Vayots Dzor Region

"Magil Caverns - bat lair" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

The Magili Caverns are 1.7km deep and are full of many narrow passages and tunnels, as well as some bats and stalactites.  The entrance is easy to reach from the road leading to Noravank Monastery, and is marked with a metal wire hanging down the tunnel to help you climb in.  The bats often sleep close to the entrance, hanging in large communities.  Going more than a room or two into the caverns is dangerous for inexperienced or unguided spelunkers.  You can easily get lost in this labrynth if you do not know what you are doing.  You should wear old clothes that cover your entire body since you will often be crawling and head protection is also not a bad idea.  Completely covering yourself will also keep you warm in the perennially cool inside temperature, with one spot having a constant strong cold wind.  There are stalactites and stalagmites in Magili Caverns, but they are not very remarkable, and many have been broken off by vandals.  The rooms in the caverns tend to be narrow, usually no more than a few meters wide.  The height and length of the rooms however is often very large.  You should bring a couple of flashlights and some spare batteries just to be safe.

A kilometer south past Areni is the turnoff right for Noravank and Magili Caverns, across the bridge and through a narrow gorge, you can just barely see the small entry tunnel on your left next to the large gash in the rocks pictured at the bottom of this page.  

"Magili Caverns - Stalactites" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

"Magili Caverns - Chamber" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

"Cavern entry tunnel is just meters to the left of this large opening" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved