Our first surprise was: it's a private tour, not a bus tour.
We will enjoy our private driver for the whole day 😍.
And when I say "enjoy" ... I mean it. Karen was a prefect driver of a brand new BYD electric car: comfortable & silent. Cherry on the cake: there is free Wi-Fi in the car (in case you can't disconnect).
But more than that, Karen is perfect tour guide. He knows his Armenia up - down, left - right. We got all the historical, political, geographical information you can dream of. The tour talks about 2 monastery and a winery ... we got way more.
Khor Virap is nice monastery atop a hill. Like many places ... destroyed, rebuild, etc..
If you are not scared, you can climb a ladder down to a prison cell.
Don't forget to climb on top of the hill for a breathtaking view of the surroundings.
Areni cave, hosts artifacts dating 6000 years back and proving it was the oldest winery on earh.
We went to Hin Areni winery. No point to visit the factory in winter, but the tasting is a must. You pay a small fee, and ... travel from white to red, from young to old wines. If you have space on your luggage you can get a few bottles at a top price.
Since it was lunch time, Karen took us to a very nice restaurant: Lchak.
You eat in small cabin and the food is ... delicious.
We had a grilled sterlet, some local cheese & herbs and ... the local wine.
Karen shared our lunch (not mandatory) and we enjoyed a lot more stories.
And last but not least: heaven also known as Noravank.
After a magnificent road in the mountain, Noravank appears on the right ... high in the sky.
It's a beautiful monastery, in an extremely peaceful place. And suddenly you ask yourself: how did they bring the stones there in the 11th century...
If you are lucky you might see some wild life in the mountains.
This was a fantastic day 10AM to 7PM, I higly recommend it!