Group Tour: Hin Areni Winery, Tatev (wayback on Ropeway), Khndzoresk Caves

starting and returning point

Vayots Dzor and Areni village in particular has been the cradle of Armenian winemaking for millennia. "Hin Areni" wine factory opens up the doors of this region to the world to showcase the historic and indigenous Armenian grape varietals. At the winery the historic traditions of winemaking are well combined with state-of-the-art modern equipment. "Hin Areni" wine factory has the capacity to process over 250 tonnes of grapes.

Among the architectural pillars of Zangezour, the monastery of Tatev does not have its "rivals". It used to be the wealthiest medieval monastery in Armenia. Besides being a religious center, Tatev was also the important strategical center of Syunik kingdom. Being situated on a naturally defended place, Tatev monastery has always been an impregnable fortress for alien. In non-stable political conditions several secret ways in the territory of the fortress led to the canyon and served as a link between the monastery and the external world.

Church bells were ringing loud in Tatev on October 16 of 2010, heralding the launch of a program to revive a medieval monastic complex and the opening of "Wings of Tatev Ropeway". The 5.7 km ropeway, built within 11 months, passes through a deep gorge of the River Vorotan and over hills, covered with lush forests. The tramway is supported by three towers between its two terminals. One terminal is on a hill, overlooking the village of Halidzor and the other is near Tatev Monastery, on the road to Tatev village. Two cabins operate at once, traveling in opposite directions. There are 6 cables altogether (3 for each cabin), each uniquely foreseen for the specifications of this project. Within about 11 minutes a tramway cabin takes passengers, 30 at a time, from the village of Halidzor to the magnificent complex of Tatev.

Khndzoresk is located at a distance of 8 km from Goris. The village is famous for its natural "stone carpets". Old Khndzoresk is situated on the two slopes of the mountainous valley. There were no flat areas on those slopes for building settlements and for this reason people used caves. During the national liberation movement of Syunik (1722-1730), due to its inaccessible geographical position, Khndzoresk served as a stronghold for Syunik. Armenian commander Mkhitar Sparapet is buried in Khndzoresk. Next to him there rest his son Aharon and the Lady of Syunik – Gohar. Recently a unique structure – a "swinging bridge" has been opened in Khndzoresk, the length of which is 160 m, the height from the deepest point in the gorge is 63 m and the width is 1.5 m. 700 people simultaneously can go across this bridge weighing 14 tons. The bridge, from where there opens a magnificent view, connects the two banks of old Khndzoresk.