When do the leaves change in Armenia — Dilijan & Lesser Caucasus?

Typically September 1–October 24

Forested hills in Tavush Province, 240 sq km of oriental beech, Caucasian oak and hornbeam that locals call 'Armenia's Switzerland' for the fog that settles into the valleys. September and October bring the best hiking conditions, the canopy turning orange around 19th-century monasteries on the hillsides.

Don’t miss: oriental beech-oak-hornbeam forest · 240 sq km protected area · hillside monasteries

Typically September 20–October 15

Two 9th-century churches sit on a former island, now a peninsula, at the northwestern edge of Lake Sevan, Armenia's inland sea at almost 1,900m elevation. The drive along the lake's northern shore through Tsaghkadzor colors up from late September into mid-October, one of the country's most reliable autumn routes.

Don’t miss: 9th-century Sevanavank churches · Lake Sevan at 1,900m · Tsaghkadzor shoreline drive

A 9th-century monastic complex on a basalt plateau above the Vorotan Gorge in Syunik Province, reached by the Wings of Tatev cable car, at 5.7km one of the longest reversible aerial tramways in the world. The forested gorge below colors through September and October, seen in full sweep from the cabin windows.

Don’t miss: 9th-century basalt-plateau monastery · 5.7km Wings of Tatev cable car · Vorotan Gorge forest