EXAMPLE ITINERARY

Day From To Description 1 UK Yerevan Team will arrive at the school for final preparations, administration and kit check. Team will need be at the airport 3 hours before departure. Upon arrival in Yerevan, the team will be transported to a local hotel. Welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant with Armenian music and dances. 2 Yerevan Geghama After breakfast, the group will travel from Yerevan to a 1st century pagan temple. After the temple, the team will trek to the “Stone Symphony” in the canyon nearby for lunch. The team will continue trekking to a 4th century cave-monastery, where they will hear stories and legends about the origin of Christianity and the “Spear of Destiny”.

Minivans will then take the team through beautiful alpine terrains to the 2800m high Dragon lake in the Geghama mountains. Here they will see 6500-15000 years old prehistoric Dragon stones with faces of dragons and ornaments of creatures related to water. The guide will tell the team about the origin of the dragon stones.

After the lake there is an hour’s hike to hidden prehistoric petroglyphs, where they will see 3500-4500 years old hunting, praying and dancing scenes carved on the rocks before travelling back to Yerevan, for an evening walk around the city centre. 3 Yerevan Aragatz After breakfast, the group will drive to Lake Kari (3200m). Here they will have a short break before climbing to the Southern summit of Mount Aragatz (3890m). After descending, they will enjoy an amazing view across to the huge volcanic crater of the mountain and the other 3 summits. The team will receive a short lecture about volcanology and the origin of the surrounding mountains. After lunch, the team will trek back down the mountain before driving to the monastery complex on the cliffs of River’s deep canyon, where they will enjoy one of the beauties of nature.

Travel back to Yerevan for another city tour and open air modern art museum. 4 Yerevan Yeghegnadzor After breakfast, there is a 2-hour drive to the Vayoc Dzor region. On the way, the team will stop to have a short introduction to the origin of huge limestone mountains. The first long stop will be Areni-1 cave, where during recent excavations the oldest winery and oldest shoe in the world was found. The team will have a walk inside the caves and will see many interesting artefacts. The next stop is the Noravank monastery complex lost in deep limestone canyon. This area is full of legends and unbelievable stories. After the monastery there is a short drive to Shatin village, where the team will have lunch and will use a special observation point, to see wild bezoar goats on the nearby rocks. The campsite will be near a traditional village.

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5 Yeghegnadzor After breakfast, the tem will drive to Syunik region. First stop is Qarahunj: a 6000 years old prehistoric observatory with a lot of unanswered questions and myths. Then get ready for the 15-minute “flight” over the infinite canyon. The team will take the longest hanging cable car in the world to go the other side of the canyon, where the Tatev monastery is waiting. This is the most popular religious complex in Armenia.

After Tatev the team will trek downhill to the bottom of the Vorotan rivers canyon, where they will find a huge medieval cloister surrounded by fortress walls. Right in this beautiful place will be the campsite. 6 Vorotan Sevan The first stop of the day will be at the Old Khndzoresk cave settlement with its hanging bridge over the canyon. Here the team will see the whole path of human civilization from caves to modern houses and will understand the beauty of harmony between man and nature.

After Khndzoresk its 2 hours to Selims mountain pass, where “The Silk Road” passed in the middle ages. Here they will learn about the silk road and traditions related to it. The team will stop at a medieval hotel, where the caravans of camels and horses used to stop and rest. The final stop is Sevan lake: the biggest drinking water source in the whole Caucasus and the third highest lake in the world (1900m). Here the team will organize the campsite and swim in the crystal clear waters of the lake. 7 Sevan Yerevan Drive back to Yerevan, where the team will visit the big flee market, which is full of thousands of souvenirs! Evening dinner and accommodation at a local hotel. 8 Yerevan UK Today the team begin their journey back to the UK and will need to be at the airport 3 hours prior to departure. Explorers to be collected by parents from the airport.

NOTE: Due to the nature of expeditions, itineraries are subject to change at short notice.

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