Areni cave | Wine tasting | Gndevank Monastery | Jermuk Waterfall | Ropeway

Areni cave | Wine tasting | Gndevank Monastery | Jermuk Waterfall | Ropeway

Our tours organized by owners of Cool Travel company. That why, we try to create comfortable and friendly environment for our guests and give a chance to recognize our Armenia by all the sides. All the tour programs are not only informative, but also cozy with a lot of humor.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: T'rchuneri (Bird) Cave, Highway, At the Entrance To Noravank Canyon, Areni Armenia

In Vayots Dzor province near the Areni village, there is an old cave with an exciting and mysterious past.The name of the cave is Areni-1 which was chosen for the location of the cave. But very often people call the cave “Bird Cave.”

The mysteriousness of Areni-1 is connected to archeological excavations done in the cave. During these excavations, many subjects such as a straw skirt from 3900 BC or ancient graves were found. The most interesting ones from these excavations were the oldest winery and the oldest leather shoe.In 2007 a team of Armenian and Irish archeologists was doing excavations in Areni-1 cave. They found a 6100-year-old winery. In 2008 other excavations began in Areni-1 by an international team led by Boris Gasparyan. During these excavations, a 5500-year-old leather shoe was found. Because of cool and dry conditions of the cave, the shoe didn’t lose its shape after thousands of years and was in excellent condition.

In 2010 the journal PLOS One published about this finding in Armenia. The shoe was officially announced as the oldest leather footwear in the world.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Gndevank Monastery, Jermuk Armenia

This is a perfect place to visit on the way to Jermuk, or heading to southern Armenia. The ancient monastery complex is a thousand years old, and in good condition. There are two ways to reach G'ndevank, both are roads leading to Jermuk. If you take the new highway to Jermuk, you will have to exit into the village of G'ndevaz, and hike down the canyon (approx 45 minutes down) to reach the monastery.The hike down the canyon wall will afford you with great views, and depending on your route, a waterfall and cave (on the inside corner formed by the joining of the canyon walls). Also, depending on your route, you will either arrive above or below the vank. The view from just above it is perfect for a photo including much of the canyon and the entire complex. The monastery complex is surrounded by fort-like walls. Once inside one of the entrances or walls, you see the entire complex. There is a very nice church, with some great carved stones all around it, a large courtyard partly shaded by a large walnut tree, and the fort like walls, which have many chambers to explore. If you enter certain rooms you can just crawl into lower chamber after chamber and in this fashion go about 3 stories underground, so bring a flashlight! The excavations are incomplete, so like many monasteries there is the story that there is a tunnel leading to the river.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Jermuk Waterfall, Jermuk Armenia

Jermuk waterfall, 72 m high, flows into the river Arpa. The waterfall reminds girly hair. Hence the other name of the waterfall: mermaid's hair. There is a wonderful belief about this waterfall. According to the legend, the castle of an Armenian nobleman was located on the steep cliffs. He had a marvelously beautiful daughter, and men from all over the world asked her to marry one of them. But she refused everyone, because her heart belonged to a brave and handsome man: shepherd’s son.

Every day after midnight from the room window the lady threw a long rope into the gorge so that her beloved one could reach her house. Once the nobleman found the rope and everything became clear to him. In anger he cursed his daughter saying: “If you meet him again, I want you to become a mermaid and never be able to come out of water”.

During next meeting the lady threw her hair instead of the rope. But at that very moment her father’s curse became true. She became a mermaid and her hair – the waterfall.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Jermuk, Jermuk, Vayots Dzor Province

Jermuk town is located in southern Armenia, in Vayots Dzor Region and considered to be one of the main spa and resort towns in Armenia since the Soviet Union period. It is situated 53 km east of the administrative center of Yeghegnadzor and 170 km south-east of Yerevan,2080 meters above sea level.
We will visit to Jermuk Mineral Water Gallery and also walk in city park .

Duration: 1 hour