Tatev Monastery

Tatev Monastery stands in Syunik province in southern Armenia, on a basalt plateau above the gorge of the Vorotan river. It was built in the ninth century and in the Middle Ages was a centre of learning and a university, its churches enclosed by stone walls on the edge of the gorge.

It is reached by the Wings of Tatev, a cable car opened in 2010, 5,752 m long, recorded by Guinness as the world's longest non-stop double-track cable car. The cabin crosses the gorge in about 12 minutes, with views of the monastery, villages and mountains.

Tatev is about four hours by car from Yerevan, on a road past Khor Virap and the mountains of Vayots Dzor, so we suggest a night in the south or a long day with an early start.