Rural Armenia tour

Environment

Armenia is a relatively new destination for tourism and most of the sights attract by their natural beauty. We take the responsibility to protect our environment and encourage travelers to do the same, here are few tips.

We always ask travelers:

To minimize water use by turning the tap off when brushing teeth or shaving. To take reusable bottles of water and fill them every morning. Turn the lights, TV, air conditioning off when they leave hotel/guesthouse room for the trip. To have one fabric bag instead of using plastic ones from the shops. No littering during the tour, and respect people working for them. We work with the guesthouses/restaurants to use solar panels to heat the water and save the energy. Besides all mentioned means there are some traditional methods of making fire many guesthouses use. Armenians were using biomaterial (animal excrement) as a combustible for making fire, that’s absolutely safe for the environment and for health.

Community

Accommodation
While choosing accommodation as we focus on family-run guesthouses and small hotels. We encourage them to use local volcanic stones called Tufa. This stone is very light and keeps warmth perfectly. Also, Tufa gives buildings authentic view, which gives traveler of local atmosphere feeling. Keeping guesthouses as a business helps local families to earn their money themselves and invest in the neighboring families who produce different products as eggs, milk, butter, meat, bread, wool blankets etc.
We strongly believe We choose these family houses as they are the direct source of getting acquainted with local culture and traditions.

Food
The tours usually include meals and while ordering their lunch or dinner menus our employees make sure that all the dishes are made in authentically traditional way and do not include and chemical concentrates. If meals are not included in the tours, you are encouraged to try local Armenian food in traditional restaurants while enjoying Armenian folk dances and songs. Or you can easily find small food markets or booths, where you can try some snacks and again, promote the small business of local people.

Culture
During the tour, you are visiting many different community centers, during which you are getting acquainted with their daily life and work. For instance, on the fifth day of your tour, you will visit two villages of national minorities and have an opportunity to take part in their daily life. You will see how Armenian traditional sour cream called Matsun is being made. After which you will have lunch in a family house and taste delicious pancakes with jam made by a housewife.

Local Crafts
Armenia is famous for its talented people. And you can confirm it by visiting local craft stores and markets. While being in Armenia you should definitely visit Vernissage market, where you can buy souvenirs and handicrafts made by locals. There is a variety of options so you can freely choose from magnets, handmade crafts, silver jewelry, Armenian carpets and rugs, Armenian musical instruments and many other souvenirs.