The Route to Mysterious Tatev It Is Said That the Master Who Built the Monastery, at the End of His Work, Asked to Bring Him Two Wood Chips

Home , Areni, Goris, Karahunj, Vayots Dzor Province

STATE TOURISM COMMITTEE Ministry of Economic Development and Investments Republic of Armenia

The Route to Mysterious Tatev It is said that the master who built the monastery, at the end of his work, asked to bring him two wood chips. Taking them he prayed to God and said: “ogni Surb ta tev”, which is translated from Armenian as: “May the Holy Spirit send down the wings.” After these words, he jumped into the abyss. In ﬂight, the wings grew behind his back and he ﬂew away, the monastery was named in honor of this miracle – Tatev, that means “give wings.”

TRANSPORTATION

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia. Yerevan The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century Start time 09:00 BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by King Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain.

Areni-1 cave The Areni-1 winery is a 6100-year-old winery that was discovered in 2007 in the Areni-1 cave complex in the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor province. The Areni-1 shoe was found in the same cave in 2008.

WHERE TO EAT Areni-1 cave

Harsnasar Restorant Complex, Areni

Lchak Restaurant Complex, Arpi

Here is our suggestion where you can take a break and taste the local food.

Karahunj Observatory Zorats Karer is a prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian. It is known as the Armenian Stonehenge.

Goris 1 Goris is an old town of 25,000 characterized by the regionally representative architecture of the houses and its long tree-lined avenues.

WHERE TO STAY Goris

Zorac Akhbyur

Goris Hotel

Syunik Hotel

Take a night break in Goris.

Old Khndzoresk The historic cave village, located on the steep slope of a gorge, is comprised of both natural and manmade caves. At the inhabiting community’s height, some estimates suggest that population grew to as many as 15,000 people.

Tatev monastery was built during the 9-13th Tatev Monastery centuries as an Armenian intellectual center where philosophers, musicians, painters, calligraphers, and monks lived. It is sited spectacularly above a sheer canyon wall sith stunning views, and today most visitors arrive by way of the longest cable car in the world. CLIMATE AND SEASONS

Armenia packs the true range of the four seasons; hot and sunny summers, cold and icy winters, and the beautiful flora of spring and fall. Armenia has an astounding array of landscapes within its borders, including seven geographic zones, from deserts and semi-deserts to alpine and subalpine meadows. The largely volcanic mountains and the tectonic activity they once promoted has pushed Armenia up above the clouds, stimulating the true range of the four seasons; hot and sunny summers, cold and icy winters, and the beautiful flora of spring and fall. Average summer temperatures exceed 25ºC; while in the winter, the average temperature is -5ºC, although in places it is known to go as low as -36ºC! The best time to visit the country is from April to October when it is not too cold, the snow has melted, and the fields are ripe with fruits and flowers.

TIME ZONES AND DAYLIGHT SAVING

Local time in Armenia is four hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 4), eight hours ahead of Eastern Time (EST +8) and eleven hours ahead of Pacific Time (PST +11). There is no daylight saving time in Armenia.

CURRENCY

Armenia’s national currency is the Armenian Dram (AMD). Coins are available in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 dram and notes are available in denominations of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 dram. Exchange rates vary, but in general float around 480 AMD to 1 USD, or 520 AMD to 1 EUR. You can exchange most common currencies in banks, supermarkets and exchange shops throughout the city any day of the week and at any time. Many establishments accept credit cards.

CUSTOMS AND REGULATIONS

Customs at Zvartnots International Airport is a quick and easy process. If you have goods to declare, you go to the designated “red section.” If you have no declarations, go to the “green section.” For more detailed information, follow the links below.

Zvartnots International Airport / www.zvartnots.aero/en/customs Customs / www.customs.am/Content.aspx?itn=csCITouristsInform...

EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES

Embassies / www.mfa.am/en/by-countries Consulates / www.mfa.am/en/consulates International Organizations / www.mfa.am/en/in-organizations

POSTAL SERVICE

You can send and receive anything from postcards to large packages to and from anywhere in the world viaHayPost, the Armenian post office. There are also logistics companies available.

The following are the mostwidely used providers:

EMS Armenia Express Mail Service / www.haypost.am UPS express / www.ups.com/us/en/global.page DHL Worldwide Express / www.dhl.com/en.html Federal Express / www.fedex.com/am TNT Express Worldwide / www.tnt.com/express/en_au/site/home.html Garant Tour / www.garanttour.am/en/page/post

COMMUNICATION

Cellular network carriers in Armenia include: Vivacell, Beeline, U!com, and Rostelecom.

To get a prepaid SIM card, visit one of the above carriers with your passport, and sign up; it should take about five minutes and cost 500 AMD. Most major international carriers also provide roaming services, which you should activate prior to arrival. Internet and Wi-Fi is widely available throughout Yerevan, especially in cafes and hotels. Many parks also offer free Wi- Fi! Availability of Wi-Fi outside Yerevan is limited, but available at most major hotels.

INSURANCE

Even though Armenia is one of the safest countries to travel to, boasting one of the lowest crime rates worldwide,and ranking eighth on this year’s Gallup Poll on how safe people feel, taking out a travel insurance policythat covers theft, loss, accidents and medical problems is highly recommended. If you plan to do any adventureor extreme sports such as scuba diving, bungee jumping, motorcycling, skiing and even hiking, check thatyour policy fully covers you.More information on local insurance packages is available at:

Ingo Armenia / www.ingoarmenia.am Nairi Insurance / www.nairi-insurance.am Sil Insurance / www.silinsurance.am Rosgosstrakh Armenia / www.rgs.am Armenia Insurance / www.armeniainsurance.am Reso Insurance/ www.reso.am

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

101 / Fire Department

102 / Police

103 / Ambulance

104 / Gas Emergency Service

911, 101 / Emergency Situations Crisis Management Center

108 / Municipality of Yerevan Hotline

118 / Ombudsman (Human Rights Defender) of Armenia Hotline