The Goravan Sands State Sanctuary protects an unusual semi-desert landscape of sand dunes at the foot of the Urts mountain range, near the village of Goravan. This dry, sandy ecosystem is strikingly different from the rest of Armenia and is home to specialized, often endemic species adapted to harsh conditions, including rare reptiles, sand-dwelling insects and drought-tolerant plants. Established to conserve this fragile habitat, the sanctuary is of great interest to naturalists and anyone curious about the country's surprising ecological variety. Its open, sunbaked dunes and views toward Mount Ararat make it a distinctive stop in the Ararat plain.
The most famous resident here is a super rare lizard called the Persian toad-headed agama (scientists call it Phrynocephalus persicus). It looks like a tiny, grumpy dinosaur. To survive the crazy desert heat or hide from birds, it does this awesome trick where it shakes its body side-to-side and literally sinks into the loose sand in a couple of seconds, completely disappearing.
Also, the climate here is intense. In the summer, it gets as hot as 42°C (108°F), but in the winter, it drops all the way down to a freezing -25°C (-13°F). The animals living here have to be tough enough to handle both a total heatwave and freezing arctic temperatures in the exact same spot.
