Vashlovani National Park
Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Vashlovani! ↓
Ah, Georgia! That lush land satiated with fertile vineyards, green-coated rolling hills and the startling snow-covered peaks of the celebrated Caucasus! Uh yeah… and a desert, somehow. In the extreme south-eastern part of the country, tucked in between the Lori and Alzani Rivers, lies an area unlike anywhere else in Georgia. Vashlovani National Park is characterized by an unusually dry climate, creating barren lands cracked open by narrow canyons and abrupt plateaus. The air is speckled with vultures, eagles, falcons and rare storks, while the land is inhabited by wild animals such as jackals, lynxes and snakes. The uniqueness of this peculiar natural treasure was nationally recognized by the creation of a protected nature reserve in 1935, which was further expanded in 2003. At only a 2,5hr drive from the hectic capital Tbilisi and about 190km south of the Caucasus, you have the opportunity to step into another world, all within the country’s borders. You certainly can’t blame Georgia for a lack of diversity.
All photos in this article [except of carrousel] by Miles Watson Photography.
Preparation
“Sounds pretty sweet, let’s go!” Uh-uh, not so fast. Unlike all other national parks in Georgia, visiting Vashlovani requires some proper preparation.
Permits
You need a ‘national park permit’ and a ‘border police permit’ (as Vashlovani covers a border area with Azarbaijan). Do you want to visit the Kilakupra Mud Volcanoes? Then you need a permit for that too, namely the Chachuna Managed Reserve permit! To obtain the ‘national park permit’ and ‘mud volcano permit’ you will have to inform the Visitor Centre exactly how many days you intend to stay, including an outlined itinerary. This information, together with photos of your passport and car paperwork, needs to be submitted by email at least 3 working days in advance. You can contact the Visitor Centre via +995 577 10 18 49, after which they will provide you with the email address to send the documentation to. Prior to your actual visit, you are required to pass by the Visitor Centre in Dedoplistskaro (coordinates: 41.4625, 46.1036) to pick up the necessary paperwork and pay the entrance fee, car fee and potential camping fees (anno 2022 only 5 GEL each, but this might change). The border permit is free of charge, but has to be picked up before entering the park at the Border Police Station in Dedoplistskaro (coordinates: 41.4723, 46.0854). Additionally, you will need to bring your passport. This paperwork is not optional. During my 1-day visit I was checked no less than 5 times.
Thankfully, Select Georgia arranged all this paperwork on my behalf, so I was spared from this headache.
Preparation
“Sounds pretty sweet, let’s go!” Uh-uh, not so fast. Unlike all other national parks in Georgia, visiting Vashlovani requires some proper preparation.
Permits
You need a ‘national park permit’ and a ‘border police permit’ (as Vashlovani covers a border area with Azarbaijan). Do you want to visit the Kilakupra Mud Volcanoes? Then you need a permit for that too, namely the Chachuna Managed Reserve permit! To obtain the ‘national park permit’ and ‘mud volcano permit’ you will have to inform the Visitor Centre exactly how many days you intend to stay, including an outlined itinerary. This information, together with photos of your passport and car paperwork, needs to be submitted by email at least 3 working days in advance. You can contact the Visitor Centre via +995 577 10 18 49, after which they will provide you with the email address to send the documentation to. Prior to your actual visit, you are required to pass by the Visitor Centre in Dedoplistskaro (coordinates: 41.4625, 46.1036) to pick up the necessary paperwork and pay the entrance fee, car fee and potential camping fees (anno 2022 only 5 GEL each, but this might change). The border permit is free of charge, but has to be picked up before entering the park at the Border Police Station in Dedoplistskaro (coordinates: 41.4723, 46.0854). Additionally, you will need to bring your passport. This paperwork is not optional. During my 1-day visit I was checked no less than 5 times.
Thankfully, Select Georgia arranged all this paperwork on my behalf, so I was spared from this headache.
Vashlovani is NOT suitable for trekking
“Vashlovani National Park is perfect for hiking. Here you find everything needed to create unforgettable memories – marked trails, bungalows, and picnic places”, screams the National Parks of Georgia website. However, they forgot to mention that the park covers hundreds of kilometres and there is ONLY 1 WATER SOURCE in the entire national park (located at Mijniskure). Who needs water anyway in a desert, right? Unless you’re some kind of super-human, I’m not sure how they imagine you carrying a minimum of 3 litres of water a day for every day you intend to stay here, with potentially weeks of walking ahead… Add to that the absence of any mini markets or food supplies (the last option to buy anything is in Dedoplistskaro), forcing you to also carry all your meals including cooking gear with you (…and clothes, and hiking tools, and camping equipment, etc etc etc). Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget your bear cannister, as brown bears, hyenas and other wildlife will be attracted to the food smells. That’ll still fit in your backpack, right?
In short: You need a vehicle (your own or via a tour) to drop you off at certain trail heads, from where you can make short day hikes. Multi-day trekking is simply no option.
Transport
You’ll need transport, that much is clear. However, keep in mind that public transport (by mashrutka) only goes as far as Dedoplistskaro, which is still a long way from the park itself. As described, hiking from there is no option. Neither is hitchhiking, as you need to submit your itinerary in advance to acquire your permit, which is impossible to know if you randomly hop into someone else’s car. Additionally, getting stranded somewhere in a desert (if you can’t get a ride back) without cell phone coverage is downright life-threatening.
As such, you’re only left with 2 options: Entering with your own / rented 4x4 vehicle, or booking a tour. Even though I’m generally not a tour-enthusiast (I love my independence as much as I want to save money), in the case of Vashlovani this truly is the best option. Prior to my visit, I spoke to locals who wouldn’t even dare driving the challenging off-roads of this area, which eliminated any desire I could possibly still have to drive myself. Besides that, the roads can be rather confusing, causing you to possibly accidentally drive into Azarbaijan without even realising it. Fair mistake, but it will potentially be paid off with an estimated 3 months of jail time. Yeah, nah! Select Georgia equipped me with a sturdy vehicle, an experienced driver, as well as a trained guide leading me to not-to-be-missed sights I would’ve never found on my own. That said, if you’re stubborn and irrefutably decide to drive your own 4x4, keep in mind that the last petrol stations are located in Dedoplistskaro. Plan your fuel!
“Vashlovani National Park is perfect for hiking. Here you find everything needed to create unforgettable memories – marked trails, bungalows, and picnic places”, screams the National Parks of Georgia website. However, they forgot to mention that the park covers hundreds of kilometres and there is ONLY 1 WATER SOURCE in the entire national park (located at Mijniskure). Who needs water anyway in a desert, right? Unless you’re some kind of super-human, I’m not sure how they imagine you carrying a minimum of 3 litres of water a day for every day you intend to stay here, with potentially weeks of walking ahead… Add to that the absence of any mini markets or food supplies (the last option to buy anything is in Dedoplistskaro), forcing you to also carry all your meals including cooking gear with you (…and clothes, and hiking tools, and camping equipment, etc etc etc). Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget your bear cannister, as brown bears, hyenas and other wildlife will be attracted to the food smells. That’ll still fit in your backpack, right?
In short: You need a vehicle (your own or via a tour) to drop you off at certain trail heads, from where you can make short day hikes. Multi-day trekking is simply no option.
Transport
You’ll need transport, that much is clear. However, keep in mind that public transport (by mashrutka) only goes as far as Dedoplistskaro, which is still a long way from the park itself. As described, hiking from there is no option. Neither is hitchhiking, as you need to submit your itinerary in advance to acquire your permit, which is impossible to know if you randomly hop into someone else’s car. Additionally, getting stranded somewhere in a desert (if you can’t get a ride back) without cell phone coverage is downright life-threatening.
As such, you’re only left with 2 options: Entering with your own / rented 4x4 vehicle, or booking a tour. Even though I’m generally not a tour-enthusiast (I love my independence as much as I want to save money), in the case of Vashlovani this truly is the best option. Prior to my visit, I spoke to locals who wouldn’t even dare driving the challenging off-roads of this area, which eliminated any desire I could possibly still have to drive myself. Besides that, the roads can be rather confusing, causing you to possibly accidentally drive into Azarbaijan without even realising it. Fair mistake, but it will potentially be paid off with an estimated 3 months of jail time. Yeah, nah! Select Georgia equipped me with a sturdy vehicle, an experienced driver, as well as a trained guide leading me to not-to-be-missed sights I would’ve never found on my own. That said, if you’re stubborn and irrefutably decide to drive your own 4x4, keep in mind that the last petrol stations are located in Dedoplistskaro. Plan your fuel!
Accommodation
It’s possible to spend the night in Vashlovani National Park, given you brought a sufficient supply of food and drinking water. You can either book a bungalow or camp, which both has to be pre-arranged via the Visitor Centre. The bungalows and camping areas are located at Mijniskure and Pantishara. The bungalows feature bathrooms / showers and solar electricity, but no cooking equipment. If you don’t have your own camping gear, it’s possible to rent very basic equipment from the Visitor Centre (it’s necessary to verify in advance what they have available). Mplus in Tbilisi rents out more professional equipment and is therefore also more expensive.
There are also a few privately managed accommodation options in and around Kasritskali, which can be arranged here and here.
It’s possible to spend the night in Vashlovani National Park, given you brought a sufficient supply of food and drinking water. You can either book a bungalow or camp, which both has to be pre-arranged via the Visitor Centre. The bungalows and camping areas are located at Mijniskure and Pantishara. The bungalows feature bathrooms / showers and solar electricity, but no cooking equipment. If you don’t have your own camping gear, it’s possible to rent very basic equipment from the Visitor Centre (it’s necessary to verify in advance what they have available). Mplus in Tbilisi rents out more professional equipment and is therefore also more expensive.
There are also a few privately managed accommodation options in and around Kasritskali, which can be arranged here and here.
If you’re set on driving your own vehicle through Vashlovani National Park, I can recommend the Going the Whole Hogg blog. They made a very useful Vashlovani map and put together potential itineraries. On top of that, they’re very responsive to any questions you might have regarding this adventure. Download the map using these links: Download GPX & Download KML (make sure to save it for offline use, as there is no signal in Vashlovani).
If you’re a regular camper I might kick in an open door, but I can’t stress it enough: Never leave food inside of your tent nor cook around your sleeping spot… especially in Vashlovani, where dangerous animals are present. Bring a bear cannister or hang your food in an air-sealed container far off the ground, and at least 20 meters away from your tent.
When to go?
Several factors come into play when it comes to the most suitable time of visit. The most important one is rainfall. Odds are high this is not the first Vashlovani travelblog you read through in preparation of your visit… so you might already be familiar with the horror stories of vehicles miserably slipping and slithering through the thick clay the soil swiftly turns into after even the slightest bit of rainfall… effectively ruining the trip and creating dangerous conditions. As such, it’s recommended to only visit Vashlovani National Park after several days of consistent dry weather! This presents a true challenge: You need to arrange the permits timely, but not too far in advance as you also need to keep an eye on the weather reports, which become more accurate closer to the date.
The summer months can be challenging in their own way, the oppressing heat not only making the entire experience close to unbearable, but also heralding the prime time of poisonous snakes (incl. rattle snakes - yikes). As such, the best months are spring and autumn, given there hasn’t been any recent rainfall.
My Vashlovani Experience
Without experiencing any of the preparation stress (Select Georgia did everything for me), I finished my morning coffee and stepped into a vehicle that seemed to be capable of surviving a nuclear disaster. It was going to be a long day, but one I was looking forward to since many weeks now. Before we could enter the alternative reality that’s called Vashlovani, we still had to drive a good 2-2.5 hours from Tbilisi to the small village of Dedoplistskaro, where one has to pay/register at the National Park Office and drop in at the Border Police to get the paperwork sorted. It’s also the last sign of civilization before disappearing into a dry wilderness relatively undiscovered by men.
The road from Dedoplistskaro towards the actual national park is in a rather sorry state, deep potholes hindering any attempt to speed over 20km/h. However, this is the last patch of asphalt you’re gonna see in a while: thank god we had a driver! I stared at the long dusty road, which reaches into an apparent never-ending stretch of flat countryside… when suddenly the St. Elia Monastery popped into eyesight, a building seemingly clinging on to the side of a limestone hillside for dear life. Both the mountain and the church are dedicated to St. Elia Tezbiteli, who is said to have risen into the sky from the highest peak. If you say so!
Without experiencing any of the preparation stress (Select Georgia did everything for me), I finished my morning coffee and stepped into a vehicle that seemed to be capable of surviving a nuclear disaster. It was going to be a long day, but one I was looking forward to since many weeks now. Before we could enter the alternative reality that’s called Vashlovani, we still had to drive a good 2-2.5 hours from Tbilisi to the small village of Dedoplistskaro, where one has to pay/register at the National Park Office and drop in at the Border Police to get the paperwork sorted. It’s also the last sign of civilization before disappearing into a dry wilderness relatively undiscovered by men.
The road from Dedoplistskaro towards the actual national park is in a rather sorry state, deep potholes hindering any attempt to speed over 20km/h. However, this is the last patch of asphalt you’re gonna see in a while: thank god we had a driver! I stared at the long dusty road, which reaches into an apparent never-ending stretch of flat countryside… when suddenly the St. Elia Monastery popped into eyesight, a building seemingly clinging on to the side of a limestone hillside for dear life. Both the mountain and the church are dedicated to St. Elia Tezbiteli, who is said to have risen into the sky from the highest peak. If you say so!
While our jeep formed a steadily growing dust cloud behind us on the way towards the Dali Mta Reservoir, I noticed how on the most unexpected places the Earth had cracked open into dramatic canyons. Nature can be grand, imposing and frightening at the same time. The reservoir, located in the Chachuna Managed Reserve, is part of the Lori River but entirely man-made. Another sight on the western Chachuna side of the National Park is the conglomeration of Takhti-Tepha Mud Volcanoes, one of the three natural monuments situated in Vashlovani (the other ones being the Eagle Gorge and the Alazani Floodplain Forest). The area forms an almost extra-terrestrial landscape… a grey patch of Earth bubbling and squirting with life, the mud oozing out of the small craters creating crusty, mesmerizing patterns on the surface.*
* It’s possible to continue further to a second set of mud volcanoes at Kilakupra.
* It’s possible to continue further to a second set of mud volcanoes at Kilakupra.
As our expedition reached deeper and deeper into the park, I noticed how the initially flat scenery slowly made space for mellow, almost huggable-looking mountains. Their soft color nuances and smooth surface accentuate the patterns and depth of their form, almost resembling a computer-generated representation of a mountain… supporting my presumption of Vashlovani indeed being an alternative reality, separated from anything known and somewhat familiar.
As we continued from East to West alongside the Azarbaijani border, the mountains turned into an apparent collection of slices, seemingly leaning onto one another in an almost impossible balance. Others have the appearance of smooth cakes, cracking open in the middle to show their rough, robust cores… whereas some resemble giant thriving anthills. We might have just left the Dali Mta Reservoir, but this scenery looks to have served as a real-life inspiration for Salvador Dali’s bizarre surrealist paintings. While my mind slowly got lost in this puzzling landscape, the driver abruptly woke me up out of my daydream: “Look, a snake! Shepherds hang these around their necks to cool off on the oppressively hot summer days.” While this second commentary initially reassured me, our guide Giorgi immediately added that dangerous rattlesnakes are not an uncommon sight in this area. Neither are jackals, wolves, lynxes, brown bears and hyenas. That day however, we would only see this snake and a few lost turtles.
As we continued from East to West alongside the Azarbaijani border, the mountains turned into an apparent collection of slices, seemingly leaning onto one another in an almost impossible balance. Others have the appearance of smooth cakes, cracking open in the middle to show their rough, robust cores… whereas some resemble giant thriving anthills. We might have just left the Dali Mta Reservoir, but this scenery looks to have served as a real-life inspiration for Salvador Dali’s bizarre surrealist paintings. While my mind slowly got lost in this puzzling landscape, the driver abruptly woke me up out of my daydream: “Look, a snake! Shepherds hang these around their necks to cool off on the oppressively hot summer days.” While this second commentary initially reassured me, our guide Giorgi immediately added that dangerous rattlesnakes are not an uncommon sight in this area. Neither are jackals, wolves, lynxes, brown bears and hyenas. That day however, we would only see this snake and a few lost turtles.
Suddenly, like we just entered a portal into an entirely different part of the world, the dusty drought swiftly turned into lush, grassy fields and a tree-filled valley. Wait, weren’t we in a desert just now? I can’t wrap my head around this place, the diversity is just extreme! Giorgi informed us that we had reached the Pantishara Viewpoint, providing a 360-outlook over the cliffy rock formations called Alesilebi, its ultrathin ridges crawling in enigmatic patterns towards the horizon. If you’re curious about what Azarbaijan is like, you can get a first glimpse into the country from this look-out point. Alongside the viewpoint one can find the Pantishara Gorge, also known as the Bear Canyon (“Datviskhevi” in Georgian). This spot is specifically known for its prehistoric fossils, which can still be easily spotted when having a closer look at the muddy walls. The walk through the dry (former) riverbeds of the gorge takes up about 4km in total, of which we walked a small fraction. While thoroughly enjoying the first shade of the day slowly filling the valley, that simultaneously reminded me that the day was about to be over… We have been out exploring for a long time, and we still had quite the ride out of the park and back to Tbilisi! Our driver (the true hero of the day who managed to stay sharp and concentrated for about 15hrs straight while skilfully navigating over the most complicated off-roads) swiftly turned around and raced through a seemingly endless landscape of golden wheatfields, while the sunshine slowly faded away from the face of Earth…
Vashlovani, it still feels more like a distant dream than an actual memory.
Vashlovani, it still feels more like a distant dream than an actual memory.
Other Vashlovani sights:
Recommended Tour Company
Although I’m generally not a tour-kinda-gal, in the case of Vashlovani National Park this truly was the best option. I don’t travel in my own 4x4 vehicle, and I am not confident enough behind the wheel to drive the extremely challenging off-roads of this rough part of Georgia in a rental. If most locals don’t even dive into such endeavours, I should definitely take that as clear cue. Of all companies offering guided tours through Vashlovani, Select Georgia stood out the most due to its attention to the non-beaten paths and more hidden treasures… even when visiting Georgia’s hotspots. To me, this is an important compromise, guaranteeing I don’t blindly jump into the sea of mindless mass tourism. Once I made the first contact with Giorgi, the main guide and CEO, I knew I was in good hands. Not only did he carefully listen to my personal interests and needs, he also constructed a tailor-made itinerary matching my desired timeframe. As Select Georgia is familiar with the exact paperwork needed, they took this time-consuming task away, so I could just jump in and enjoy the ride… leading me to the highlights of the park I priorly didn’t even know existed!
Besides tours to Vashlovani National Park, Select Georgia offers 40+ different day trips and 50+ tour packages from Tbilisi. Feel free to reach out to Giorgi for a quote!
- Eagle Gorge / Artsivis Kheoba (close to entrance – 8km return trip from Visitor Centre).
- Khornabuji Hilltop Fortress (10km from Visitor Centre).
- Kaklis Kure / Oreshnikovy Bay on Alizani River.
- Eladri Lowlands.
- Takhistskali.
- Shavi Mta Mountain / Midzhniskure.
- Alizani Valley.
- Imeda Valley.
- Kakliskure / Alazani Floodplain Forest Natural Monument.
Recommended Tour Company
Although I’m generally not a tour-kinda-gal, in the case of Vashlovani National Park this truly was the best option. I don’t travel in my own 4x4 vehicle, and I am not confident enough behind the wheel to drive the extremely challenging off-roads of this rough part of Georgia in a rental. If most locals don’t even dive into such endeavours, I should definitely take that as clear cue. Of all companies offering guided tours through Vashlovani, Select Georgia stood out the most due to its attention to the non-beaten paths and more hidden treasures… even when visiting Georgia’s hotspots. To me, this is an important compromise, guaranteeing I don’t blindly jump into the sea of mindless mass tourism. Once I made the first contact with Giorgi, the main guide and CEO, I knew I was in good hands. Not only did he carefully listen to my personal interests and needs, he also constructed a tailor-made itinerary matching my desired timeframe. As Select Georgia is familiar with the exact paperwork needed, they took this time-consuming task away, so I could just jump in and enjoy the ride… leading me to the highlights of the park I priorly didn’t even know existed!
Besides tours to Vashlovani National Park, Select Georgia offers 40+ different day trips and 50+ tour packages from Tbilisi. Feel free to reach out to Giorgi for a quote!
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Quick Budget Fact Overview
Georgia Facts
Short History Recap
6200BC - 4000BC: Shulaveri (late Neolithic/Eneolithic culture). 4000BC – 2200BC: Trialeti culture. 3400BC - 2000BC: Kura-Araxes culture. 2500BC - 760BC: Diauehi: Coalition of tribes in north-eastern Anatolia. 1200BC - 600BC: Colchian culture (late Bronze / Iron Age). 700BC: Cimmerians & Scythians invade Georgia + Caucasus. Ancient Greek / Byzantine colonization of Black Sea. 600 BC: Kingdom of Colchis appears (west): Earliest Georgian formation. 302BC: Kingdom of Iberia founded (east). 284BC: Georgian alphabet created. 90BC: Artaxiad Dynasty. 65 BC: Pompey the Great makes Kingdom of Colchis a Roman province. 270: Anti-Roman uprising. 284: Chosroid Dynasty. Around 319: King Mirian III of Iberia declares Christianity as official religion. 5th Century: Fighting against Persian domination. 526-532: Iberian War. 541-562: Lazic War. 627: Perso-Turkic War: Tbilisi sacked by Turks and Byzantines. 654: Arabs enter. 1000: Bagrat III of Georgia founds Kingdom of Georgia. 1040: Seljuk Turks invade --> in 1121 defeated at Battle of Didgori. 1204: Queen Tamar (1184-1213 – 1st female ruler) conquers Black Coast of Byzantine Empire --> Empire of Trebizond created. 1400: Conqueror Timur (Turco-Mongol) invades / destroys / takes 60,000 as slaves to Timurid Empire. 1783: Treaty of Georgievsk --> Katli-Kakheti protectorate of Russia. ’95: Iranian invasion. 1801-04: Most of current Georgia part of the Russian Empire. ’79: Stalin born in Gori. 1918: Independent Georgian state. ’21: Red Army invades (Bolsheviks) --> Georgia absorbed into Soviet Union (SU). Independence activists suppressed / killed. ’89: Demands for more autonomy in South Ossetia (SO) --> violent clashes. ‘ 91: Independence from SU declared. Georgian Civil War. SO votes in favour of independence. War in Abkhazia between Georgian government troops and separatist forces --> ’93: Abkhazia drives Georgian troops out. ’94: Ceasefire agreement --> Russian peacekeeping force in region. New currency (lari) introduced. 2001: (Russian) fighters from northern Caucasus back Abkhaz forces fighting against Georgian paramilitaries --> US special forces arrive to train and equip Georgian forces. ’03: Bloodless "Rose Revolution" removes President Shevardnadze (election issues). ’04: Tension in autonomous region Adjara. ’05: Russia starts to withdraw troops. ’06: Explosions on Russian side of border disrupts gas / electricity supplies (suspected sabotage) & suspends imports of Georgian wine. Georgia seizes control of Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge & announces plan for pro-Tbilisi government --> Abkhazia breaks off peace talks. SO vote in favour of independence, again. ’08: Start Russia-Georgia War. Russia strengthens ties with Abkhazia and SO --> Georgia accuses them of planning de facto annexation. ’08: Georgia tries to retake SO --> military conflict with Russia: Russia ejects Georgian troops out of SO & Abkhazia. After 5 days: French-brokered peace agreement, but Russia recognizes territories as independent states & keeps military presence. NATO military exercises in Georgia. ’14: EU trade partnership deal. ‘15 August: Russian forces in SO move internal border 1.5 km further into Georgia, threatening main road linking west and east of country.
Quick Budget Fact Overview
Georgia Facts
- Capital: Tbilisi
- Language: Georgian (separate alphabet)
- Population: ± 3.7 mln
- Sq km: ± 69,700
- Currency: Lari (ლ )
- Electricity Outlet: C & F / 220 V / 50 Hz. Check here.
- Country Code Phone: +995 (331)
- Emergency Phone: 113 (ambulance), 111 (fire), 122 (police)
- Visa: Check out the visa requirements here.
- Vaccinations: None.
- Climate: Humid Subtropical (Cfa)
- High season: Jun-Sep
Short History Recap
6200BC - 4000BC: Shulaveri (late Neolithic/Eneolithic culture). 4000BC – 2200BC: Trialeti culture. 3400BC - 2000BC: Kura-Araxes culture. 2500BC - 760BC: Diauehi: Coalition of tribes in north-eastern Anatolia. 1200BC - 600BC: Colchian culture (late Bronze / Iron Age). 700BC: Cimmerians & Scythians invade Georgia + Caucasus. Ancient Greek / Byzantine colonization of Black Sea. 600 BC: Kingdom of Colchis appears (west): Earliest Georgian formation. 302BC: Kingdom of Iberia founded (east). 284BC: Georgian alphabet created. 90BC: Artaxiad Dynasty. 65 BC: Pompey the Great makes Kingdom of Colchis a Roman province. 270: Anti-Roman uprising. 284: Chosroid Dynasty. Around 319: King Mirian III of Iberia declares Christianity as official religion. 5th Century: Fighting against Persian domination. 526-532: Iberian War. 541-562: Lazic War. 627: Perso-Turkic War: Tbilisi sacked by Turks and Byzantines. 654: Arabs enter. 1000: Bagrat III of Georgia founds Kingdom of Georgia. 1040: Seljuk Turks invade --> in 1121 defeated at Battle of Didgori. 1204: Queen Tamar (1184-1213 – 1st female ruler) conquers Black Coast of Byzantine Empire --> Empire of Trebizond created. 1400: Conqueror Timur (Turco-Mongol) invades / destroys / takes 60,000 as slaves to Timurid Empire. 1783: Treaty of Georgievsk --> Katli-Kakheti protectorate of Russia. ’95: Iranian invasion. 1801-04: Most of current Georgia part of the Russian Empire. ’79: Stalin born in Gori. 1918: Independent Georgian state. ’21: Red Army invades (Bolsheviks) --> Georgia absorbed into Soviet Union (SU). Independence activists suppressed / killed. ’89: Demands for more autonomy in South Ossetia (SO) --> violent clashes. ‘ 91: Independence from SU declared. Georgian Civil War. SO votes in favour of independence. War in Abkhazia between Georgian government troops and separatist forces --> ’93: Abkhazia drives Georgian troops out. ’94: Ceasefire agreement --> Russian peacekeeping force in region. New currency (lari) introduced. 2001: (Russian) fighters from northern Caucasus back Abkhaz forces fighting against Georgian paramilitaries --> US special forces arrive to train and equip Georgian forces. ’03: Bloodless "Rose Revolution" removes President Shevardnadze (election issues). ’04: Tension in autonomous region Adjara. ’05: Russia starts to withdraw troops. ’06: Explosions on Russian side of border disrupts gas / electricity supplies (suspected sabotage) & suspends imports of Georgian wine. Georgia seizes control of Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge & announces plan for pro-Tbilisi government --> Abkhazia breaks off peace talks. SO vote in favour of independence, again. ’08: Start Russia-Georgia War. Russia strengthens ties with Abkhazia and SO --> Georgia accuses them of planning de facto annexation. ’08: Georgia tries to retake SO --> military conflict with Russia: Russia ejects Georgian troops out of SO & Abkhazia. After 5 days: French-brokered peace agreement, but Russia recognizes territories as independent states & keeps military presence. NATO military exercises in Georgia. ’14: EU trade partnership deal. ‘15 August: Russian forces in SO move internal border 1.5 km further into Georgia, threatening main road linking west and east of country.
Mama Said
Next?
- Safety: Georgia is a very safe country, and so is the Vashlovani area. As long as you carry your passport and the correct paperwork, you are unlikely to run into any issues. The main danger represents itself in arriving unprepared: Make sure to bring plenty of water, food, cooking supplies and petrol, as this is not available within the national park itself.
- Georgia’s insane inflation: Almost all prices I found online (even in quite recent articles) have doubled or tripled. I was told that both Covid and the Russian War have caused an incredible inflation, so everything is unfortunately much more expensive than it used to be. I still didn’t consider Georgia an expensive country, but I found food, entry prices to attractions and museums as well as public transport not as cheap as I expected it to be.
- The best credit/debit card for traveling is Wise, as they use the live conversion rates without any extra fees and you can create a Georgian wallet with lari's in it. Wise also has the lowest fees for sending money to foreign accounts. Keep in mind that some ATMs charge a fee, the amount always indicated before completing the transaction. Payment by card is generally accepted in bigger supermarkets, but smaller shops always require cash. Accommodation is generally paid in cash.
- Tap Water: is drinkable.
- Simcard: Acquiring a sim card is pretty straightforward and very affordable (avoid the pricy EU roaming charges by getting a local sim). Don’t get a tourist package, which is more expensive than a regular package. You can go to any phone shop with your passport and buy the sim and package that interests you, and they’ll help you to set it up. Magti is said to have the best coverage in Georgia, and they sell both 7-days and 30-days packages. After the first installation, you can simply extend and pay with their app, which is also available in English. Alternatives are Geocell (poor coverage) and Beeline (cheaper but said to have worse service). Keep in mind that you won’t have coverage in Vashlovani National Park.
Next?
- National Destinations Close By: Sighnaghi; Kvareli; Lagodekhi National Park; Telavi; Tusheti National Park; Tbilisi.
- International Destinations Close By: Azarbaijan; Russia; Armenia; Turkey.
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