15 km  |  4-5 hours  | Easy
The trail embarks from the steps of the Tatev Monastery – the most visited tourist site in Southern Armenia – and finishes at the picturesque village of Tandzaver. It follows the road, connecting several quaint villages on route, and takes in breathtaking views of the monastic complex and, after a short climb, incredible vistas of the valley below. After passing the main viewpoints, there is very limited traffic on the road, with most other cars accessing the south of Armenia on the road via Goris to the east.
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This section of the trail is also suitable as a cycling path, and a company renting bikes and quadbikes is due to open soon in Tatev and Tandzaver.
General Description The trail embarks from the steps of the Tatev Monastery – the most visited tourist site in Southern Armenia – and finishes at the picturesque village of Tandzaver. It follows the road, connecting several quaint villages on route, and takes in breathtaking views of the monastic complex and, after a short climb, incredible vistas of the valley below. After passing the main viewpoints, there is very limited traffic on the road, with most other cars accessing the south of Armenia on the road via Goris to the east.
This section of the trail is also suitable as a cycling path, and a company renting bikes and quadbikes is due to open soon in Tatev and Tandzaver.
​When looking at the main entrance to the monastery, take the paved road immediately to the right which will loop around the mountainside overlooking Tatev.
​Approximately 10 minutes into the walk you will come to the spot from where the iconic photos of the Tatev monastery are taken.
​After this viewpoint there is quite a short decline, as the road slopes down and round the corner of the hill. Don’t take the road to Tanzatap, which goes to the left, carry on up the road to the right, as marked by signs. 
​The path continues to wind up the mountain, not particularly steep but considerable in distance. At the highest point of the trail (just over 1900 meters) a beautiful landscape opens up to the left. A fresh water sources can be found 300 meters on the left slightly after the electricity poles, as marked by this screenshot: 
​Then a general descent begins into the village of Aghvani, a rural community with a population of about 70 people. Note the typical Armenian cemetery on the adjacent hillside to your right. You will also notice that the landscape starts to become more green.
From this point the path continues to slope down until you reach Tandzaver, the first village in the Kapan region with a population of 120. The village has a functioning church, Surb Hripsime, dating to 1705 by an inscription on its wall. Nearby, adjacent to a house in the village, are the remnants of another church whose date and name are unknown.
​Ark Armenia runs a newly-established camp in Tandzaver with five wooden huts which sleep two people each (4,000/person/night) and there are seven places for tents (3000/p/night). It has a hot shower, toilet, running water, electricity from solar panels and there is a fireplace (where can make bonfire of cook).
See https://www.facebook.com/tandzaverecocamp
The camp can be booked via email on the website arkarmenia.com or ask for local woman Kashuni, who will open the camp for you on arrival.
You can also seek out Mika or Paloma, a Spanish couple living in the village who are able to help with any translation problems and link hikers to local services.

Additional Hikes

​We also recommend taking an extra 2 hours to walk around the new ‘Legends trail’ – a new loop that begins and finishes in Tandzaver. It includes landart from international artists