It’s only a couple of miles up the trail opposite Noravank (new monastery), Armenia’s top tourist draw, but it’s a steep zigzagging slog, especially in summer. Thankfully, the view from the vantage point is more than worth it.
Only from a distance is it possible to really take in the masterwork of the red stone monastery complex, comprising churches and chapels, and to appreciate the sheer remoteness of the cinnamon-hued canyon it sits in, dotted with honeycomb caverns – “nests for bears” as a local priest later told me. And once you’ve reached the top and come back down, on the road leading to Noravank there is a small cave cafe offering respite in the form of refreshing salads, thick cool madzoon (similar to yoghurt), fresh lavash bread and fizzy bottles of Jermuk, the famous local mineral water.
