Lagodekhi Nature Reserve

Lagodekhi Nature Reserve

Lagodekhi is a small town and district in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia. There is a border crossing there leading to Azerbaijan's Balakan Province.

I have recently visited the Nature Reserve and to tell the truth the nature was astonishingly beautiful!

The significant fact in creating the Nature Reserve in Kakheti is that initiator of creating the nature reserve was Russian - Loudvig Mlokosevich, he was the first who got to know that the diverse nature of Lagodekhi deserved to be Nature Reserve.

The Lagodekhi National Reserve is the oldest protected area in Georgia, established in 1912, and one of the country’s most lovely corners. Tucked away on the eastern border, this region of ancient forests, plunging waterfalls and alpine valleys is a must see for all nature lovers, and with the national park extending 3000 meters up the greater Caucasus, it’s a great place to discover the mountains as well. There are unique hornbeam and beech broadleaf forests, rare plants and abundant wild flowers.

Here you can see the rare species like Caucasian Aurochs and the Tetraogallus.

Flora: Mountain deciduous forests and alpine meadows.

Fauna: Caucasian goat, chamois, deer, roe deer, wild boar, bear, wolf, lynx, otter, marten, lammergeier, ulan, heath-cock, trout.

One can visit Lagodekhi Nature Reserve from May till November. Here are four different tours:

1) "Lagodekhi Waterfall" - one day tour (5-6 hours, 10 kilometre). In fact, because of the inundation in last year the waterfall's height has shortened, because of this me and my friends preferred to visit "Gurgenian Waterfall"

2) "Gurgenian Waterfall" - one day tour. It has the different entrance, because of this one should get inside the Nature Reserve from the other place. The length of the route is 15 kilometres.

3) "Machi's Stronghold" - one day tour. It is the city, built by the King Archil, in 7th century. It was the summer residence. There you can see very specific underground tunnels, fence and the church.

4) "Black Rocks' Lake" - 3 day tour. The length of the tour is 56 kilometers. Here you can see the beautiful alpine valleys, the marshlands of  the Ice Age and many beautiful lakes with little movable islands.

The price to enter the Nature Reserve - 10 GEL/Day - 6$
Children - 5 GEL/Day - 3$
One night in the local guesthouse - 30 GEL/Day - 18$