Debed Canyon

The Debed river cuts a deep canyon through northern Armenia, and the road to Georgia runs along the bottom of it past industrial towns and up side roads to monasteries perched on the rim. Haghpat and Sanahin, both tenth-century foundations a few kilometres apart, carry a joint UNESCO listing and are among the finest medieval complexes in the country, with domed churches, book depositories, bell towers and covered galleries built of the local stone. Sanahin holds a scriptorium with niches for manuscripts. Around them, villages sit on ledges above the gorge, and Odzun's church further north is older still. The industrial town of Alaverdi below, with its copper smelter and cable car, is a jarring counterpoint.

What you actually see

• Haghpat Monastery - the larger complex, with a bell tower and carved khachkars.
• Sanahin Monastery - the scriptorium with manuscript niches and an academy hall.
• Odzun church - a sixth to seventh-century basilica with a carved memorial stele.
• The canyon road - villages on ledges above the gorge, and the Alaverdi cable car.

When to go

May to October; the canyon is green in spring and gold in October. Winter brings ice on the steep side roads up to the monasteries, which are the tricky part of the drive.

Honest expectations

The side roads climbing from the canyon floor to the monasteries are steep and narrow, and in poor weather they are genuinely difficult. Alaverdi's smelter and Soviet industrial infrastructure dominate the valley and shock visitors who expected only medieval Armenia. Public transport is awkward; a car or driver makes this region viable.

Nearby

The Georgian border is an hour north; Dilijan lies south over the pass.