At 4,090 m (13,420ft), Mt. Aragats is the highest mountain in Armenia. Its name means “Ara’s throne”, named for the ancient Armenian God. Towering over the Armenian Highlands, the mountain drew people to it for centuries, resulting in a variety of historical sites to explore around its base. Many are only a short drive from Yerevan, and together, they make a great day trip.
To reach these sites, we joined a tour from Yerevan. Our tour included the following sites located under the shadow of Mt. Aragats: Stone Lake, Amberd Fortress, Hovhannavank and Saghmosavank Monasteries, as well as the 3D Cross and the Armenian Alphabet Monument.
Click on the link to go directly to: Amberd Fortress, Hovhannavank, Saghmosavank, Armenian Alphabet Monument, and the 3D Cross.
Stone Lake
The car climbed the side of Mt. Aragats, through an otherworldly landscape, covered by volcanic rocks and dry grass. Sheep and goats were grazing in the fields, and they seemed the best animals suited to this landscape. In the middle of this barren land is Stone Lake (Kari Lich). Its location at an elevation of 3,190 m (10,470ft) meant there was a definite chill in the air when we arrived at its shores.
Stone Lake sits more than 900 m (3,000 ft) below the summit of Mt. Aragats, and as we explored the lake shore, we were treated to glimpses of its highest peaks poking above the lower slopes. Even in the brown surroundings, the glacier-fed lake is quite pretty. It is only 9 m (29 ½ ft) deep and its colour can change in different seasons and weather.
If you don’t want to walk around the lake shore as we did, you could have a coffee or hot chocolate at one of the cafes.
A few weeks later, we were in Gyumri, where we saw the mountain from the other side. You can read more about the charming city in our post Things To See In Gyumri.
Amberd Fortress
Further down the mountain at 2,300 m (7,545 ft) are the remains of an old fortress. Some believe the site dates to the 7th century, others say it was erected in the 10th. They do agree, however, that in the 12th century, the Zakaryan Princes significantly improved the structure. The brothers enlarged the castle, surrounded it with a rampart and added a church.
With a ravine on two sides and a tall wall on the others, the fortress was almost impenetrable. Making it even more secure, there were only two entrances, named Arkhashen and Amberdadzor Gates.
When we visited in 2025, the castle was under restoration and was mostly covered by scaffolding and a crane. As a result, we could only walk along the ridge to appreciate its strategic position. Hopefully, this work will soon be completed, allowing you to explore more of Amberd Fortress than we could.
Even though the fortress is still under construction, you can visit the restored 12th-century Vahramashen Church at the end of the ridge.
There is currently no entry fee, but once the work is completed, there likely will be a charge.
Hovhannavank Monastery
The building’s roof also has two features not common in Armenian churches. On top of the oldest church is a pagoda-style bell tower. Another has an umbrella roof. We would see this style on other monasteries around Mt. Aragats, including ones near Gyumri, but there are only a few others in the rest of the country that have umbrella roofs. You can read about the Cathedral in Gyumri here, and the rural monasteries with umbrella roof here.
Once you step inside the large gavit (foyer), you can’t help but be impressed. Its old walls are adorned with centuries-old khachkars and scriptures. Seeing these historic artifacts made it feel as if we were visiting a museum rather than a church.
A gavit is the foyer outside the main nave in many medieval Armenian churches. They are used as meeting halls and provide an overflow space for parishioners when the church’s nave is full.
Two churches branch off the gavit. St. Karapet is the oldest. We visited on a Sunday and looked inside from the door, not wanting to disturb the serene scene of people lighting candles and saying a private prayer. Beside it is the larger St John the Baptist Cathedral, where we were able to observe part of the liturgy service. We watched as priests swung censers with incense while chanting prayers. The parishioners stood on the floor below, answering in response.
The ringing of church bells marked the end of the service. What makes it even more wonderful is that the bells are inside the dome of the gavit. A priest rings the bells in full view of visitors. It was a great custom to witness.
Turn on the voluem for the full experience of this short video.
Saghmosavank Monastery
The first thing we noticed as we approached Saghmosavank Monastery was its three domes. There was one for each of the church, chapel and gavit (foyer).
The first church was built in the 4th century by St. Gregory the Illuminator. He named it Saghmosavank (Monastery of Psalms) because he and the new priests chanted the psalms in unison. This early church was demolished by the Seljuks around the 10th century. By the 13th century, the Zakarian Princes had freed the community from the Muslim rulers. In exchange, they were given a large section of land under Mt. Aragats. They proceeded to rebuild the old monastery and filled it with churches, chapels, residences and a library. From that old monastery, though, only the two churches and one gavit stand.
Today, the remaining monastery is nothing special, but its location on the Kasakh Gorge makes it a worthwhile visit. We should have been able to see Mt. Aragats from the monastery, but for us, unfortunately, it was too cloudy. It’s located just a little further down the gorge from Hovhannavank Monastery.
Entrance is free to the monasteries. Conservative dress is not enforced, but it would be appropriate.
You can see the two other monasteries on the other side of Mt. Aragats here.
Armenian Alphabet Monument
Not far from these sites, also just below Mt. Aragats, is the Armenian Alphabet Monument. This interesting art installation was built in 2024 to celebrate the 1,600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. There is a different statue for each of the 38 unique letters in the alphabet.
3-D Cross
Above the Alphabet display is the 3D Cross. Built in 2024, the cross is made from 1,724 metal rods representing the years of Christianity since 301 AD. A new rod will be added each year. It’s not worth a visit on its own, but if you visit the alphabet monument, it’s worth a quick stop.
How to get to these sites
There is no way to reach these sites using public transportation. You either need to rent a car, hire a private driver/taxi for the day or take a tour. We took a tour with Arman Tour and were quite satisfied with the service. There are many tour agencies in downtown Yerevan. The service is mostly transportation, so don’t expect to learn a lot of information about the sites from the tour guides.
Amberd Fortress is located in the middle of the map below. The other sites are located very close to it. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom in or click on the markers.
Other great day trips to consider from Yerevan are: Etchmiadzin, Garni/Khor Virap/Geghard, Lake Sevan, Wine Tasting in Areni, and Tatev Monastery. Click on the links to read our posts from each area.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Armenia.
To read more of our adventures in Armenia, click here.
Coming Next – A Visit to Areni – Armenia’s Wine Country
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