YEREVAN (Arka)—The Tatev Monastery tourism area in Armenia’s southern province of Syunik, named Gates of Tatev, has extended the range of its services, now offering rentals for mountain bikes and hot air balloons, rock climbing, a planetarium, a visual show, audio guides, and new stalls with souvenirs, Vahan Meliksetyan, head of the Wings of Tatev tramway company, said today during a meeting with representatives of the tourism industry.
Meliketyan said the updated website for Gates of Tatev will provide detailed information about the services. It will also allow online booking of services.
According to information posted on the Wings of Tatev website, tourists who come to Tatev without a guide may rent a video guide in five languages: English, Armenian, German, Russian and French. Portable devices with audio clips tied to the map will enable tourists to navigate on the terrain independently. Tourists will also have an opportunity to climb down the serpentine road to the river Vorotan to explore the old village in the valley.
Gates of Tatev is located 250 km south of Yerevan. It boasts the world’s longest aerial tramway, built to transport visitors to the Medieval Monastery of Tatev. The 5.7 kilometer-long aerial tramway transports visitors from the village of Halidzor across the Vorotan gorge to the village of Tatev, within walking distance of the monastery, allowing tourists and visitors to bypass a 90-minute drive on a road in and out of the Vorotan River Gorge. The cable car travels at a speed of 37 kilometers per hour (23 miles per hour) and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 meters (1,056 feet) above ground level. It has two cabins, each capable of carrying up to 25 passengers.
The cable car is part of a $45 million-dollar public-private effort to develop tourism at Tatev and in the overall region of Syunik.
The new Wings of Tatev website will launch in September. It will provide an opportunity to book tickets on-line.
The 100,000th visitor visited Wings of Tatev last year. This year, the tramway is preparing to welcome its 150,000th visitor.
The first week on its inauguration, I took a ride. I was so proud!
I hope other achievements will follow. We need a cruise on lake Sevan-Harijavank-Noraduz.
A chartered airplane tour between Yerevan and Stepanakert.
A quick question: Why Gumri Airport functions in limited capacity (only three flights a week to two Russian
destinations?)