Photo Source: nationalparks.ge

Down in the remote far southeast Kakheti, Georgia’s ever changing landscapes take yet another twist. Beyond the town of Dedoplis Tskaro, expanses of wheat fields give a way to a strange semi-desert zone where eroded badlands alternate with steppe grasslands, canyons, savannah, ancient pistachio forests and woodlands along the Alazani River, which makes up the border with Azerbaijan. The Vashlovani National Park extends over an area of 370-sq-km and contains a very high concentration of species including  46 mammals, 135 birds, 30 reptiles and 600 plants. The mammals include brown bears, wolves, otters, hyenas and goitered gazelles. 

Also worth visiting near Dedoplis Tskaro are the Eegles Canyon, home to enormous  vultures and black storks, and the ancient crag-top ruin of Khornabuji Fortress.

The best times to visit, with moderate tempratures, plants in bloom and wildlife more active are from April to mid-June and September to mid-November. July and August are extremly hot.

Visitors must register here before entering the Vashlovani National Park and should book in advance to stay here. For 3 GEL you can buy a hiking map here.

• Contact: nseturidze13@gmail.com 
• Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm
• English speaking staff, an interesting little museum.
• Rooms: Single or Double (40/50 GEL)

Marshrutky run from from Telavi to Dedoplis Tskaro (7 GEL, about 2 hours), every day, 2 times a day. 

From Tbilisi you can get there with a bus. (7 GEL, 3 hours) It runs daily and about every hour. In Tbilisi the bus starts from Isani Metro Station. To get back from Dedoplis Tskaro buses leave from the bus stop on a big roundabout in the city center.