The Vorotan Gorge is often called the Grand Canyon of Armenia. It is located 20 km south of the city of Goris and 230 km from Yerevan. Despite the distance from the capital, tourists come here every day on excursions from Yerevan, as the sights of the Vorotan Gorge are among the most interesting in all of Armenia.
People go to the Vorotan Gorge to see the famous Tatev Monastery. However, the beauty of the gorge itself cannot leave anyone indifferent. It can be seen from below by driving along the mountain serpentine, as well as from above by riding the Wings of Tatev cable car. If you go by car along the bottom of the gorge, then do not forget to make a stop near the Devil`s Gate. This is a through cave, which was punched in the rock by the river. There is a road on top of the cave and cars drive along it every day. Alas, it is impossible to go down into the cave itself, it can only be viewed from above.
The total length of the Vorotan gorge is 178 kilometers, but for tourists the most interesting segment is 16 kilometers from the village of Alidzor to the Tatev monastery. 16 kilometers is the distance along the mountain serpentine. If you go by cable car, the distance in a straight line is much shorter.
The Wings of Tatev cable Car (Tatever in Armenian) was built in 2010. This is a pendulum cable car. The length of this cable car is 6 kilometers, which makes it one of the longest cable cars in the world. The upper station is located above the small village of Alidzor, which is located on a small balcony above the Vorotan Gorge. In some places, the depth of the Vorotan Gorge, where the cableways "float", reaches 350 meters. The cabin of the pendulum cable car moves at a speed of 32 km /h. The travel time from the entrance to the Vorotan Gorge to the Tatev Monastery is 12 minutes.
There is a ledge in the middle of the gorge, which is called Arnadzor. A small watchtower, similar to a belfry, is built on it. Previously, there was an alarm bell in it. The towers with alarm bells were located at a distance of about 50 kilometers south of the Tatev Monastery. It was an early warning system for the approach of enemy military detachments. Only the tower in the Vorotan Gorge has survived to this day.
