Shikahogh State Reserve
The second-largest forest reserve in Armenia, in the far south, with oriental plane groves and leopards on the record.
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Shikahogh covers around ten thousand hectares of the southern Syunik mountains and holds the densest surviving forest in Armenia: oak and hornbeam on the slopes, and in the Tsav valley a grove of oriental plane trees, some of them enormous and centuries old. The reserve is on the route the Caucasian leopard uses moving between Iran and the Caucasus, and camera traps have recorded them. Bear, lynx and wild goat are present.
What you actually see
- The plane grove - old oriental planes along the Tsav river, generally counted the largest stand in the country.
- The oak forest - dense hardwood forest across the slopes.
- The leopard corridor - the route the Caucasian leopard uses through the reserve.
- The Meghri road - the mountain highway that crosses the reserve's northern edge.
When to go
May to October is the season. Autumn colour in the forest is the best of the year. Snow closes the higher tracks in winter.
Honest expectations
Access beyond the road needs a permit and a guide from the reserve. Leopards are effectively never seen; camera traps are the evidence. Facilities are none and the tracks are rough.
Nearby
Kapan is north, and Arevik National Park is south towards Meghri.
What to pack for Shikahogh State Reserve
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.