Lake Arpi, National Park

Location:                      North-west Armenia, Shirak 
Province Size:              21,179 hectares 
Altitude:                        2,025 m – 3,196 m 
Year of establishment:  2009 

Landscape: Mountain steppes, subalpine meadows, lakes, wetlands, rivers 
Flora: Orchids, gladiolus, iris, papaver, meadow saffron (colchicum), cyclamen (Caucasian scilla rosenii), Siberian iris, alpine auricula (primula auriculata)
Fauna: Dalmatian pelican, Armenian gull, Eurasian otter, brown bear, Darevski’s viper

Open plains, gentle slopes and ever-changing seasonal colors make Lake Arpi a place for discovery and reflection.
This very young National Park aims to promote sustainable community development and to conserve the typical biodiversity of the volcanic Javakhq-Shirak plateau. Here mountain steppes, subalpine grasslands and high alpine rocky outcrops are intertwined with a wealth of lakes, wetlands and rivers. Spring and summer await tourists with a profusion of colorful flowers. The vast openness of the endless hillside invites those on horseback to gallop through the pristine countryside, famous for its prehistoric history. Birdwatchers discover an abundance of rare species in this globally-important area for birds.

Lake Arpi provides important breeding habitat for globally threatened Dalmatian Pelican listed in the IUCN Red List and national Red Data Book. The colony of Armenian Gull breeding here boasts the largest in the Caucasus (ca. 7,000-10,000 pairs).