Global Wanderer

1/7/2023

The Tatev Monastery and the Wings of Tatev ropeway seems to pretty universally considered an integral part of an Armenian itinerary. Given that it’s almost a 5 hour drive away, we decided to join on to a coach trip operated by Hyur Services to visit Tatev, as well as the famous monasteries, Khor Virap and Noravank.

After an early morning start, and trip on the (very Soviet) metro to Republic Square, we made it to Hyur’s office to get on the coach. I was honestly surprised, expecting a minibus, as I couldn’t imagine a coach of that size getting through some of the hairpin bends in the road! But we got on, and lo and behold, the guide confirmed that we were on our way to Tatev via Khor Virap and Noravank. The big coach made the insane drive much easier on my poor stomach, which had been brutally whipped from side to side for five sickening hours during the marshrutka ride to Yerevan.

The landscape changes massively once you’re out of Yerevan!

About 45 minutes in, we had reached Khor Virap, which I hadn’t realised was so close to the city. A short climb up the hillside brought us to the monastery complex, where we saw the priest wander out of his little cabin for a look-see at the tourists. There were actually a few different tour groups here (I would find the same at Noravank and Tatev – the only times we really saw tourists in Armenia outside of the airport). Some nice views of the landscape were to be had, along with a quick overview of the history of the monastery, before we hopped back on the coach. Next up was Norovank, which I think took us around 2 hours to reach, although I can’t be 100% as I definitely closed my eyes for a few minutes during the drive! Noravank provides some amazing views over the landscape and was well worth the stop!

Khor Virap and Noravank monasteries.

Finally, we were headed to Tatev. I cannot tell you how long this drive took – maybe another 3 hours? Time moves very strangely when you’re travelling up and down the mountainside! The most fascinating part of this particular drive was the political context – the road we took passes close to the de jure border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A breakaway state, governed as though it was part of Armenia, known as Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh, occupies land within Azerbaijan, and until 2020 was directly connected to Armenia. That year, the Azeris decided to invade, and recaptured much of the territory aside from a chunk of Artsakh, and a corridor between Artsakh and Armenia called the Lachin Corridor, which is policed by Russian peacekeepers – whose vehicles we spotted as we crossed this militarised area. We crossed through Azeri exclaves under ­de facto Armenian control, and could view the Azeri’s recently-constructed border fortifications on the hillside. The area had been subject to significant shelling during the recent war, and was prone to flare-ups – luckily, we did not get bombed!

EDIT: September 30, 2023. After a short military operation last week, Artsakh surrendered to Azerbaijan, and agreed to dissolve their nation and reintegrate into Azerbaijan.

Coming up to the gorge!

We eventually reached the road that led to the start of the Tatev ropeway, a 5.4km single-line cable car that runs across the span of the gorge to the ancient Tatev Monastic Complex. Whilst Dad had his eyes closed most of the way (heights aren’t his thing), I can personally vouch for the stunning views across the gorge that the ropeway gives you. If you ever have the opportunity, I would absolutely recommend this particular experience! After about 12 minutes, we made it to the other side of the gorge, and spent some time exploring the Tatev complex. Best part about the monastery? Inside, the priest was blessing some churchgoers, dressed in a black robe complete with the Orthodox black hood over his head. Quite a sight to behold. Eventually, we walked up to the road, where the bus driver had spent the intervening hour navigating the roadways across the gorge. After a 4.5 hour drive, this time in the dark, we finally arrived back in Yerevan at about 11:00pm, just enough time to get showered and rested before our early morning trip to the airport!