Dilijan National Park
Northern Armenia’s Dilijan National Park is home to hiking trails where you can see bears, wolves and several species of eagle. However, it’s the 10th-century Haghartsin Monastery in Dilijan town that attracts visitors for its unique Armenian architecture.
Hidden gems in Dilijan National Park
Dilijan National Park
Kachardzan to Hovk trek
If you have longer to spend in the area, you could spend five to seven days on this this multi-day waymarked trail from the village of Kachardzan to Hovk, via Dilijan. You’ll hike through forests, gorges and woodlands and see the beautiful 12th-century Goshavank and 10th-century Haghartsin monasteries along the way. There are campsites and guesthouses along the way, but be sure to contact them beforehand to see if they’re open, or book with a specialist hiking company.
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Dilijan National Park
Matosavank & Jukhtavank loop
If you're pushed for time while in Dilijan National Park, this short hike should take just over an hour and gives you a good glimpse of the area's scenery along with the ruins of two medieval monasteries, 13th-century Matosavank and 11th-century Jukhtavank. You can either start this hike by driving to the trailhead on Abovyan St. or you can walk for about an hour from the Dilijan tourist information centre. The info centre has mountain bikes that you can rent for this loop.
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Dilijan National Park
Parz Lake day hike
This is my favourite hike in Dilijan National Park. Come in spring to hike through valleys teeming with millions of wildflowers that can be plucked to make tea. Starting from Dilijan’s helpful tourist information centre where you can rent hiking gear such as poles and sleeping bags, walk out of town to the south and up the mountain until you’re looking down on Dilijan. Follow the signs that indicate the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT), a 3,000km network of paths throughout the region, until you reach Parz Lake where you’ll find accommodation, a khoravats barbecue restaurant, a mini-rope park, paddle boats for rent and an hour-long 2km trail around the lake. You can spend the night here or have the info centre in Dilijan organise a cab to take you back to town. If you’re keen to hike some more, you can continue along the TCT another four hours (7.1km) to the 12th-century Goshavank Monastery and to Gosh Lake, which will take an extra hour (4.2km)
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Kachardzan to Hovk trek
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Matosavank & Jukhtavank loop
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Parz Lake day hike
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Dilijan National Park itineraries
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