Photo: Alexxx1979 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Adventure · Armenia
The Wings of Tatev and Tatev Monastery
A cable car ride over the Vorotan gorge to a ninth-century monastery on a cliff edge. A long day or a night in the south by private car.
Tatev Monastery · Armenia
The experience
The journey starts early from Yerevan heading south, across the Ararat plain past Khor Virap Monastery facing Mount Ararat, then through the mountains and passes of Vayots Dzor to the village of Halidzor and the cable car station.
The Wings of Tatev opened in 2010 and is 5,752 m long, recorded by Guinness as the world's longest non-stop double-track cable car. The cabin crosses the Vorotan gorge in about 12 minutes, and halfway over the monastery appears on its rock as if suspended in the air.
Tatev Monastery dates from the ninth century and was a university and centre of learning and manuscripts in the Middle Ages. You walk among its churches, walls and old oil press, and from its edge look down on the gorge and the natural bridge below.
Because the drive is about four hours each way, we suggest a night in the south and a return via Lake Sevan, or a long day with an experienced driver. The cable car sometimes stops in high winds, so we check the weather before setting out.
Armenia
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