The city of Goris is located 240 kilometers from Yerevan. Armenia is a small country and most excursions can be done in 1 day from the capital. However, there are many attractions in the vicinity of Goris, so tourists stop here for 2-3 days to see all the interesting places.
Goris is located in a mountain basin, among tuff rocks, similar to Turkish Cappadocia. These rocks are beautifully illuminated in the evening, and during the day you can walk along hiking trails in the valleys. However, most tourists come to Goris for visiting the Vorotan Gorge and the Tatev Monastery.
Tatev Monastery is one of the most famous sights of Armenia and is of great cultural and historical value for the country. Tatev Monastery was founded in the Vorotan Gorge in 895. The Church of Peter and Paul, built in 895-906, has been preserved there.
You can ride here one of the longest cable cars "Wings of Tatev" and see the beauty of the Vorotan Gorge. The cable car passes at an altitude of 300 meters above the Vorotan River. There is a Devil`s Bridge in the middle of the road between the Tatev Monastery and the upper station of the Wings of Tatev cable car. This is a through cave, which was pierced in the rock by the Vorotan River at the bottom of the Vorotan Gorge. There is an asphalt road at the top. The width of the through cave is 60 meters, the length is 30 meters.
In addition to the Vorotan Gorge and the Tatev Monastery in Goris, you have to visit the Cave city of Khndzoresk and the megalithic complex Zorats-Karer. The cave settlement of Khndzoresk is one of the interesting sights in the vicinity of Goris. The local rocks are not composed of basalt, as in the vicinity of Yerevan, but of soft tuff. In numerous canyons, water and wind have been creating "stone pillars" for thousands of years. In ancient times, the inhabitants cut down caves in them.
The ancient megalithic complex of Zorats-Karer is located on a mountain plateau, at an altitude of 1770 meters above sea level. It is located near the road, so during a trip to Goris or to the Tatev Monastery, plan a stop for at least an hour near Zorats-Karer. The distance to Goris from Zorats-Karer is 30 km to the southeast, and to the small town of Sisian is only 3 kilometers to the south.
