Jeep Tour: Surb Hovhannes Church in Gargar, Surb Astvatsatsin Church and Chapel of Surb Khach in Vardablur, Tricolor Lakes in Vardablur, Gtevank and Hnevank Monasteries, Arevatsag Gorge, Fortress Lori Berd

• Surb Hovhannes Church in Gargar
• Surb Astvatsatsin Church in Vardablur
• Chapel of Surb Khach in Vardablur
• Tricolor Lakes in Vardablur
• Gtevank Monastery
• Hnevank Monastery
• Arevatsag Gorge
• Tsitskar 
• Fortress Lori Berd

We have heard a lot about the miracles and amazing nature of the Lori region, and now we are going to discover and see them with our own eyes.

The first stop of the tour is the Church of Surb Hovhannes in Gargar village, built in 1905-1907 by Greek masters together with the Armenian masters of the village. The bell of the church was brought from Tula city of the Russian Federation and has been preserved up to this day.

On the way we will see a monument-spring dedicated to a meeting of Pushkin and Griboyedov. The Pushkin Pass is popular by the fact that on June 11, 1829, Alexander Pushkin, according to his own words, not far from the pass, near the small Armenian village of Gargar, met a cart on which the body of Ambassador of the Russian Empire to Iran, writer Alexander Griboyedov, murdered in Tehran, was transported to Tiflis. A monument-spring with a bronze bas-relief depicting the meeting was erected on the pass in 1938 in memory of the meeting taking place here. 

The next stop of the tour is Vardablur village. Here we will visit the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin (XIX century) and the Chapel of Surb Khach (XII century), as well as the miracle of nature, the picturesque tricolor lakes, which attract visitors with their unusual beauty. 

The next stop is the ruins of the Gtevank Monastery (VI centurty). The lower rows of masonry of the walls without facing stones have been preserved. The remains of the construction are evidence of the fact that it is a reproduction of the composition of the church in Kurtan village in a smaller size. The prayer hall of the Gtevank church is less elongated. As is seen from the surviving traces of a pilaster on the northern wall, the ceiling of the hall in the central part was strengthened by a spring arch. The entrance to the sacristy with a semi-cylindrical vault opened in the prayer hall,  there was a niche in the eastern wall instead of an apse. The existence of an external hall in addition to the apse is evidenced by three windows of the western wall and the remains of walls in the west. There is a small medieval cemetery with preserved tombstones on the southern side of the church.  

Our next stop is the Hnevank Monastery complex, located to the east of the village of Kurtan, on the right bank of the Dzoraget River. The cross-domed church was built in the 7th century from pure hewn felsite; outside it has a rectangular shape, inside it has three apses, in the corners there are sacristies.

From Hnevank Monastery we will drive to the Arevatsag gorge along the Dzoraget River surrounded by wonderful nature. On the way we will admire the most beautiful landscapes of the Lori region. We will see here the popular Tsitskar rock and the unforgettable view to the river and gorge. Here we can relax, eat and take pictures.

The last stop of the tour is the Fortress Lori Berd, from where opens a beautiful view to the gorge. The fortress was built by King David Anhogh (989-1048), a representative of the Kyurikian branch of Bagratuni of Ani, around in 1005-1020.

            Departure: 10:00

Arrival: 21:00

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1/ next to the Mergelyan Institute