We have put together this new website for those who enjoy visiting National Parks, or who want to know more about Georgia’s Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and the surrounding area. The National Park has a great variety of natural landscapes, historical and architectural monuments, resorts and settlements. The region also has a population with unique ethnographic and cultural features.
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park’s surrounding villages are rich with medieval history, local-cottage industries and legendary Georgian hospitality. Borjomi is one of the most popular resorts, famous for its mineral waters, health, unique nature and abundance of historical monuments. Borjomi’s award winning, naturally carbonated mineral water has a volcanic origin, giving it a distinctive sulphuric taste, with many attesting to its benefits to health. Borjomi is also part of the delightful verdant countryside of the World Wide Fund for Nature-site Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
Tourism
The tourist season lasts all year, allowing visitors to experience the stunning variety of flora and fauna, including alpine meadows full of flowers, as well as stunning views and a broad network of twelve trails through the ancient woodlands. Paths are marked and well-arranged. Tourist shelters, picnic spots and camping sites are arranged along the routes. Sites for setting up a fire are also allocated. The Park offers hiking, horse riding, biking, snow shoes, cultural and educational tours. The routes function throughout the year.
The easiest walk is the National Park Information Trail which is 3 km and takes about ninety minutes to complete. Starting from the Park’s administration building, you will see St. Nino Church and beautiful views over the Borjomi spa-resort. After a 600m hard ascent the trail straightens and then circles back to the starting point.
Footprint Trail is 13 km, taking approximately 6 hours and is rated as average difficulty. The route starts in Likani River valley, where visitors can see rare species of yew, included in the ‘Red List’, the World’s list of threatened trees. En route there are panoramic views as well as the Mariamtsminda Church. The route ends in Kvabiskhevi valley. Picnic and camping places are available en route.
If you want to take your time, the 3 day Nikoloz Romanov’s Trail covers 43 km on foot and horseback taking a route starting from the Likani River Valley, through the Lomismta mountains and ending at the Marelisi guard station, taking you through coniferous and mixed forest, Lomi St. Giorgi Church, with scenic viewpoints of Caucasus.
The most difficult trail is the St. Andrew Trail, a 54 km route that can take up to four days where you travel through mixed coniferous, alpine and sub-alpine meadows and broad-leaved forests. The first section of the trail goes along a river valley followed by a narrow path up to mountain slopes with beautiful panoramic views of the Lesser Caucasus. Up to the highest peak of Sametskhvareo Mountain (2,642 m), the trail goes down 19 km, through Mountain Iron Cross, where there was erected an iron cross according to legend. The final day is an easy route that follows the river valley.
There are two Snow Shoes Trails that take you through evergreen forests covered by snow. One is 6 km, takes 4 hours and is of average difficulty, though the route can be shortened. The second Snow Shows Trail is 15.5km and takes place over 2 days, starting on the first day at the Likani guard station taking on average 6-7 hours, the second day starts from Chitakhevi guard station back to Likani, taking an average 5-6 hours,
The remaining trails are:
- Untouched Forest Trail
- Zekari Overpass Trail
- Meghruki Valley
- Shepherds’ Trail and
- Likani Valley
Please do check out our gift guide and camping guide, filled with wonderful ideas that will surely make this holiday season a memorable one.