The province is home to many ancient landmarks and tourist attractions in Armenia including the 8th-century Tanahat Monastery, the 10th-century Smbataberd fortress, and the 13th-century Noravank monastery. Vayots Dzor is also home to the spa-town of Jermuk. ARENI CAVE The world's oldest known wine-making facility has been discovered in southern Armenia, dating back more than 6,000 years (the beginning of the 4th Millennium BC. The excavations occurred between 2007 and 2014 by a team of Armenian, American and Irish archaeologists. The findings include numerous large storage vessels, wine-storage jars, associated pottery and metal implements. The remains of grape seeds found in the jars morphologically were close to domesticated grapevines providing evidence of vine cultivation. Wine storage clay jars combined with the chemical analyses of the organic residues by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) showed the presence of tartaric acid and the red pigment anthocyanin malvidin, left no doubt that the jars had contained red wine. THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN VAYOTS DZOR • Hiking Tours at Arpa protected landscape • Jeep Tours above Noravank, Jermuk hot water springs • Camping at Artavan (VR / AR) • Cycling and Horseback riding • Wildlife Observation (bears) in Shatin and Chiva • Wildlife Observation (Bezoar Goats) in Noravank area • Rock climbing and Rope jumping at Noravank Canyon • Bird Watching at Orbelian's Caravanserai, Gnishik, Smbataberd (April, May, September) •Areni Wine Fest (October) •Ecotourism festival (July) • Gata festival (September)

The province of Aragatsotn is located in the western part of Armenia and is surrounded by mountains from three sides; one of which is Mount Aragats, the highest peak of Armenia (4,090 m), a most wanted hiking and climbing destination for travelers. THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN ARAGATSOTN •Stargazing at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory • Hiking tours and winter sports • Rock climbing below the village Ohanavan, in the Kasagh canyon • 10th century fortress Amberd • Fishing at the 17th-century bridge of Ashtarak on Kasagh river • Bird Watching at Aragats (best in April, May, September) • Voskehat Wine Fest (September) •Armenia on the Crossroads of Peace Festival (September) • Christian heritage along the Kasagh gorge

In the northeastern corner of Armenia, Tavush is a small province with rolling hills dotted with vineyards and blooming orchards. Across the region emerald lakes and green meadows are speckled with vibrant wildflowers in the summer months. The mountainous landscape is dotted with the ruins of ancient stone fortresses and monasteries. THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN TAVUSH ! • Hiking Tours in Dilijan National Park • Transcaucasian Hiking Trail • Bird Watching at Dilijan National Park • Yell Extreme Park/ Zip line, Horseback riding • Art and Craft experiences at Dilijan Arts and Crafts Center • Parz Lake Adventure Park • Red Deer Breeding Center in Dilijan • HayBuis Armenian herb festival (June) • Honey and Berry festival (August) • DiliTon arts and crafts fair (August) • Arts and Crafts festival (September)