This Mtirala National Park tour from Batumi trades the seafront for the forest. You will head into the hills behind the coast for walks through dense, ancient woodland and fresh mountain air in Mtirala, then return towards the city for a slower stroll among rare trees and flowers in the Dendrological Garden. It is a private day, so it is only your group and your guide, and the walking is matched to you.
It suits travellers who love nature and want a quieter side of Adjara, families with children who need space to explore, and anyone who has done the Batumi sights and fancies a change of scene. It is also a good day for photographers, as the forest light, moss-covered stones and rushing streams are very different from the rest of Georgia. Your guide will explain what makes this corner of the Black Sea coast so unusually green and why its forests are protected.
Highlights of the route
Mtirala Mountain
Mtirala National Park was created in 2006 to protect the forests on the slopes of Mount Mtirala, a short drive inland from the coast. Its name comes from the Georgian word for "weeping", a nod to the extraordinary amount of rain that falls here, which makes it one of the wettest places in Georgia. That rain feeds a relict Colchic forest of beech, chestnut and evergreen undergrowth, a type of woodland that survived the Ice Ages along this coast, and the Colchic forests of this coast are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2021. Trails of different lengths start near the visitor centre, from easy riverside walks to longer hikes into the hills. Expect mud after rain, wear proper walking shoes, and pack a waterproof whatever the forecast says.
Batumi Dendrological Garden
After the wildness of Mtirala, the Dendrological Garden is a calmer, more ordered counterpoint. It is a collection of trees and flowering plants laid out along peaceful walking paths, and it shows off what Batumi's mild, humid climate can grow: rare species alongside the palms, magnolias and evergreens you see throughout the city. It is a good place to slow down, sit in the shade and let children wander, and your guide can point out the more unusual trees and explain how they arrived on this coast. It suits travellers who prefer flat, easy walking, and it makes a gentle way to end a day that began in the mountains.
Make it your own
Think of this route as a starting point. Keen walkers can spend most of the day in Mtirala on a longer trail and skip the garden; families and older travellers can do a short forest walk and give more time to the garden and a long lunch. If you love plants, you can add the Batumi Botanical Garden on Green Cape, one of the highlights of our Batumi city tour. For more mountain scenery, we can continue to Makhuntseti Waterfall in the Adjaristskali valley or explore the higher villages of Adjara.
If you want to wake up in the forest, ask us about staying a night near the park and walking in the early morning, when it is at its quietest. Guides speak English, Russian and Georgian, so just tell us your preference. Browse all our tours from Batumi for other ideas, and if you are travelling on to Kutaisi, Svaneti or Tbilisi afterwards, a private driver in Georgia can take you onwards.
Good to know
- Mtirala gets a great deal of rain in every season. Bring a waterproof jacket and a dry layer.
- Wear walking shoes or boots with good grip; trails can be muddy and roots and stones are slippery when wet.
- Insect repellent is useful in the warmer months, when the forest is humid.
- For the best conditions, see our month-by-month guide to Georgia; late spring to autumn is the most comfortable time for forest walks.
Send us your dates, group size and where you are staying on WhatsApp, and we will put together a route and a quote for your day in Mtirala.
