Dilijan National Park

Most visitors to Armenia spend all of their nights in Yerevan. Spending a night or two in Dilijan while exploring Tavush Marz is well worth it. There are plentiful accommodations in Dilijan, from the luxury of the Tufenkian Hotel to much more basic hotels or homes. From Dilijan you can explore up to the Georgian border and the remote Shamshadin region much more easily than from Yerevan, and then continue on to Lori Marz.
 

• Haghartsin Monastery. One of Armenia's most popular monasteries, Haghartsin is nestled in lush forested mountains about a half hour drive from Dilijan. The monastery is in good condition and has a resident priest who sometimes gives tours. There are a few different churches, a large gavit, a huge dining hall, khachkars and a massive hollow tree. A slightly sweet bread is often being baked in an old oven.  
• Goshavank Monastery, (40 minutes north of Dilijan). Goshavank monastery is surrounded by a traditional village, and has a groundskeeper who opens the main church building up for visitors, and can give a tour. This is the one church in all of Armenia where entrance to one of the chambers is not free. The chamber is nice, but you can certainly enjoy the rest of the complex without it, especially since it may not be offered in English. There are excellent carved details and khachkars here, but the "lacework" khachkar at Goshavank is one of the most impressive in the world.  
• Jukhtak Vank Monastery. A nice little monastery just on the edge of Dilijan, a short 10 minute hike from the Dilijan Mineral Water plant. Huge iron bands hold one of the two churches together, preventing its collapse.  
• Matosavank Monastery, (Follow the marked trail from the water bottlers.). Matosavank is a 25 minute hike from the Dilijan Mineral Water plant. It is easy to miss, and not terribly interesting from the outside, but the inside is a cool, moist, green, mossy world unto itself. The low light illuminating bright green algae covered khachkars is very soothing, and the environment transports you far from your daily life.  
• Dilijan Reserve. Dilijan Reserve surrounding town has some marked hiking trails you can try out and discover some lesser known monasteries, a lake, forests, springs and wildlife.  
• Aghavnavank Monastery. Aghavnavank Monastery (Armenian: Աղավնավանք, also Anapat St. Astvatsatsin, Aghnabat) is a 12th-13th century monastic complex located at Dilijan National Park on the outskirts of Aghavnavank village of the Tavush Province of Armenia. The forest – Aghnabat, surrounding the monastery, is famous for its Yew Grove Reservation. There is a picnic place with trees about 50 meters from the monastery, on the bank of a river. The church is a small structure with the dome in the center and its depositaries. It is built with yellowish polished stone/չեչաքարից?/: The dome, resembling a crested hood, rests on arches bridging pillars together. On the eastern facade of the church two triangular cavities are carved. The hood of the dome and the roof were covered with polished slabs, only few of which were preserved on the roof, and the hood itself became completely naked. Shaped stones of cornice fell down, too.In the south from the monument numerous construction remains were preserved, which most probably constituted logistical and residential premises of the Church Congregation. 

• Parz Litsh (Clear Lake). Clear Lake is a dream or a miraculous vision one can ever imagine. It is located on the 9th km north-east from Dilijan, in the north-west of Areguni Mountain Chain, on a marvelously forested slope. The lake is of a landslide interdiction origin with outflow. Its altitude is 1350 m, the length – 300 m, the width – 70-80 m, and the depth – up to 10 m. The lake occupies 27 000 sq. m of total area with 83,8 cubic meter of total volume. The lakeside section is flat and the southern part – rocky. In summer, the water temperature reaches 15.5 C. Filling of the lake occurs from springs and atmospheric precipitations. The poet – Gevorg Emin, says: “Go to Parz Litch, I urge you to go. One last time I tell you to go as long as the magic is there.”  

• Lake Tzrka. The Lake is a cozy corner in Dilijan mountains. The surface area of the lake is 2000 m2. The depth is 6-10 meters, and in parts more than 10 meters. This lake is a source of rock, located to the north of its bank. Near the lake is Gosh village. The water is used for drinking and agricultural purposes. Long ago leeches were bred here for traditional and non-traditional medicines. There are no longer leeches now, but the lake is called Tzrka by their name. It is better to travel by foot rather than by car to enjoy the beautiful and delicate wildlife surrounding the lake. Swimming in the lake is not recommended.  

• Mantash Fortress (Ashot Yerkat Fortress, Kara-Kala). The fortress is located on top of a steep mountain, on the right bank of Aghstev River, about 25 km north-east from Dilijan. It was built under the Arab rule and was one of Armenian invulnerable fortresses. The fortress has two entrances, the doors of which were made of large stones. The passable parts of the mountain are strongly fortified with walls that have pyramid-shaped towers on top. The main entrance of the fortress is in the south-western corner of the plateau, in the east of the mountain wall.  

• Museum-Reserve. Museum gallery was opened to present Dilijan mode of life in the late 19th- and early 20th-century. It was unique and different compared to other regions, because the first habitants were rich people and aristocrats from Transcaucasus largest cities. They came here because of summer cottages, which were more, than continually inhabited houses. Gallery consists of 4 parts – living room, dining-room, bedroom and kitchen. The living-room is decorated with rugs and carpets made by Armenian masters.  

• Children's Art School. The Children's art school in Dilijan is named after an honored Artist of Armenian art, Hovhannes Sharambeyan. The Art school was founded by Hovhannes Sharambeyan in 1947 as an Art Studio, and in 1970 it became an Art school. Since then, the development of folk art and crafts from a variety of sectors has been maintained in Dilijan city. Today, after a dozen years have passed since the school's inception it is impossible to evaluate the role and contribution of the artist in the aesthetic education of the next generation.  

• Old Dilijan Complex. "Old Dilijan" museum complex was initiated and formed in 1979 by artist Hovhannes Sharambeyan. The aim of the museum was to present the history of Dilijan, its lifestyle, and the interest of the people who live there. Here instead of the previously established workshops and houses, 16 studios were opened where you could see items used in everyday life as well as handmade works of Dilijan craftsmen and artists. In 2005 the territory was leased by American-Armenian businessman James Tufenkian, who has already had a list of hotel complexes named “Tufenkian Hospitality” LTD.  

• Museum of Folk Art. Right at the center of Dilijan and near the river Agstev, the summer house of Princess Mariam Tumanyan was located. Now it is the Dilijan Branch of Yerevan State Museum of Folk Art. With the initiation of the last resident of the house, Hovhannes Sharamberyan, the building was turned into a museum of folk art. Contemporary folk masters and self-taught artists’ works are collected there. The museum includes significant ethnographic exhibits as it is well known, the folk art and ethnography are closely related to each other. Since the founding of the museum in 1979, H. Sharamberyanhas donated his collection to the Dilijan folk art museum, which completes the stock list.