One of the most
beautiful natural landscapes to visit in northern Armenia can be found near the
border of Shirak and Lori provinces along the Chichkan River. Chichkan River
begins from the slopes of the Shirak Mountain Range and continues its 29
kilometer trek east through the Bazum Mountain Range. Supplied mostly by melting snow and
groundwater the overflow is usually in the late spring to the beginning of summer. Trchkan Waterfall stands at 23 meters and is one
of the highest in Armenia in the sense that it has one of the highest vertical
drops compared to the other waterfalls (Shaki Waterfall has a vertical drop of
18 meters, Jermuk Waterfall stands at over 72 meters but the water falls along
the rocks at a 60 degree angle and Kasakh Waterfall is 70 meters but multi-tiered)
I finally
managed to visit this beauty of nature after living in Armenia for a year and a
half during the end of summer. I was
hoping to visit during spring when the background would be full of green and
color rather than the sea of yellow but was too busy. Located only 33 kilometers from my city of Gyumri,
I had my driver take me in his Russian made Lada jeep and take me through some
small villages and through some spectacular landscapes of endless fields of
wheat. There is nothing but endless cows
and sheep grazing in the fields and once in a while you’ll be able to see hawk
soaring in the sky. After driving past
a small bridge we finally made it to our destination. There’s a small area where people parked but
for those with good 4x4 capability you can take a small steep path down and
cross two streams by car too. I got
dropped off at the top so I had to walk down and then take my shoes off to
cross the two streams that are about shin deep.
There are some
picnic tables and grills to barbeque here and it’s a scenic place to unwind and
relax. The waterfall itself is tucked
away in the cul de sac but there’s no way you can miss it. The water is roaring and steady and the best
thing about this place is that there are small trails to walk up to the top to
get good different perspectives of the waterfall. Luckily for me, I had my drone for that and
was just fine taking pictures on the bottom while the drone did the aerial
photos. Listening to the waterfall is
one of the most relaxing things for me to hear and I never get tired of
listening to it. There’s also a
semi-cave there so you can get behind the actual waterfall! I’d have to say the only disappointing thing
at Trchkan Waterfall was the amount of trash I saw laying around the picnic
area. As a camper, I was always raised
to pick up after myself and to take back whatever you brought with you.
An interesting
local legend describes how this waterfall was named. Apparently the Chichkhan River is abundant in
trout fish and that they swim upstream to spawn. One day the local villagers “witnessed” the
trout swimming and jumping over the 20+ meter high waterfall. After that incident, it was named Trchkhan
that translates to jumping. Due to its
abundance in water, Trchkhan Waterfall is also referred to as the Armenian
Niagara Falls.
Even though the
winters are extremely long and cold some people will still come out to visit
Trchkan Waterfall frozen. If you can
find a driver with the right vehicle and snow chains then go for it otherwise
you’ll have to hike it to get there.
Trchkan Waterfall is also referred to as Icy Queen in the winter months
too.
If you’re looking
for a place to relax and enjoy nature then this is the place for you. Only an hour long drive from Gyumri and even
shorter if you’re coming Spitak or Vanadzor the scenery is beautiful and worth
the drive or hike. If I had more time
I’d love to camp here. Also, in true
Armenian fashion, I met a wonderful family who was picnicking here for the day
and got to experience the wonderful hospitality Armenians are known for. The younger family members were mostly
university students and I was able to communicate with them effectively. Their parents and grandparents were
fascinated to see an Asian guy who could speak Armenian with them. They were quite surprised when I told them that
I was an American volunteer from California living in Gyumri for the past year
and a half. Anyways, they invited me to
their table and asked to join them in their BBQ meal called khorovats in
Armenian. I wasn’t able to sit down and
eat with them since I had to get to the meeting point to get picked up by my
driver but they sent me off with some food anyways! Only minutes later while I was crossing the
stream I met another Armenian family who were curious about my ethnicity and
what I was doing here. I stopped and
explained again in Armenian and naturally they invited me to their picnic table
to have some khorovats with them!
Regrettably, I had to decline their warm invitation and be on my
way.
The best thing
about traveling in Armenia is the beautiful and historic sites but the people
are just as amazing!
Happy
traveling.
