Discover Batumi’s beautiful green side: Exploring Ajara’s great outdoors

Georgia’s second biggest city, Batumi, is well known as a relaxing seaside destination. For a true Batumi beach experience, you can enjoy miles of relaxing pebble beaches along the warm, inviting waters of the Black Sea and hundreds of welcoming restaurants, cafés and bars. But if you find the idea of an active trip to get out of the city and explore glorious scenery appealing, then Batumi won’t disappoint – it’s in the heart of Georgia’s Ajara region, a beautiful area packed with majestic mountains, lush rainforests and picturesque rivers. Here are just a few of the best ways to experience the greener side of Batumi and the wider area of Ajara.

Batumi Botanic Gardens

Just 10 kilometres from Batumi’s centre, the Botanic Gardens are a gorgeous oasis of greenery which offer a relaxing escape from the city streets. First laid out in the early twentieth century, the gardens are now home to an extensive collection of trees, plants and flowers from around Georgia and across the world. Wandering its well laid-out clifftop paths through shady groves of trees with the turquoise sea often visible as you walk, is a highlight of any trip to Batumi – and an excellent first step into enjoying the great outdoors.

Zip through the treetops at Mtirala National Park

For a more untamed experience, consider a trip out to one of the region’s four national parks. One of the easiest to access is Mtirala: it’s just a 30-kilometre drive away from the city, but the lush rainforest here couldn’t feel further from the busy streets of Batumi. Mtirala is ideal for long and short hikes – the easy circuit to the majestic Tsablnari Waterfall takes just 90 minutes or so at a slow amble – and also offers plenty of outdoor activities, from horse-riding to zip lines and an excellent treetops ropewalk. There are several top-notch local guest houses and small hotels to be found within the park’s boundaries too, allowing you to overnight in a peaceful retreat and explore thoroughly.

Watch the raptors at Sakhalvasho

Just outside the borders of Mtirala National Park, you’ll find a twin-peaked hill which in the autumn is one of Georgia’s best birdwatching spots. Thanks to the Batumi bottleneck – a thin migration corridor between the Lesser Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea – this part of the country sees a huge variety of migrating birds. Climb to the top of the hill to watch the birds of prey, and if you’re a keen birder you could consider joining in the annual raptor count, contributing to important conservation work.

A journey through UNESCO wonders and natural treasures

30 kilometres north of Batumi is the town of Kobuleti, a popular beach resort which is also home to one of Ajara’s best UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands of Kobuleti National Park. This park is an important UNESCO site due to the local white moss and sundew. The park was established to preserve unique wetland ecosystems of international importance, especially waterfowl habitats, as high-value natural heritage, whose status is recognised by the Ramsar Convention.

These protected ecosystems boast a stunning variety of plant and animal life, including several plant species which survived the last Ice Age. It’s also a great spot for birdwatching, with the wetlands offering an attractive stopover point for migratory birds on their flight south in the autumn. It’s easy to explore the protected areas: well-constructed boardwalks offer easy paths through the National Park.

If you have more time and energy after visiting Kobuleti National Park, a couple of other natural attractions can be found nearby. Firstly, there’s the magnetic sands at Kobuleti Beach just north of the town, an attractive stretch of black sand which sticks to the body and is thought to have healing properties. Alternatively, take a trip to Shekvetili Dendropark, where you can explore well-established paths through semi-formal gardens populated by a huge variety of tree species, both native to Georgia and from further afield, as well as a flock of vibrant pink flamingos.

Find medieval bridges and attractive churches at Kintrishi National Park

Heading east from Kobuleti to the village of Chakhati will bring you to Kintrishi National Park, a heavily forested area which is another good place to spot birds of prey. It’s also a fine area for hikers, boasting a couple of very attractive walking trails. The first of these, ideal for a short afternoon’s exploration, begins from the village of Tskhemvani and takes in a stunning medieval arch bridge and the modern, attractive Church of St George before leading up to the small but very pretty Tskhemvani Waterfall. The second trail is a two-day expedition, also starting from Tskhemvani and proceeding to the attractive ruins of Khinotsminda Monastery and atmospheric Lake Tbikeli, at an elevation of around 1950 metres.

Picnic at a waterfall and search for the elusive lynx at Machakhela National Park

The road heading east from Batumi also offers plenty of further options for those wishing to immerse themselves in Ajara’s natural beauty. Just 20 kilometres away from the city centre you’ll find Mirveti Waterfall, an impressively tall, wide cascade accessed along a short and easy boardwalk – taking a trip here is a popular excursion from Batumi.

Further into the Machakhela National Park, you’ll find a gorgeous forested area criss-crossed by excellent walking trails, which range from easy to challenging. Visitors to the park have a chance of spotting rare wildlife such as brown bears and lynx, and can also visit the Ethnographic Museum in Zeda Chkhutuneti village to learn about the daily lives of the people who lived in this region in centuries gone by.

Take the road to Khulo for white water rafting and a ride on an evocative old cable car

Further outdoor pursuits await those who take the road eastward to Khulo, which follows the gorgeous Acharistskali River valley. This region offers plenty of opportunities for adrenaline junkies to get their fix: from white water rafting trips at Makhuntseti village to canyoning expeditions up to the Kapnistavi waterfalls, there’s something for everybody here. 

One of the most nerve-shredding experiences can be found at Khulo village, where a juddering Soviet-era cable car still trundles along a two-kilometre line down to Tago village. Tago itself is a lovely unspoilt Georgian village, the start point for some gorgeous hikes, including a lengthy expedition to the dramatic ruins of the twelfth-century Khikhani Fortress on the Turkish border. 

Nearby you're soon to find the longest zipline in Europe - a 1750-meter-long two-lane zip line will be built on Chirukhi Mountain, at a whopping 2000 meters above sea level.

This article was made in partnership with Visit Batumi.