Haghpat's three-tier bell tower and church on a grassy shelf, mountains of the Debed canyon beyond, in low gold lightHaghpat's three-tier bell tower and church on a grassy shelf, mountains of the Debed canyon beyond, in low gold light

Excursión de un día

Texto en inglés

Haghpat, Sanahin & the Debed Canyon

North to the Debed canyon for the day: two monasteries that taught and copied books for centuries, facing each other across the gorge.

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La historia de la ruta

One canyon, two monasteries.

The road north crosses the high plateau and drops into the Debed canyon, where copper has been mined and smelted since the eighteenth century. Then two monasteries, founded within a few decades of each other in the tenth century: Sanahin, which grew into a school, and Haghpat, which grew into a small town of churches. They sit on opposite sides of the gorge, a short drive apart. Lunch falls between them.

La forma del día

Sanahin before lunch, Haghpat after, so the larger of the two closes the day. One break on the road each way.

  1. Yerevanthe start
  2. Sanahinthe school
  3. Haghpatthe larger story
  4. Yerevanhome
  • North over the plateau
  • In the Debed canyon

En el mapa

Adónde va el día

El día en sí

YEREVANthe day starts and ends hereSanahinHaghpatthe last stopAkhtalaoptionalVanadzorAlaverdiGeorgia ↑

North over the plateau, then down into the Debed canyon. Not to scale: Sanahin and Haghpat sit within about fifteen kilometres of each other, close to the Georgian border.

Ubicación en Armenia

ARMENIAeste día

The day goes almost to the north edge of Armenia and comes back the same evening.

    The Debed canyon from above, the town of Alaverdi strung along the river between steep green slopes

    Down into the canyonPOR CARRETERA

    From the plateau the road drops into the gorge of the Debed. The river runs north towards Georgia, and the copper town of Alaverdi sits at the bottom, between the two monasteries.

    1. 01 / 02

      Go to school.

      A monastery that became a place of learning.

      01

      SanahinLATE MORNING · THE FIRST STOP

      Sanahin was founded in the tenth century. Its name is usually explained as “this one is older than that one”, a claim over Haghpat across the gorge. In the eleventh century it had an academy and a library, and the long vaulted corridor where students are said to have studied still stands.

      Below the village, in Alaverdi, a stone bridge from the end of the twelfth century still crosses the Debed. It is on the road below.

      After Sanahin, the day stops to eat: a table on the way, near Haghpat or in the canyon below, the host confirmed with your request.

      Uneven stone floors and low doorways; dim inside.

      EN QUÉ FIJARSEThe library, and the carved cross-stones set into the walls and floors.

      Inside Sanahin: a vaulted stone hall of carved arches on thick pillars, a wooden door at the far end
      The medieval Sanahin Bridge, one stone arch over the Debed in Alaverdi, the copper works and its chimney behind
    2. 02 / 02

      End with the larger story.

      A monastery that grew into a small town of churches.

      02

      HaghpatAFTERNOON · THE LAST STOP

      Haghpat was founded around 976 by Queen Khosrovanuysh, and its main church, Surb Nshan, was finished in 991. Over three centuries the monastery added a bell tower, a book depository and halls for its community, until it stood on its hillside above the Debed like a small town.

      Inside the complex is its best-known cross-stone, the Amenaprkich khachkar of 1273. Haghpat and Sanahin share one UNESCO World Heritage listing.

      Optional · if it fits the day: Akhtala, for its frescoes. Twenty minutes or so farther along the canyon, Akhtala is a fortified monastery whose church walls are covered with paintings from the early thirteenth century. Adding it makes the day about an hour and a half longer.

      Whether it fits your day is confirmed with your request.

      Slopes, steps and uneven stone between the buildings.

      EN QUÉ FIJARSEThe Amenaprkich khachkar, and the canyon from the terrace.

      A vaulted stone passage at Haghpat with carved cross-stones, opening onto a green slope and the mountains

    Antes de decidir

    ¿Es este día para usted?

    Ideal para

    • Travellers who want the north of Armenia without a night away
    • Anyone drawn to monasteries as places of learning and books, not only as churches
    • A day after Garni, when you want the next layer of medieval Armenia

    Piénselo dos veces si

    • Long car days drain you. About six of the ten to eleven hours are road.
    • Uneven stone and steps are hard for you. Each monastery has them.
    • You want variety of scenery more than history. This day is two monasteries in one canyon.

    WHY THIS IS ON SAFAR

    Most days north try to fit in a lake, a forest and the canyon together, and end up giving each an hour. Safar keeps this day in the Debed canyon only: Sanahin and Haghpat with time to see them, and lunch between the two.

    Dónde encaja en un viaje

    A day out of Yerevan, best once you have seen Garni and Geghard. It goes the farthest north of the Days, so leave a quieter day after it.

    Armenia, al completo

    Los detalles finales se confirman antes de la prestación.

    Tómese su tiempo por el camino

    Haga que la carretera sea parte de su experiencia en Armenia, con tiempo para las vistas, la comida local y las paradas que le interesen. Alargue su viaje a Lori con una noche cerca del cañón del Debed, organizada con nuestro equipo.

    Un día

    Sanahín y Haghpat en un día completo: aproximadamente entre 10 y 11 horas desde Ereván ida y vuelta, unas seis de ellas en la carretera.

    2 días, 1 noche cerca del cañón del Debed

    Sanahín por la tarde, una noche cerca del cañón y Haghpat a la mañana siguiente, con más tiempo en cada parada.

    La versión con pernoctación se organiza a petición: díganos si la desea cuando envíe su solicitud. Nuestro equipo le responde con un plan propuesto: la estancia, los horarios, el precio y el colaborador que lo organiza. Estos dependen de sus fechas y de la disponibilidad. Enviar una solicitud no supone una reserva. Nuestro equipo le explicará cómo confirmar el viaje propuesto.

    Una noche más significa más tiempo en cada lugar, no más lugares. Las paradas opcionales solo se ofrecen si se ajustan a sus intereses.

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    Los campos marcados con * son obligatorios.

    Estas son sus preferencias para el día. El colaborador que lo lleva a cabo confirma lo que es posible en su fecha, antes de que se acuerde nada.

    Duración

    La versión con pernoctación se organiza a petición. Para 1 noche, la fecha de arriba es su primer día; díganos en la nota si tiene alguna preferencia sobre dónde alojarse.

    La mesa por el camino

    Quien le recibe y lo que se sirve se confirman en el marco de su solicitud.

    Ajtala, por sus frescos

    Solo si encaja en el día. Añade alrededor de una hora y media; la respuesta le dirá si encaja.

    Safar utiliza estos datos para responder a su solicitud. Consulte el Aviso de privacidad.

    Esto solo envía una solicitud — sin pago, sin fecha confirmada y sin disponibilidad garantizada. El proveedor y los detalles operativos finales se confirman antes de la prestación del servicio.