Shikahogh Reserve
Dense southern forest with ancient plane trees
- Area Syunik
- Type Nature
- Time needed 3h
A state reserve of dense broadleaf forest in the far south of Armenia, protecting some of the least disturbed woodland in the Caucasus. The best-known feature is a grove of very old oriental plane trees, and the reserve is managed for conservation rather than for visitors.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 286 km from Yerevan, roughly 5h 12m by car, on the road south of Kapan towards Meghri. This is a destination to reach from a southern base, not from the capital in a day.
What you see
Steep forested slopes of oak, hornbeam and maple, thick enough that there are few open views. The plane grove in the river valley has huge, pale, buttressed trunks. Streams, side gorges and a good deal of birdsong make up the rest, and large mammals are present but very rarely seen.
What to pair it with
Fits with Kapan, Vahanavank and Bgheno-Noravank, and with the run further south towards Meghri.
When to go
Late spring and autumn are best, with October colour in the forest. Summer is hot and humid at this altitude, and winter access is limited.
What is hard about it
There is almost no visitor infrastructure: tracks rather than marked trails, no interpretation and no reliable signage. Walking off the main tracks without a local guide is not sensible, and the forest gives few of the panoramic views people expect from a nature reserve.
Common questions
Do I need a permit?
Reserve access rules exist and have changed over time, so check before travelling. [VERIFY — confirm current details]
Will I see leopards or bears?
Realistically no. Large mammals are present in the area but sightings are extremely rare.
Are there marked walking trails?
Not in any dependable sense. There are forest tracks and informal paths, and a local guide is the practical way to walk here.
Nearby
- Tatev Monastery9th-century monastery on a cliff above the Vorotan gorge
- Wings of TatevRecord-breaking 5.7 km reversible cable car to Tatev
- Tatev Great HermitageFortified hermitage in the gorge below Tatev
- Karahunj (Zorats Karer)Prehistoric standing stones, sometimes called Armenian Stonehenge
- Shaki Waterfall18-metre waterfall near Sisian
- Old KhndzoreskCave village linked by a swinging footbridge
More of the same kind
- Symphony of StonesBasalt columns lining the Garni gorge like organ pipes
- TsaghkadzorMountain resort with a cable car up Mount Teghenis
- Mount AragatsArmenia's highest peak, with Lake Kari below the summits
- Khosrov Forest ReserveAncient royal hunting reserve of rugged canyons