Vayots Dzor Region is famous for its wonderful landscape and numerous caves with amongst them well-known Bird, Magil, Archeri and Mozrov Caves accompanied with rich flora and fauna. The place has been recognized as an Important Bir Area as it hosts some of the bird species that are globally threatened.

Mageli Cave is one of the largest caves in Armenia; its mapped area is 1.7 km deep but there are many offshoots that have not been entirely explored. The cavern was inhabited as far back as the Chalcolithic period, along with more “recent” finds from the 10-14th centuries. Its remote location and difficult entry made it a good place to hide during invasions.

Mageli has a unique underground ecosystem, home to thousands of bats. The only mammal capable of true flight, bats are an important part of Armenia's ecology, a keystone species that is vital to the stability of the eco-system.

Birds Cave is actually a complex of smaller caves that are more easily explored than Mageli Cave. The cave is located at the (M2) highway, at the entrance to Noravank Canyon. It is in the cliff behind the riverside restaurant (to the right as you enter the gorge). It is reached by taking a footpath behind the restaurant up the steep hill to the triangular entry points into the caves.

A more recent excavation uncovered evidence of wine production from the Chalcolithic period, which if proved will make the cave one of the earliest known sites for wine fermentation in the world (ca. 4200-3800 BC).

Armenia's Bats: The largest bat populations are in southern Armenia though millions nest in the countless number of caves and crevices throughout the country. More than 800 caves and grottoes inhabited by bats have been discovered and mapped in Armenia, including more comprehensive research of cave-dwelling bats.

Mageli Cave is one of the largest caves in Armenia; its mapped area is 1.7 km deep but there are many offshoots that have not been entirely explored. The cavern was inhabited as far back as the Chalcolithic period, along with more “recent” finds from the 10-14th centuries. Its remote location and difficult entry made it a good place to hide during invasions.

Mageli has a unique underground ecosystem, home to thousands of bats. The only mammal capable of true flight, bats are an important part of Armenia's ecology, a keystone species that is vital to the stability of the eco-system. . .