches called “brduch”.
We campaign for change and recognize local issues, actively campaigning to address these. We organize campaigns to the hidden corners of Armenia and try visit areas who would benefit from tourism greatly. During our trip to Gerhard Monastery we may help clear the Azat river of rubbish.
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