Nearby Accommodations

Map

Aragatsotn

Aragatsotn Province

Aragatsotn is one of the most beautiful, mountainous and sparsely populated provinces of Armenia. Many medieval monasteries, as well as Armenia’s highest peak, Aragats Mountain, are located in the Aragatsotn Province.

Geographical Position

The Aragatsotn Province is in the northwest of Armenia. It borders Turkey and the provinces Shirak, Lori, Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Armavir and the Yerevan District.

General Description

The Aragatsotn Province is mostly a bare country with mountains, many rivers, brooks and reservoirs. The highest mountain of the Republic of Armenia, Aragats, is located in the Aragatsotn Province. Climbing this mountain that is 3000m above sea level is an amazing experience. It has four summits, and there is a lake in the middle. At the summit of Aragats, there is a restaurant where you can taste Khash - an Armenian special dish made of cow hooves.

The Aparan reservoir is a fascinating construction - it was built by blocking the outlet of the Kasakh river at the southern point of a huge gorge. This part of the province is forested; you can see the forests from the highway going to the city Vanadzor.

There are numerous small lakes in the mountains ranging from east to west, like Kari Litch, Sev Litch, Lesin Lake, Nig Lake.

The Towns and Villages

There are 3 towns in Aragatsotn province: Ashtarak, Aparan and Talin. The province center is the city Ashtarak, about 24 km from Yerevan. There are big villages - Oshakan, Byurakan, Ohanavan, Kaqavadzor, Mastara.

Getting There

It's very easy to explore the sites of Aragatsotn Province, since it is adjacent to many provinces and is so close to Yerevan. You can take a bus to the city Ashtarak at Paronyan Bus Station, near the market. It's a 30-minute trip. From Ashtarak you can go left to the town Talin or you can go northward up to the town Aparan. You can get to both towns from Ashtarak in another 30-40 minutes.