Geghard Monastery - Garni Temple Route

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Unknown

The mountain biking route starts from Geghardavank and ends at the Garni Temple. The most famous tourist centers of Armenia, the Garni pagan temple and Geghardavank are in the Kotayk region of Armenia, and the route passes through Khosrov State Reserve.

All types of telecom connections are available along the route. In case of accidents, use 911. Beware of dogs without leashes in the villages.

To get to the above-mentioned mountain biking route, use a taxi. The return is from Garni Temple.

Eranus sierra with all the beauty will appear on the way. The mountain biking route heads down the slopes of Goght Village gorge, reaching the valley of Goght River en route to the Garni pagan temple, where the route ends.

The distance from Yerevan is 35 km. It is located on the right bank of Azat River, in historic Geghardadzor. The monastery complex, surrounded by rocks, consists of the main temple, two courtyards, two churches, a number of cells and tombs. Geghard Monastery was founded in the early years of adopting Christianity as a state religion (beginning of the 4th century) in Armenia. The foundation of the monastery was attributed to Grigor Lusavorich. Geghardavank was one of the spiritual and cultural centers of medieval Armenia. The building has been recognized as part of UNESCO's World Heritage and is considered one of the most visited sites in Armenia.

The Pagan temple of Garni is located in the Kotayk region, on the right bank of the Azat River. It was founded the grandson of Hayk Nahapet Gegham, and it was named after his grandson Garnik. The architectural style of the temple is Hellenistic, it was built by King Trdat in 77 AD. The temple is open to the public all year round, throughout all the seasons. At night, the temple is illuminated.

From the Garni Temple to Geghard, one can see many interesting and varied plants, trees, and flowers that change depending on the climate. On the lower slopes, the semi-desert landscape is dominant. The forest vegetation is spread in the form of islands at the average altitude and is composed of juniper forests and oak trees.

The mountain biking route is safe in terms of meeting wild animals. The Khosrov Reserve Park is located in the east of the Garni region, where you actually can see wild animals. The Armenian mouflon (wild sheep) and Bezoar goat live there. There are also leopards, brown bears, boars, foxes, rabbits, wolves, and other wild animals.

Best time is from May to November. Geghard is 40 km from Yerevan and approximately one hour away. Taxi fee is AMD 4000, entrance fee is AMD 1200. The whole route takes around four hours. 1,400 to 2,100 meters above sea level.

20% of the road is covered by asphalt, 80% dirt. Take a bottle of water with you.