Geghard and Garni Private Tour in Yerevan, Armenia

Visit UNESCO-listed Armenian sites in one day the Arch of Charents, Geghard monastery, the Temple of Garni, the Garni Gorge, and the Symphony of the Stones! With a knowledgeable guide by your side, appreciate the region's rich history and cultural significance, as well as its old monasteries and beautiful landscapes.

Highlights:

• The Arch of Charents
• Geghard monastery
• The Temple of Garni
• Garni Gorge
• Symphony of Stones
• Ararat valley

Includes:

• Driver-guide
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off
• Private a/c vehicle

Please note: The price is indicated for a group of 1-4 people.

The tour will begin with a visit to the Arch of Charents, located near Yerevan, on the way to Garni village. It was dedicated in 1957 to one of Armenia's most famous poets, Eghishe Charents. He is said to have adored this location and frequented it. The arch provides an incredible view of biblical Mount Ararat and the Ararat valley, and it appears as if the mountain does not touch the ground but hangs down from the sky.

Your next stop will be Geghard, a medieval monastery partially carved out of the adjacent mountain and set among cliffs. Gregory the Illuminator founded it in the 4th century at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. That is how the structure got its first name, Ayrivank, which means The Temple of Garni, a Greco-Roman colonnaded building and the symbol of ancient pre-Christian Armenia, is not far from the monastery. We'll see the Temple of Garni, which has Greek and Roman columns and is a symbol of ancient Armenia before it became Christian, close to the monastery. It was built in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. After Christians took over, it became a summer royal residency. Today, the building is the most important place of worship for followers of Armenian neopaganism, who annually hold ceremonies.

The Garni Gorge is located just below the Temple of Garni. You will see the Symphony of Stones, or Basalt Organ, a natural monument in the Azat River basin. It has hexagonal and pentagonal basalt columns that rise almost 50 meters from the bottom of the gorge to the top of the rocks. The stones look like they were made by hand because they fit together well. They hang against gravity, making them look like an organ. Still, the Symphony of Stones is a natural phenomenon. It was created when volcanic lava cooled and crystallized under high pressure.