# Kintrishi Protected Areas
- URL: https://explore-georgia.ge/en/places/kintrishi-protected-areas
- Type: place to visit
- Region: Adjara
- Coordinates: 41.682, 42.039

The Kintrishi Protected Areas lie in Kobuleti municipality in the valley of the Kintrishi river, between the village of Tskhemvani and Mount Khino on the Meskheti range, from 300 to 2,500 metres above sea level. They comprise two parts: the Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve and the Kintrishi Protected Landscape. The Kintrishi rises on Mount Khino and reaches the sea near Kobuleti. The reserve is bordered on the north by the Kobuleti forest administration, on the east by Shuakhevi municipality, on the south by Keda municipality and on the south-west by Mtirala National Park.

The mountains trap the moist air from the sea: the annual precipitation, as on the coast of Adjara, is about 3,000 millimetres, the mean temperature in August 24 degrees and in January 4. The ecosystems change from lowland forest to mountain meadows; more than 900 plant species grow here, among them hornbeam, Oriental beech and Caucasian fir; 65 of these species are endemic to the Caucasus, and the yew, a Tertiary relict on the Red List, also grows here. About 189 bird species, 65 mammal species and 14 reptile species have been recorded in or around the reserve, and it is also known for 34 species of mayfly.

On the grounds are stone arched bridges, the ruins of the church of St John the Baptist of Khinotsminda, the church of St George of Tskhemvani, ancient wine jars, waterfalls and Lake Tbikeli. Tbikeli is elongated and oval, 7–8 metres deep, covered with snow and ice in winter, and home to the Caucasian newt, a Red List species; it lies at about 1,900–2,000 metres (other accounts give 2,200 metres). The Khinotsminda church is dated to the twelfth century, though its building technique and masonry have also led it to be assigned to the eighth–ninth centuries; it measures 18 × 10 metres, and some walls survive to 2–3 metres.

## History

The Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve was founded in 1959 to protect relict humid forests and wetlands and endemic and threatened species; in 2007 the Kintrishi Protected Landscape was added to it. Archaeological excavations have also revealed pre-Christian monuments here. The valley holds many traces of the Middle Ages: the arched Tamar bridge belongs to the second, flourishing period of stone building (eleventh–twelfth centuries) and is counted a monument of the age of Rustaveli, while the Khinotsminda church is tied by its building technique to an earlier age. The church of St George of Tskhemvani began to function in 2005.

In 2021 the Kintrishi reserve, together with Mtirala National Park and other Colchian forests and wetlands, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands. Marked trails, cottages and camping sites have been laid out for visitors.

## Visit info

The visitor centre is in Kobuleti at 271 Aghmashenebeli Street; the protected areas are 24 kilometres from it. Microbuses run from Batumi towards Kobuleti every 10–15 minutes and from Kobuleti towards the village of Chakhati, from where it is 8 kilometres on foot to Tskhemvani; a private taxi can also be hired in Kobuleti. The park is about 57.9 kilometres from Batumi by road. There are two marked trails: the one-day Tamar Arched Bridge (about 600 metres, easy) and the two-day Utkhovari and Lake Tbikeli (37 km, moderate, on foot or on horseback), which starts from the Tskhemvani shelter in the village of Didvake; from the church ruins to the lake is 14 kilometres. A night in the cottages costs 30 lari per person, a tent pitch 10 lari, and tents, sleeping bags, bicycles and binoculars can be hired.

## Tips

For a short visit choose the path from the Tamar arched bridge to the church of St George of Tskhemvani, with old wine jars and a waterfall nearby. On the two-day trail you pass the ancient yew and the ruins of Khinotsminda, and the night is planned by Lake Tbikeli; this trail is open from spring to autumn. Nearby, in the village of Kobalauri, the nineteenth-century Basrimele stone arched bridge is also worth seeing.

## Safety

The two-day trail climbs to about 2,000 metres, the weather changes fast and in winter the lake lies under snow, so go only from spring to autumn, with warm clothes and food, and let the administration know in advance. Keep to the marked trails and light fires only in the designated places. To enter the strictly protected part of the reserve, contact the administration.

## Sources

- [Kintrishi National Park — Agency of Protected Areas](https://nationalparks.ge/ka/site/kintrishinp)
- [How to get there — Kintrishi National Park](https://nationalparks.ge/ka/site/kintrishinp/getHere)
- [Kintrishi National Park — English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintrishi_National_Park)
- [Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve — English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintrishi_Strict_Nature_Reserve)
- [Kintrishi Protected Landscape — Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12865783)

## This page in other languages

- [ქართული](https://explore-georgia.ge/ka/adgilebi/kintrishis-datsuli-teritoriebi)
- [Русский](https://explore-georgia.ge/ru/mesta/okhraniaemye-territorii-kintrishi)