Aparan, a small town that is as severe as it is picturesque, lies at the foot of Mount Aragats, Armenia's roof. A small town in the high plateaus, buffeted by the winds, dry and freezing in winter, it is an ideal point of departure for climbing Aragats.

Europe

If someone were to ask you what Steve Jobs, Kim Kardashian and Princess Diana have in common, what would you answer? They are all of Armenian origin... of course! Sometimes more known for its famous expatriates than for itself, Armenia is a multifaceted country still widely unexplored and seldom frequented by Western tourists. But what riches are hidden there! From the capital Yerevan to the emblematic and legendary mountains (Mount Ararat, Mount Aragats), Armenia boasts churches and monasteries listed in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, a thousand-year-old culture of incredible variety. With a rocky landscape of canyons and high plateaus, 90% of the land is situated above 1000 metres altitude to delight the soul of the lost wayfarer. Traveling in Armenia also means meeting a proud, hospitable and warm people, always overjoyed to be able to share with passing visitors and to assist them in discovering their country and its resources forged over several millennia more intimately. Don’t wait a moment longer, you too can create your tailor-made trip to Armenia. Բարի գալուստ Հայաստան (Bari galust Hayastan or Welcome to Armenia)!

Armenia

Aparan

The symbol of a country which recalls the riches of its history and the bitterness of its defeats.

Mount Ararat

Areni's excellent red wines  are produced in a small village in the south west of the country on the border with Azerbaijan

Areni

The ruin of the Amberd Fortress is 2300 m above sea level; it is a symbolic monument perched on top of a stony setting and at the foot of Mount Aragats. Just next to the Vahramashen church (11th century) is another architectural and scenic gem.

Amberd

This superb monastery in the very beautiful Vorotan Valley is one of Syunik's main historic monuments. Sitting with pride of place in its elevated position at the heart of a bare mountain landscape,  it is both a magnificent architectural achievement and a quite stunning site.

Vorotnavank

Albania

England

Greenland

Spain

Central America

Africa

North America

South America

Asia

Middle East

Oceania

In my opinion, Vorotnavank is the key thing to see when visiting <a href="/armenia/">Syunik.</a> It's really a quite remarkable site! The churches of this 10th and 11th century monastery are veritable jewels of sacred art in their own right, as are the graves and tombstones in the attached cemetery. I was particularly impressed with the colours of the large stones from which the churches are built, with shades of black, brown, pink and ochre all combining together to form a highly impressive pallet of tones.
And the monastery is also located in a wonderful setting: it sits like some great eyrie above the Vorotan Gorge, which is wide, open and airy here and resembles a natural amphitheatre. The complexity of the mountainous landscapes, with a succession of overlapping massifs, their summits arid and rocky, lends exceptional depth to the whole panorama.
When I was visiting Vortanavank, I never tired of admiring the natural spectacle of the surrounding scenery around the Vorotan gorges. It is especially impressive when you make your way to the monastery from the road, which crosses the plateau, and see the canyon for the first time upon reaching the promontory on which the monastery stands. I advise you to go down into the gorge to see and admire the physical appearance of the site from below.

Vorotnavank Vacations

Vorotnavank: How to get there?

Vorotnavank: See when to go ?

Vorotnavank: For how long?

Vorotnavank: What to see nearby?