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Dilijan Woodland Feast

“Can't Miss Culinary Experience”

Forbes Magazine

Our Wild Food Adventures are 5/5 star rated 3 course dining experiences in Armenia’s most beautiful natural settings, hosted by professionally trained local chefs and benefiting local wildlife conservation. All the dishes on our menus are authentic to each location and are prepared using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients. 

Taste the natural bounties of the Tavush region, from juicy berries to zesty greens to wild mushrooms, on a Dilijan Woodland Feast, set in the mountains of Dilijan National Park. Your dining experience will begin with welcome cocktails made from local honey wine and wild edible herbs, followed by 3 carefully created courses based on the culinary traditions of Tavush, which professional chefs will prepare right there in the forest using local, seasonal ingredients. While you dine and soak in the fresh mountain air, they’ll share stories behind each dish, including where they come from and what they mean for the local people of Tavush. See all the details and book this Wild Food Adventure through the form below!

Your Location

This Wild Food Adventure takes place in Dilijan National Park, one of four national parks in Armenia. Characterized by rugged mountains and hillsides covered in thick forests and alpine meadows, this region of the country is known for its fresh, flavorful, and healthy foods that come straight from the forest or local farms. There’s a large variety of berries in Tavush, and over 150 types of mushrooms that grow wild, some of which you’ll try on this Wild Food Adventure. If the season is right, you may even forage wild ingredients with your hosts directly from the forest, who will prepare and serve them as part of your meal. From your dining table, you’ll feel like you’re floating in a sea of forests, with stunning views of the Pambak Mountain Range in the distance.  

Your Hosts

Gevorg and Anna are a local couple that moved to the Tavush region to manage Vanatun Guest House near Haghartsin Monastery. When they’re not hosting travelers at the guest house or in the forests on this Wild Food Adventure, they like to spend their time searching for traditional recipes from the Tavush region to incorporate into their menus. They can’t wait to show you why they chose to move to Tavush, and all its natural (and edible) wonders!

Your Ride

You’ll meet your hosts at Vanatun Guest House near Haghartsin, from where you’ll hop into vintage Soviet SUVs and go on a short offroad ride to your dining location. If you need transportation from Yerevan to Haghartsin, we’d be glad to arrange that for you at extra cost. We’ll confirm that and other details over email after you have submitted your booking request form through this site.

Your Menu

Like all our Wild Food Adventures, the menu of the Dilijan Woodland Feast was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Tavush province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. Scroll down to see the full menu! Please note that the menu is fixed, and includes options for vegetarian diners. If you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, we will be sure to ask during the confirmation process after you have submitted your booking request form through this site. 

4 – 5 hours

•

8 people max

•

3 course meal

•

Vegetarian friendly

•

Professional local chefs

•

Untouched nature

•

4 – 5 hours • 8 people max • 3 course meal • Vegetarian friendly • Professional local chefs • Untouched nature •


Menu

Welcome Honey Wine Cocktail & Amuse-Bouches

Appetizers

Local aveluk (sorrel) rolls

Spicy kidney bean salad

Local vegetable rolls, including wild sindrik (Solomon’s seal), carrot, and radish

Main Course

Grilled local pork rolls served with potato and raspberry sauce

Dessert

Grilled wild pear stuffed with crushed, spiced walnuts and topped with honey

Drinks

Honey wine cocktail | Homemade lemonade | Still and sparkling water | Coffee and tea

This menu was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Lori province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced.

Your table is ready, book now

Use this form to send a booking request and our team will get in touch with you to confirm the details of your adventure, including pricing, transport & dietary restrictions. Pricing by group size below.*

2 people: 100,000 AMD per person
4 people: 55,000 AMD per person
6 people: 45,000 AMD per person
8-10 people: 40,000 AMD per person

*Free cancellation up to 72 hours before each adventure.

Adventuring for Good

Transforming the lives of both travelers and local people through meaningful and responsible experiences is why we do what we do at 2492. We believe that Armenia can be a wonderful place to both visit and live in, which is why each of our experiences are thoughtfully built not only to connect you with local people and ways of life, but also positively impact the lives and communities that you encounter. For our Wild Food Adventures, that means: 

  • Local, seasonal ingredients: All our dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients sourced from local communities.

  • Native, authentic recipes: With the support of an expert Armenian food historian and our nonprofit arm ONEArmenia, your hosts have created a menu that is true to the culinary and cultural traditions of each location while preserving its cultural heritage with local and near-forgotten recipes.  

  • Expertly trained community hosts: Your hosts have been trained in the culinary arts, hospitality, customer service, hygiene, food waste management, first aid, and environmental protection at the Yeremyan Academy, Armenia’s top culinary school, so that you can enjoy the Armenian Highland in comfort and feel good knowing that your experience has little to no impact on the environment. 

  • Untouched natural landscapes: A donation of 1,000 AMD from each individual’s booking in your group will go to Trails for Change NGO, a local organization developing a network of hiking trails that spans all across Armenia, creating local jobs and boosting ecotourism to the countries rural communities.

FAQ

Questions? Concerns? Burning existential queries on life? We can help (with the first two).

  • Unfortunately not, as our menu is fixed.

  • If you are a vegetarian then absolutely yes. Some dishes in the lineup are already vegetarian-friendly. For dishes that are not, we have prepared vegetarian alternatives. Simply make sure to inform us if you or someone in your group is vegetarian when submitting your booking request. Unfortunately though, not all our vegetarian alternatives are vegan and dairy products are used extensively in Armenian cuisine so at this point we are unable to cater to vegans.

  • It will depend. Please let us know of any allergies and/or dietary restrictions anyone in your group may have using the booking request form, and we will see if we can remove/replace ingredients affected, though we cannot guarantee that there won’t be cross contamination.

  • No, however do bear in mind that some of our experiences include off-road driving on bumpy roads in order to reach the final location. If you have any physical impairments like back problems that might be affected, please inform us and we can advise on whether or not your desired experience is suitable.

  • Unfortunately, our regular itinerary is not. However, we aim to make our trips as accessible as possible so please let us know if you have any special requirements and we will try to find a solution within our means.

  • For safety reasons, children under 12 are not able to participate in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs and Mountaintop Eats experiences. However, children are welcome in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Vineyards experience.

  • English, Russian, and Armenian.

  • There are no pets allowed at the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs or Mountaintop Eats experiences, as both are set at high altitudes with rough terrains, and the former is also set within a protected area. As for Areni Vineyards, pets are welcome so long as they remain on their best behavior.

  • No, Armenian cuisine is not very spicy by nature. But that doesn’t mean it lacks flavor!

  • Of course! A fixed amount is included in the price of your experience and you can order additional alcohol during the experience itself, depending on what is available in the location. Note that we are unfortunately not able to provide an extensive menu given the wild nature of the experience. If you do not drink alcohol, don’t worry – a non-alcoholic alternative will be provided.

  • Though we cannot control the exact conditions on the day of your experience, insect repellent will be available for you to use in case of insects. We have done our best to select locations where there are few such critters but there is a chance you will come across other animals such as snakes (though they generally avoid people anyway). Our guide and local partners will advise you what to do in such situations.

  • We will notify you 48 hours before the experience start time if we need to postpone or cancel, in the case of a heavy rain forecast. Still, we recommend you bring a raincoat anyway in case of unexpected rain. Otherwise, the Armenian sun can be quite strong and while your dining area is arranged under a canopy, we recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen in case. As the evenings can get quite cool, we also suggest bringing warm layers.

  • There are no fixed toilets, however your hosts will of course show you a safe, comfortable and private place to “go in the wild.” Hand washing equipment will be provided. In case you need a fixed toilet, these will be available at the start and end points of your experience.

  • Not at all. The ride to Areni takes around 2 hours and transportation is easy to arrange. You can contact us for more information. As for Yeranos, transportation from Yerevan is included in the price of your booking.