Group Tour: Haghpat, Zarni-Parni Caves, Akhtala, Aramyants Castle, Sanahin
Overview
After this trip true inspiration is never going to leave you!
Inclusions
- Professional guide: ENG + RUS consecutively
- Air-conditioned vehicles
- Bottled water & pastries
- Admission tickets
- WiFi in the vehicles
- Vehicle & passengers insurance
- Entry/Admission - Aramyants Castle / Mansion
- Entry/Admission - Zarni Parni
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hyur Service, Nalbandyan str. 96, Yerevan 0010 Armenia
starting and returning point
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Haghpat Monastery, next to Saint Nshan Church, Haghpat 1722 Armenia
Situated not far from Sanahin, Haghpat monastery has its significant place in the historical and cultural life of Armenia. It was built during the reign of king Ashot Bagratuni. Numerous valuable manuscripts and miniature paintings have been produced in the scriptorium of Haghpat for many centuries. In the 18th century the famous Armenian bard Sayat-Nova u sed to live and create in this monastery. The belfry with its unique architectural composition is of stunning interest. The site is included in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Zarni Parni, H-25, Haghpat Armenia
Zarni-Parni is a cave castle complex in Lori region. It is located in a forest canyon with a magnificent view of the Kayan fortress, which is close to the village of Haghpat, famous for its monastery. The complex consists of the "Zarni er" and "Parni er" castles, as well as the "Tsak er" cave. Some historical records note, that renowned scholar and philosopher Hovhannes Imastaser used to live and work in this cave. Currently the area is turned into a historical museum, where one can find number of rare ancient agricultural tools and household items.
Near the cave there is a tavern and winery to enjoy local drinks and dishes of Armenian cuisine.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Akhtala Monastery, Off 1st Raffi St., Akhtala Armenia
The Akhtala fortress and monastery are situated in Lori district. It is constructed on a plateau resembling a peninsula, surrounded with deep gorges from three sides. In the 10th century the masons could exactly derive benefit from the nature in order to make the fortress more fortified. The fortress is strengthened with huge ramparts and there are two pyramid-shaped watchtowers, rising above from both sides of the main entrance. The monastery of Akhtala, comprised of three churches, is in the territory of the fortress.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Aramyants Castle / Mansion, 5Q2Q+WFG, Pokr Ayrum, Armenia
The Aramyants castle, one of the jewels of Swiss architecture, is situated in the town of Akhtala in Lori region. It is distinguished for its magnificent appearance and interesting history of 120 years. The castle belonged to Mikael Aramyants, a prominent Armenian businessman, living in Tbilisi. It was built for his daughter with pneumonia, since Akhtala has the best climate in the entire Caucasus region. Many famous people used to spend their holidays in the town, among them opera singer Fiodor Shalyapin, Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan, spiritual and cultural figure Khrimyan Hayrik and others.
The castle of Mikael Aramyants has its own place in the pages of Armenian history, as the declaration of the First Republic of Armenia was adopted here.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Monastery of Sanahin, Alaverdi 1705 Armenia
The monastery of Sanahin is on the right bank of Debed river. This architectural complex consists of several churches, seminary, book depository. The building of the seminary, which connects St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) and Allsaviour churches, was from the outset built to make the edifices more earthquake-resistant. The site is included in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Duration: 45 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Stroller accessible
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- The duration is approximate
- Near public transportation
- Seats will not be known in advance
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
Hyur is very accommodating, knowledgeable, warm, and welcoming! The tour guides are very knowledgeable and kind and share a lot of information. However, if you are prone to motion sickness do be warned this can be a rough and long journey. On the bright side, the guides are very helpful. The sigh...
Hyur is very accommodating, knowledgeable, warm, and welcoming! The tour guides are very knowledgeable and kind and share a lot of information. However, if you are prone to motion sickness do be warned this can be a rough and long journey. On the bright side, the guides are very helpful. The sights are beautiful and the tour is such a good value for the cost of the tour. I noticed it was cheaper to book this tour here than on on Viator. Pick up/getting to the tour bus: There was a bit of confusion because I selected my AirBnb as the pick up location but they didn’t tell me what time to be outside. Upon arriving in Yerevan, there is a Hyur Service booth set up between passport control and the customs exit. I asked them and they called the main office for me. They said they emailed me telling me to just meet at the main office at 96 Nalbandyan St. at 8:30 but I didn’t see this email. My flight was delayed and by the time I made it out of the airport I would have arrived to the office past 9:00 which is the time they leave, I believe. I contacted them on WhatsApp and they called me and told my taxi driver to instead meet them. So I’m very grateful they worked with me and I wasn’t impending on my other tour mates. Breaks: On the way out and into Yerevan we stop at a food court where you can buy something and use a free toilet. Some toilets along the way cost around 100 dram to use and others are free to use. We also took many breaks for fresh air to alleviate motion sickness in passengers. Motion sickness warning: The roads can be quite winding and bumpy. If you are prone to motion sickness, I advise you to sit nearest to the front. My tour mates also advised me to look high into the horizon, for example at the top of a mountain or hill which moves less than something up close, chew gum, take deep breaths, don’t drink too much water but small sips. And the guides are very kind and will not shame you if you need to vomit and come to your aid with water and cleaning supplies. They also are so kind as to check back in with you if you were not feeling well. They understand and multiple people on the bus felt a bit ill at certain points. You are more than welcome to ask them to pull the bus over to step out of the bus for some fresh air. Tour guides: I believe Sam is the name of the English speaking guide on our tour bus. Both guides and Leo, the bus driver spoke Armenian. There was another guide who spoke Russian. The guides alternate explaining the history and sights of Armenia. They talked most of the way and were very knowledgeable. On the way back they played us some Armenian music. At the destinations, the groups are split up and Sam gave a tour in English while the other guide led a group in Russian. Tour stops: The guides typically first give a tour of each stop then allow time for travelers to independently look around. The guides give a meet up time and location to be back at to head to the next destination. Along the way there are some interesting souvenirs you can find and I’d advise you to bring some cash if you are interested. I unfortunately didn’t allot myself time to look at souvenirs much because I was engulfed in the beauty of the monasteries but they did look very interesting. Sometimes I wish we had more time to look. But in all the tour is very long and you will sleep well at the end of the night. Food: The tour provides water kept in a cooler at the front of the bus and some individually wrapped sweets offered from the first stop at the food court and left at the front of the bus for you during the rest of the trip. These are offered free included in the price of the tour. Additionally you can opt in for lunch at the stop after the cave sighting. There are three main course options and a vegetarian option as well. All meals come with water, appetizers shared on the table, tea or coffee and fruit. You can choose not to purchase lunch or you can also just choose to pay to eat the appetizers shared on the table before the main course. You have to choose in advance what you want to order during the beginning of the tour before the stop at the restaurant. The food was pretty good but a little salty. There are many interesting dishes to try from the appetizer selection and I think all of them are vegetarian. I took my food to go because I just wasn’t feeling well enough to eat from motion sickness. Other advice: The tour is very long so you may want to bring a power bank for your phone or they have a usb 3 port at the front of the bus if you brought a cable. Temperatures can vary throughout the location and time of day so have layers of clothes. Guides and travelers did not wear a mask at time of travel, but I don’t think I saw anyone in Armenia wearing a mask. But given their generosity, I don’t think you should feel ashamed to wear one if you prefer to. Tour end: There is not drop off to individual hotels but if your accommodation is along the way of the stop to the main office then they will accommodate you to quickly hop off the bus if needed. We stopped for one traveler close to their hotel as it was on the way, then Republic Square and the final stop being the main office. We arrived at Republic Square at 22:20Had a wonderful tour today with Anna as our guide, and Mais was a fantastic driver who tried his best to chat with everyone whether Russian speaking or English
Had a wonderful tour today with Anna as our guide, and Mais was a fantastic driver who tried his best to chat with everyone whether Russian speaking or EnglishMais was a great driver! He was funny and made the trip very fun. We arrived every stop safe and sound. It was great experience!
Mais was a great driver! He was funny and made the trip very fun. We arrived every stop safe and sound. It was great experience!Long and great tour. Chosed for roadtrip feeling ans natural beauty along the way. Tour was slightly modified due to ongoing construction in Zarni-Parni caves. Lunch was in very picturesque place, our guides David and Sam were very professional and gave a lot of useful information, and took a go...
Long and great tour. Chosed for roadtrip feeling ans natural beauty along the way. Tour was slightly modified due to ongoing construction in Zarni-Parni caves. Lunch was in very picturesque place, our guides David and Sam were very professional and gave a lot of useful information, and took a good care for their groups.We loved our trip up to Lori! The guide, Anahid, was excellent. We learned a lot about the Lori area and Armenia in general. We also felt like we had enough time at each stop. The driver drove well on curvy, occasionally rough roads! I will also add that this tour was remarkable value for money.
We loved our trip up to Lori! The guide, Anahid, was excellent. We learned a lot about the Lori area and Armenia in general. We also felt like we had enough time at each stop. The driver drove well on curvy, occasionally rough roads! I will also add that this tour was remarkable value for money.In general more than excelent quality of the services, fast and friendly response, reasonable prices. All in all highly recommended team.
In general more than excelent quality of the services, fast and friendly response, reasonable prices. All in all highly recommended team.