One of the most
spectacular natural sights to see in Armenia has got to be Jermuk
Waterfall. Located in the northeastern
region of the Vayots Dzor province lays this well-known health resort town. Surrounded by beautiful forests and
mountains, the name “Jermuk” is derived from the Armenian word “jerm” meaning
warm. The Jermuk area is abundant in
springs and mineral water. The most
remarkable among them are the thermal mineral springs similar by their
composition to the famous Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The warm underground geyser water is used for
drinking, medicinal baths, and curing other ailments.
I had the great
fortune of visiting this area in the peak of summer when the south of Armenia
was dreadfully hot. Due to its elevation
(2,500-3,500 meters) and topography the weather is cool in the summer and mild
in the winters. I was only able to spend
a few hours here and didn’t get a chance to spend a few days as I had hoped but
I could see there was a lot to offer in this town. What I liked most was that the air was so
refreshing and I understand why people come here for medical treatment or
relaxation.
The main purpose
of my visit here was to see the famous Jermuk Waterfall. The tallest waterfall in Armenia it stands at
72 meters and flows into the Arpa River.
About an hour from Shaki Waterfall near the city of Sisian it’s worth to
make the journey to see this. There are
two routes you can take, one way is to take the H43 road that is less driven
because you’ll need 4x4 capability but you will drive alongside a beautiful
gorge with some stunning geological designs along the way. Eventually you’ll also pass a 10th
century monastery called Gndevank that is worth checking out. Occupied by just a handful of friendly monks
it’s worth the stop and the scenery is amazing.
The other road is the H42 and that will give you a bird’s eye view of
the H43 route below. It’s not as scenic
and you’ll pass by a gold mining company and an abandoned chicken factory. You’ll eventually pass a lake, reservoir and the
famous Jermuk Water bottling factory.
Due to its
beauty and the high volume of tourists visiting this place I had to get here at
about 6:30am when no one was around.
Shaki Waterfall is located right next to a hydroelectric plant and I
even got here before the workers. My
purpose was to ensure that no one would ruin my pictures by being in it and to
use my drone for aerial footage before there was someone there to say I
couldn’t use it! You know you’re near
the waterfall once you pass the huge bridge from above. Once you find the power plant you must walk
about 50 meters to get there. There’s no
way you can’t hear the rush of the water trickling down.
There’s nothing
else to say except that Jermuk Waterfall is beautiful and peaceful. There’s a large rock off to the side that is
accessible and you can just sit there surrounded by the flowing water and
admire the beauty while relaxing. I had
about 45 minutes to myself before my driver and the others started to
come. A bridge will give you clear
access to the vista points and it’s always a pleasure for me to see water
trickling down.
An interesting
legend also exists on how Jermuk got its name.
Allegedly, there was once a castle of a prominent Armenian nobleman
located on the nearby steep cliffs. He
had a beautiful daughter who had suitors from far away asking for her hand in
marriage. But she steadfastly refused
them all because her heart belonged to a shepherd’s son. The legend states that every day after
midnight from her bedroom window she would throw a long rope into the gorge so
that they could meet. Once the nobleman
discovered the rope and it’s purpose he demanded she stop seeing him and cursed
his daughter by saying, “If you meet with him again, I want you to become a
mermaid and never be able to leave the water”.
During their next encounter the love struck daughter threw her long hair
out instead of the rope. However, at the
same moment her father’s curse became true and she turned into a mermaid and
her hair became the waterfall!
You only need
about half an hour to admire this visual spectacle. If you got time, stroll into town and see
what they have to offer. One thing in
particular that I liked was the Gallery of Waters. In this particular area, there are pipes in
the walls and the water flows from there into these large stone urns. Above the pipes is the temperature of the
water provided below. There are numerous
pipes with varying degrees of temperature.
Many people will come here with large water bottles and believe that
each pipe has different mineral properties to help cure particular health
issues. There’s plenty to do in this
town, there are also numerous drivers who are available to take you out of town
to the numerous mineral baths. The
Kechut Water Reservoir is also pretty good to see but only when it’s at full
capacity. In the winter, ski slopes are
also available here too.
Happy
traveling.
