Gnishik to Noravank

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Things to see

Gnishik to Noravank

11.7 km

2031m

1387m

Medium

Things to see

Noravank Monastery

An extension of the much shorter Noravank Trail, this trail leads hikers through an oasis for butterflies and bears alike, the Gnishik Canyon. It starts at the remote village of Gnishik and ends at the iconic Noravank Monastery.

Before setting off, be aware that bears are known to frequent this area, even using the trail itself at times. Starting from Gnishik village, follow the trail down into the Gnishik Canyon and get ready for some spectacular cliffside views where you’ll see interesting rock formations and caves built right into the canyon! The trail itself is a mix of ancient footpaths and a newly built trail that makes up a small portion of the Transcaucasian Trail.

The Gnishik Canyon is part of the Arpa Protected Landscape, home to almost 900 plant species and over 500 animal species, including the majestic bezoar ibex, a species of goat indigenous to Armenia. See if you can spot one on your hike! The Arpa Environmental Foundation, which manages the reserve, has placed informational signs about the wildlife throughout the trail, should you like to learn more. If you’re specifically interested in seeing the animals of the reserve, you can contact the organization directly at arpafund@gmail.com or call +374 095 959 007 to arrange a ranger-guided animal watching tour. After traversing this animal oasis, flora, and fauna, immerse yourself in a cultural wonder, the 13th-century Noravank Monastery.

This 5-hour trail is one of four trails in the Arpa Protected Landscape, along with the Chukar trail, the Bezoar Goat trail and, of course, the Noravank trail. All trails are marked by signposts. You can learn more about them on our free app or website. Finally, please be aware that the final stretch of road from Yeghegnadzor village to Gnishik (20 km) is poorly paved and the ride may be rocky.

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Antoine Sabathier

Wonderful hike, amazing views but be careful with two big dogs around a military camp in Amaghu. Those two dogs went right to me after jumping the wall, and were really close to me. Otherwise, one of the best hikes i've ever made. (REROUTE OF TRAIL HAS BEEN MADE TO AVOID GOING NEAR MILITARY CAMP AND DOGS, PLEASE FOLLOW GPS LINE ON WEBSITE/APP)

Nikija Kronberga

A beautiful, but also adventurous hike! We saw many bear tracks, paw prints of big and small bears and many bear poop. There were two of us and we tried to talk loudly all the time because some bear tracks were very fresh. We also saw the Bezor wild goats. And you really have to watch out, when the goats run away, a lot of stones fall down! Also in Amaghu there was a dog barking and defending its territory, but a young man who worked there accompanied us till the path down to Noravank. Although the end of this hike on this map is on the road to Noravank, you don't have to walk on the asphalt to get there because you cross the road and go up the path to the monastery, this path is signposted but not marked on this map. we stayed overnight in Yeghegnadzor, we took a cab to Gnishik and paid 3000 drachmas, but on the way back from Noravank we hitchhiked. We managed the hike in 4h15min (walking time).

Josephine Lucie

Magnificent hike through Gnishik Canyon! For me the most beautiful spot I've seen in Armenia. Did it in late October 2022. It took me 5h pure walking time from Gnishik to the monastery. I didn't encounter a single other hiker on the way but lots on bezoar goats. Watch out, as they actually pose a danger by causing rockfall when running away. I was almost hit. Additionally, there are indeed many traces of bears on the way so I constantly made sounds to avoid surprising one around a corner.

Matt Jenkins

We started in Noravank and hiked up to Gnishik and back. It's a fairly long day at around 24km but doable. The trail is generally well marked, and just a bit of a scramble in places. We did it in May and the path at the bottom of the gorge was partially obstructed by a small stream but easy enough to ford. When crossing the farmland above Noravank, look out for the shepherd dogs. The farmer kindly escorted us across his land so the dogs didn't trouble us!

Florian Kumschier

Just finished the hike at Noravank. We had the best hiking conditiones, sunny but not to hot. Starting at Gnishik and I was confused by the elevation profile of the tour. It shows mostly uphill but we went down most of the time. Could you please change that. This little flaw asside we had a wondeful time. (Note: did the trail in reverse)