6-Day Private Armenia Heritage Tour with Wine, Monasteries and Crafts

• Morning: Arrive in Yerevan and meet your private guide and driver. Begin with an orientation drive through the city's pink-tufa neoclassical architecture, stopping at the Cascade Complex for panoramic views of Mount Ararat and the city.

• Midday: Head just outside the city to Garni Temple, the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in the Caucasus. Walk down into the dramatic Garni Gorge to witness the staggering basalt columns known as the "Symphony of the Stones."

• Afternoon: Continue to the cliffside Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site partly carved directly out of the adjacent mountain rock. Experience a private, hauntingly beautiful 10-minute concert of traditional Armenian spiritual polyphony inside the main chamber's acoustic dome.

• Evening: Enjoy a welcome dinner at a high-end atmospheric restaurant in Yerevan, featuring contemporary interpretations of ancient Armenian cuisine. Overnight in Yerevan.

• Morning: Depart south toward the Vayots Dzor region. Stop at Khor Virap Monastery, set dramatically against the backdrop of Mount Ararat, where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years.

• Midday: Continue through the stunning red-rock canyon to Noravank Monastery, nestled among sheer rust-colored cliffs. Enjoy a private cellar tasting at a boutique estate in Areni village, exploring 6,100-year-old winemaking traditions using native endemic grape varieties such as Areni Noir.

• Afternoon: Climb higher into the mountains, tackling the winding switchbacks of the Selim (Vardenyats) Pass at 2,410 meters. Stop to explore the remarkably preserved Selim Caravanserai, a 14th-century stone shelter where Silk Road merchants and their pack animals once rested.

• Evening: Descend toward Lake Sevan and check into a boutique lakeside hotel. Enjoy a fresh Sevan crayfish and trout dinner by the water. Overnight at Lake Sevan.

• Morning: Visit the 9th-century Sevanavank Monastery perched on the peninsula, and take in sweeping morning views over the vast alpine waters of Lake Sevan.

• Midday: Drive north into the lush, forested mountains of Tavush, often called the "Switzerland of Armenia." Arrive in Dilijan and walk through the restored 19th-century handicraft streets of Old Dilijan (Sharambeyan Street), where local woodcarvers and ceramic artisans work.

• Afternoon: Take a unique cultural detour to Fioletovo or Lermontovo, Russian villages settled by the Molokan community centuries ago. Enjoy a private tea ceremony with a traditional Russian samovar while learning about their distinct heritage and lifestyle.

• Evening: Check into a secluded eco-resort or boutique forest lodge nestled in Dilijan National Park. Dine on local forest-foraged specialties. Overnight in Dilijan.

• Morning: Journey deeper into the dramatic wooded gorges of the Debed River canyon to visit Haghpat and Sanahin, twin UNESCO World Heritage monastic complexes that represent the pinnacle of medieval Armenian architecture and medieval university learning.

• Midday: Enjoy a farm-to-table gastro lunch hosted by a local family in the canyon, featuring organic garden produce, homemade cheeses, and local culinary secrets.

• Afternoon: Head west toward the Aragatsotn highlands, stopping at the Alphabet Monument and the imposing stone fortress of Amberd, perched on the southern slopes of Mount Aragats at 2,300 meters.

• Evening: Arrive at a cozy highland guesthouse or wine-estate hotel in the Aragatsotn foothills. Overnight near Ashtarak/Aragatsotn.

• Morning: Visit Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest cathedrals in the world, followed by the stunning ruins of the 7th-century Zvartnots Temple.

• Midday: Participate in an exclusive private masterclass. Choose between learning the traditional craft of carving a khachkar (cross-stone) under the guidance of a master stonemason, or joining a hands-on culinary workshop preparing traditional lavash flatbread in a subterranean clay oven (tonir).

• Afternoon: Return to Yerevan for free time to explore the vibrant open-air art market, Vernissage, or the city's sophisticated art galleries and specialty coffee culture.

• Evening: Enjoy a farewell dinner at a top-tier Yerevan restaurant celebrating modern Caucasian gastronomy, accompanied by live instrumental folk music with duduk and kanon. Overnight in Yerevan.

Morning: Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, pick up any final artisanal souvenirs or local mountain honey and dried fruits, and transfer to Zvartnots International Airport for your departure flight.