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6-7 hours
Daily Tour
Armenian, English, Russian
Lake Sevan has three shores and each one holds something different. This tour follows the water from the famous Sevanavank on the north peninsula to the quieter Hayravank on the opposite shore, and then to Noratus – a hillside cemetery of ancient khachkars that stretches along the lake’s edge like a stone alphabet. Nobody visits all three in a single day. This tour does.
1. The first stop is Lake Sevan. Sevanavank is the most visited monastery on Lake Sevan – a 9th-century complex of black tufa stone perched on the peninsula above the water. Founded by Princess Mariam in 874 AD. The climb to the top takes five minutes and gives the widest view of the lake available from land. Two churches survive from the original complex. The Sevanavank monastery is best experienced early in the day before the tour groups arrive. Sevanavank.
2. The second stop is Hayravank, which sits on the opposite shore of the lake – quieter, less visited, and in some ways more atmospheric. The monastery was founded in the 9th century on a rocky promontory above the water. Additional chambers were added in the 12th and 13th centuries. What makes Hayravank unusual is its proximity to the lake – the water comes almost to the base of the monastery walls, and the reflection of the church in Sevan on a calm day is one of the best photographs in Armenia.
3. The final stop is Noratus. Noratus is the final stop and the most unexpected. The hillside above the village is covered with khachkars – Armenian cross-stones – dating from the 10th through 17th centuries, with some more recent additions. There are over 800 of them, arranged in rows across the slope, each carved with different patterns. The Noratus cemetery is the largest collection of medieval khachkars in Armenia, and possibly in the world. It is one of those places that takes time to understand. The longer you walk among them, the more you see.
Imagine walking by the water’s edge, breathing in fresh air, listening to quiet stories held in stone, that’s what this tour feels like. At Noratus, the centuries-old khachkars are not just monuments but invitations to reflect. You won’t just see places you’ll feel connected to them.
All private tours can be changed upon request.
Your private driver and guide meet you at your hotel in Yerevan. The drive to Lake Sevan takes approximately one hour - a route that climbs through the Gegham Mountains before the vast blue expanse of the lake appears suddenly below you.
First stop at the 9th-century Sevanavank Monastery, founded in 874 AD by Princess Mariam of the Bagratid dynasty. Climb the staircase to the peninsula and visit the two ancient churches built from black tuff - a material that gave the monastery its name, Sevanavank meaning the Black Monastery. Panoramic views of the lake from the top in every direction.
Drive 30 km south along the quieter western shore of the lake to Hayravank - a small, deeply atmospheric 9th-century monastery perched directly on a cliff above the water. Far fewer tourists visit Hayravank than Sevanavank, and its setting is arguably even more dramatic. The complex includes a church, chapel and gavit, surrounded by ancient khachkars and gravestones, with the lake directly below.
A short drive inland to the village of Noratus and the largest surviving khachkar cemetery in Armenia - and one of the most extraordinary open-air sites in the entire Caucasus. Over 800 carved stone crosses stand in a field above the lake, carved between the 9th and 17th centuries in an extraordinary variety of styles. Unlike many Armenian monuments, Noratus feels untouched and completely genuine - no tourist infrastructure, just centuries of Armenian spiritual art standing in the wind above the lake.
Optional lunch at a lakeside restaurant with fresh ishkhan trout. Can be added in Extras when booking.
