Discover four-season Adjara – eco tourism
For years, this beautiful part of Georgia was associated for tourists only with the Sea. Today, Adjara, along with sea resorts, is a corner rich with summer and winter mountain resorts, beautiful nature, and national parks.
Ecotourism
Eco-tourism is one of the leading types of tourism in Adjara. Most of the foreign tourists in Adjara are attracted by ecotourism. The diverse flora and fauna of Adjara. the best conditions for the development of ecotourism. There are 4 protected areas in Adjara alone:
- Kintrishi Protected Area,
- Mtirala National Park,
- Kobuleti Protected Areas
- Machakhela Transborder Protected Area.
Their diversity clearly indicates the great potential of ecotourism in the region.
Kintrishi Protected Area
Kintrishi Protected Areas are located between the Black Sea and the Adjara-Imereti mountain system. The mountains trap the moist air of the sea and produce a high-humidity climate in the Kintrishi area, a climate that determines the unique floristic diversity presented here.
The beautiful landscapes of the Kintrishi Protected Areas are represented by: mountainous terrain, picturesque valleys of the Kintrishi River, a small ridge and narrow ravines.
Local flora and fauna are represented by many local endemics and relict species of Georgia, the Caucasus and Adjara.
About 80% of the protected areas of Kintrish are covered with forest. It should be noted that among the protected areas of Georgia, Kintrishi has the largest forest area.
Kintrishi forest is characterized by an abundance of Adjarian endemics.
The undergrowth is represented by Colchian-type evergreen shrubs and ferns.
Of particular interest to botanists in the Kintrish area are: evergreen shrubs – shrubs of pontoon shrub, Caucasian deck, blueberry, watercress and yale. These shrubs grow in the mountains, under the Arknar and Ponto oaks, near the border of the alpine and subalpine zones.
If you want to have a good time with family or friends. If you want to see the beautiful nature of Georgia and create another adventure, arrange hiking tours – Kintrishi National Park is waiting for you.
The areas offer visitors 2 marked and well-maintained routes of varying complexity: the Tamari Arch Bridge, a one-day hiking trail, and the Utkhovari and Lake Tbikeli two-day hiking and riding trails. Picnic and camping places are arranged along the route, as well as bonfire places.
Mtirala National Park
Mtirala National Park – a national park in Adjara, between Kobuleti, Khelvachauri and Keda municipalities. The administrative building is located in Chakvi. The visitor center is in the village of Chakvistavi (15 km from Chakvi).
The mountain of the same name on which the park is located is 1761 meters above sea level. This place is considered to be the wettest place not only in Georgia but also in Europe, as it is often visited by rain and thick fog. That is why the name of the mountain was given – “Mtirala”.
Mtirala National Park offers a variety of ecotourism services to visitors. There is a zip line in the park, where extreme lovers can slide a rope on the trees.
There is also a “rope park” in the park, which is an eco-educational attraction and a cognitive entertainment place in the environment. The ecotourism facility is designed for visitors from different segments. There are 2 zones – for family and adults.
One and two day tourist routes are arranged in Mtirala National Park. The routes are marked and landscaped. There are picnic and camping places, places for bonfires, as well as a tourist shelter on the 9th km of the two-day Tsivtskaro trail. The national park offers hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving and ecotours to visitors.
Mtirala has its sights to see. Beautiful mountain lake and chestnut waterfall.
Machakhela National Parks
Machakhela National Park is located in the gorge of the Machakhela River, near the Turkish border, 30 kilometers from Batumi. The park was established in 2012 and covers 8,733 hectares, 95% of which is covered with forest.
Here we can find such relict and rare species as Colchian boxwood, chestnut, Colchian hazelnut, Georgian walnut, Unger bark, Utkhovari, elm and others. There are three car-integrated hiking trails in the park.
Visitors have the opportunity to visit the 12th-century historic bridge. The ruins of the Fortresses, the waterfall, the Ethnographic Museum of the village of Chkhutuneti, the Tofi Monument, the World War II-era embrasure, and the sixth-century Gvara Fortress.
The active tourist season in Machakhela National Park lasts from May to October
Ispani Swamp
Rare Ispani peatlands are located 28 kilometers from Batumi. The only sphagnum filter swamp in the world, Ispani II is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention since 1997. Peatland preserves important archaeological sites, settlements dating back to the IV and III centuries BC.
The rare peat bog of Ispani, the same Ispani II at first glance looks like a lake covered with a sphagnum 25-45 cm thick – a rare white moss in the world. The water, together with the sphagnum, forms a smooth dome that acts as a cloud and is never covered by water. Sphagnum can absorb 25 times more water than its own weight. It is the diverse sphagnum of the Ispani swamps that protects Kobuleti from floods.
Ispani peatland is an inexhaustible source of oxygen and plays an important role in the carbon generation cycle. Ispani peatland protects Kobuleti from floods. Sphagnum moss absorbs water like a cloud, so it can hold a much larger amount of water than its volume.
Paths are arranged in the protected area of Kobuleti and visitors have the opportunity to carry out educational-scientific tours. It is also possible to rent swamp skis and ride on sphagnum peat bogs.
If you look closely and if you are lucky, you will notice a beautiful blue bird, Alcedo, also these places are home to a rare swamp turtle.
