Apart from the smooth experience of our border crossing from Tbilisi to Yerevan by overnight train, the public transportation outside Yerevan seems challenging, at least for me. As much as I wanted to see more of Armenia, our short Caucasus backpacking trip (not only in Armenia but including our trip to Georgia & Azerbaijan) is not enough for us to figure out how to combat the challenge of public transportation outside Yerevan. I tried researching a lot about it, but it sounds really challenging... or I just gave up too early. So, to maximize our time in Armenia, my friend and I just booked a day tour from Yerevan. Better to see at least a few of Armenia's hidden gems than nothing!
Travel Agency: Yerani Travel
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and we paid with our own money. There are other tours available apart from the tour we booked, please contact them directly to find more information.
Before our travel, I checked Yerani Travel's website packaged tours and while it looks really good, I did not booked one yet because it is over our budget. We walked around the Cascade Complex and Republic Square in search of tour companies instead but too hesitant to book one from any of them, trust issues I guess.
As we walk around on our way back to the hotel, a signboard of a tour company caught our attention and to our surprise, it's Yerani Travel! Definitely a sign, so we went in and checked the options for tomorrow.
Day Tour from Yerevan Proper
The tour started at 9:00 AM (as far as I can remember) and they picked us up from our hotel. However, a few minutes later, we realized that all the passengers are Russian speakers. When we stopped at the Cascade Complex, they shifted us to the other shuttle bus where the English speakers are.
We met our guide (who was lovely but I didn't get her name!) and started the tour with a short briefing. The information from the tour guide were a little overwhelming because it's a lot to digest despite short. However, she really knows what she is doing and she's doing a great job.
Khor Virap Monastery
Our first stop is Khor Virap Monastery which you have probably seen in every 'Armenian Holiday/Day Tour'. True enough, Khor Virap Monastery is absolutely photogenic with Mount Ararat in the background. While Mount Ararat is technically located in Turkey, it is a national symbol of Armenia. Armenians also consider and believed that Mount Ararat is the holy land where Noah landed his ark.
During our visit, our lovely tour guide shared about the history of the monastery but I was not really listening (sorry!). Right after, she gave us time to roam around by ourselves and take photos up to our heart's content before heading back to the shuttle bus.
After taking lots of photos, up to this day, this is still my favorite one. A famous photo spot in a nearby vineyard where you can get Khor Virap Monastery in the view with Mount Ararat on the background. I mentioned already earlier that it is so photogenic and I think that is still an understatement. Isn't it nice?
Areni-1 Bird Cave
Moving to our next stop is the Areni-1 Bird Cave also known as Noravank Birds Cave. Areni-1 Bird Cave is an excavation site where they found different cultural artifacts dating back to Copper Age/Bronze Age. If I am not mistaken, the site is still being excavated even up to this day. .
Just for your information, there will be a few flight of stairs before reaching the actual entrance of the cave. It's not long, but still, those who have problems with their knees and stairs should take note of this.
Upon entering the cave, you will make your way through the passageways and will be led to 'halls' where the artifacts are well preserved.
While I am not the best person to discuss cultural stuff since I pretty much don't understand everything inside the cave, I am pretty amazed by the fact that this cave stores stuff that people from the past have used. There might be a chance that ancient people could have stayed here as well. What a history glimpse for me!
Noravank Monastery
Another monastery is the next itinerary which is nestled between a reddish canyon/gorge located in Vayots Dzor province.
As photogenic this monastery could be, I was not able to take lots of photos of the monastery. There's a huge crowd during our visit (summer) and it's too hot for me to move around. And as much as I want to listen to our tour guide, I couldn't really focus and gets easily distracted by the crowd.
Anyhow, I still enjoyed the place, it was stunning and the monastery sounds really important in Armenian History. I told myself that I will come back to this place next time, maybe during Autumn season where tourists would be less?
Despite of the crowd, the picturesque lone monastery on the mountain is insanely beautiful. My camera can't give justice to its beauty even if I took only few photos.
Wine Tasting at Hin Areni Winery
The last stop of our day tour is a visit to a famous local winery plus a wine tasting experience. Our tour started by walking inside the distillery with a briefing of the wine making process. Afterwards, they gave us a generous amount of wine (red, white and rose) to try it.
While I like wine but not enough to be called a wine-lover, I can't really tell how good the wine were. But as a traveler, it's my first time to join a wine-tasting experience and I really liked it.
Day Tour Cost
We paid 13,000 AMD/person for the tour which includes the following:
- Day Tour Proper from Yerevan
- Pick-up from the hotel and Drop off at the Cascade Complex
- Armenian set lunch*
- All entry tickets
- Wine Tasting
- Wi-Fi inside the bus
*The Armenian set lunch was in a local restaurant and we were served with salad, sides (fries and white rice, main dish with meat (chicken and pork), bottled water and coffee/tea. It was after our visit in Noravank Monastery however I can't find my photos from our lunch so I skipped sharing it in the tour proper section.
Personal Thoughts OF OUR DAY TOUR FROM YEREVAN:
For its price, it is totally worth it for me even if I paid a little more. On my next visit in Armenia, I will absolutely book with Yerani Travel again but I will choose a different tour.
Overall, I loved the tour, the smooth transaction with Yerani travel as well as the arrangement of the itinerary. I also liked that the tour ended on a relaxing mode with the wine tasting. I couldn't be more happier that we booked this day tour from Yerevan during our stay in Armenia!๐
