Waterfalls of Armenia

A waterfall is a place where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops somewhere along a stream or river.

Due to the mountainous landscape of Armenia the angle of fall of the rivers is quite high, which contributes to the formation of waterfalls.  

There are both plunge and cascade waterfalls in Armenia. The highest cascade waterfall in Armenia is the waterfall of Jermuk the height of which is 68 meters and the highest plunge waterfall is the waterfall of Trchkan with a height of 23 meters. The cascade of Litchq falls is another well-known waterfall in Armenia. Moreover, there are some temporary waterfalls as well that mainly form throughout  the springtime as a result of the seasonal snowmelt and high level of precipitations.

We are trying to unearth and present those waterfalls that are not yet included in the geographical literature of Armenia.

Jermuk Waterfall

This is a waterfall and a natural hydrogeological monument in Vayots Dzor province of  Armenia. The waterfall is situated in the town of Jermuk, on the Jermuk river which is the right tributary of the Arpa river. The waterfall of Jermuk forms from tributaries, and plummets over 3 dome-shaped and 68-meter-high cliffs down into the Arpa River.

There is an interesting legend regarding this waterfall. According to the legend, on the precipitous cliffs of the waterfall the house of an Armenian nobleman was situated, who had an extremely beautiful daughter whom men from all over the world asked to marry. However she refused everyone, because her heart belonged to the handsome son of the shepherd.

Every day after midnight she threw a long rope into the gorge so that the son of the shepherd could reach her house. One day, the nobleman found the rope and cursed his daughter saying: “If you meet him again, I want you to become a mermaid and never be able to get out of water.”  

After this, during their next meeting, the lady threw her long hair instead of the rope and right at that moment the curse became a reality and the girl turned into a mermaid and her hair into a waterfall. This is why people refer to this waterfall as “The mermaid’s hair” as well.

Shaki Waterfall

This is a natural hydrogeological monument in Armenia. The waterfall is situated 3 kilometers north-west of Sisian town–on the Shaki River. The latter is one of the tributaries of Vorotan. The height of the waterfall is 18 meters. This is one of tourists’ favorite nature sights in Armenia.

According to the legend, Shaki was a lovely young lady. She was so attractive that an Arab invader who came to conquer our country could not stand her beauty and fell in love with her. The invader ordered Shaki to marry him, but the girl did not obey the conqueror and threw herself down the height. At that moment the hems of her dress spread over the hill and became a waterfall.

Nowadays, the main part of the waterfall is used for the operation of the Shaki hydrological power station which absorbs a considerable amount of water and does not allow the waterfall to shine in all its glory.

Trchkan Waterfall

This waterfall is located on the border of Shirak and Lori provinces of Armenia, on the left tributary of the Pambak River–Chichkan. The Chichkan river starts from the north-eastern slopes of the Shirak Mountains at an altitude of 2250 meters and flows to the east through the inter-mountainous valley of the Bazum Mountains. The length of the river is 29 kilometers, and the area of the drainage basin is 192 square kilometers. Snow-melts are the main source of water. The river rages from March to June.  The mid-stream of the river passes through a narrow and deep gorge which results in the formation of the Trchkan Waterfall, which is also known as the waterfall of Chichkan. The height of this waterfall is 23 meters. In 2008, it was included in the list of the natural monuments of Armenia. The area of the waterfall has been registered as a specially protected area since 2011.

Gegharot Waterfall

The waterfall of Gegharot is situated on the slopes of Mount Aragats, on the Gegharot tributary of the Qasakh River, at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level. It is located 12 kilometers away from the village of Aragats. In the winter, the waterfall freezes, and even in the summer the water is ice-cold, plummeting from about 17 meters. It is very similar to the waterfall of Trchkan and is included in the list of natural hydrological monuments of Armenia.

Nare Waterfall

This is the official name of this recently discovered waterfall. The waterfall of Nare is situated in Ararat province, on the left tributary of the Aratso River. The height of the waterfall is 7 meters. It is worth noting that it was discovered by the members of the Armenian Geographical Project while studying the tourist routes of Hell’s Canyon in Ararat province.

Qaravaz Waterfall

The waterfall of Qaravaz is situated in Vayots Dzor province, 2 kilometers east of Karmrashen village, on the right tributary of the Herher River – Qaravaz.

Herher Waterfall

This waterfall is situated in Vayots Dzor province on the Herher River, 5 kilometers north of the homonymous village.

Aghjots Waterfalls (Khosrov Waterfall)

These four waterfalls are located in the territory of Khosrov Forest State Reserve. Two of them are named after ancient Armenian pagan gods Vahagn and Astghik.

Khachaghbyur or Lastiver Waterfall

This waterfall is located in Tavush province on the Khachaghbyur River.

Lichk Waterfall

A waterfall cascade in Syunik province, on the Meghri River.

Sharach Waterfall

Sharach is a waterfall in Tavush province and is situated on the Khndzorut River. The height of the waterfall is 15 meters.

Aghvan Waterfall

This waterfall is located in Syunik province, on the left tributary of the Meghri River–Malev– 10 kilometers south-east of Malev which is an abandoned village.

Vardanidzor Waterfall

The waterfall is situated in Syunik province, 5 kilometers north-west of Vardanidzor village, on the tributary of the Berdakar River–Vardanidzor.  

Paravadzor Waterfall

This waterfall is situated in Syunik province, on the left tributary of the Berdakar River, 3 kilometers north of Vardanidzor village.  

Getikvank waterfall

The waterfall of Getikvank is located in Vayots Dzor province, on the right tributary of the Yeghegis River, 5 kilometers west of Vardahovit village.

Amasia Waterfall

The waterfall is situated in Shirak province, on the right tributary of the Akhuryan River, east of the homonymous village.

Vorotan Waterfall

Vorotan Waterfall is located in Syunik province on the Vorotan River.  The height of the waterfall is 6 meters.

Kaputjugh Falls

This waterfall is located in Syunik province, 10 kilometers west of Kajaran town, on the Kaputjugh River.

Shinuhayr Waterfall

The waterfall of Shinuhayr is situated in Syunik province, on the left side of the Vorotan River, 5 kilometers north-west of Old Shinuhayr.

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