Armenia

Armenia stands between Europe and Asia. It is a landlocked country situated to the South of the Caucasus Mountains, bordered by Turkey to the West, Georgia to the North, Azerbaijan to the East and Iran to the South. Armenia  used to be part of an empire which extended from the Caspienne to the Mediterranean sea. It was already present in the antique maps of Anatolia. It was part of the silk road which used to link Eastern Asia to Venice. It is also recognized as the first country to officially adopt Chirstianity in 301 AD. A turbulent history along centuries divided the ancient kingdom many times under the various rulings of the Byzantine, Turk, Ottoman, Iranian and Russian empires The actual 3 million of Armenian people living in Armenia are strongly related and dependant of the 8 millions of Armenians who are living outside the country since the diaspora was  formed as a result of the Armenian genocide ordered by the Ottoman Empire at the time of WWI.

After the war it became part of the Soviet Union and successfully  developed during this period. But at the time of  its independence in 1991 the Republic of Armenia had not resolved its conflicts with Azerbaijan and Turkey.  The borders with these 2 countries are closed and the sanctions imposed are strongly weakening the economy.

 The hospitality of the people, the scenery of the mountains and of Lake Sevan, the Armenian culture and the  3000 years long history makes the country a great attraction to the tourists. Traveling is safe. Hotels are comfortable, Food is delicious. You can easily spend one ot two weeks  enjoying one of their numerous festivals, or visiting villages, monasteries, Unesco sites, local museums, or learning with local masters about cooking, ceramics, drawing, carpet making, jewelry and toy making, willow-weaving, batik-painting.

Celestial Voyagers will be happy to customize a program for you based on your main and specific interests either with a stay in Yerevan with daily excursions in the vicinity or with tours visiting either or both of Southern or Northern Armenia