An extraordinary place and a national park of incredible beauty, Vashlovani lies in the far east of Georgia. To many visitors, its landscapes resemble the planet Mars. The deeper the road leads into the park, the more fairy-tale-like the surrounding valleys and their framing mountains become. Vashlovani National Park covers an area of 251 km2, most of which is a protected nature reserve. Vashlovani National Park is also featured among the things to do in Kakheti.
Nature of Vashlovani
A journey through the national park promises to be a fascinating adventure, as one picturesque natural scene follows another. As you travel through the park towards the border with Azerbaijan, you will notice that you are passing from one climate zone into another. In Vashlovani, wooded plains give way to steppes covered with deciduous forests. Then canyons come into view, followed by a true desert! The Alazani River, famous for its abundance of fish, flows through Vashlovani. Its banks are lined with dense thickets of green trees and shrubs. You will come across contrasts like these everywhere in the national park.
The park has an exceptionally rich flora, with more than 600 plant species, some of which are endemic to Georgia. In Vashlovani, you can find fig, cherry and pistachio trees, maples, pears and many other plants. The fauna includes wild hares, wild boars, hedgehogs, wolves, foxes, gazelles, polecats and even jackals. Tortoises are often seen on the roads. The venomous blunt-nosed viper (gyurza) is fairly common, although it is less dangerous in summer and autumn than in spring. Among the birds, you can spot some rather rare species in Vashlovani: the black stork, the Egyptian vulture and the great bustard.
Infrastructure of Vashlovani National Park
As everywhere in Georgia, you will see tourist signposts on the approaches to the park and inside it. Rangers are always on duty here and will suggest the best place to pitch a tent or take you to the bungalow cabins, where you can also stay.
The bungalows are located in the central and remote parts of the park. All of them have running water, modern toilets, beds and a kitchen. Wood-burning stoves are provided for cold autumn nights. In addition, there are special campfire spots in different parts of the park.
In the dry season, getting around Vashlovani is fairly comfortable. However, the local roads are passable only by off-road vehicles.
Good to know! The national park administration is located in the town of Dedoplistskaro, where you must register before entering the park (address: 5 Baratashvili Street). At the administration, you will receive a short briefing and useful advice about your stay in the park. You can also pay here for a bungalow or a tent pitch. If you are staying in a guesthouse, the administration will give you bed linen (it is usually not kept in the bungalows). When registering in Dedoplistskaro, you will need to have your passport and your vehicle documents with you.
When Is the Best Time to Visit Vashlovani?
The best time to visit Vashlovani National Park is spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October). In spring, you will see green fields covered with bellflowers, poppies and many other flowers. Various species of orchids grow in some of the canyons.
In the summer months, the park is very hot, with temperatures that can reach 40°C and above. In autumn, the air warms up to a comfortable 23–25°C. In autumn, however, the scenery is entirely different, more like an arid mountain desert. The spring grasses and flowers are scorched by the blazing summer sun, and by autumn the nature of Vashlovani is transformed into something else, yet no less captivating.
Things to Do in Vashlovani National Park
Boat trips, horse riding, birdwatching, fishing, off-road drives along marked scenic routes and exploring the local flora and fauna will all add variety to your time in the wild. That is, of course, if you can tear yourself away from admiring the beauty around you and trying to capture it all on camera.
A particular highlight for visitors to the park is Eagle Canyon. Its stunningly beautiful cliffs were formed from coral reefs over millions of years. The entire area once lay deep beneath the ocean. Today, visitors to Vashlovani National Park can admire breathtaking views of the limestone gorge against the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. It is considered the best place for birdwatching, and it is here that you can watch eagles in their unhurried flight.
Not far from the town of Dedoplistskaro, you can visit the ruins of the ancient Khornabuji Fortress. The earliest surviving references to the fortress date back to the 5th century AD, although it was quite possibly built much earlier. Even though the former citadel is half-ruined, it looks truly impressive. You can climb up to the fortress walls, where magnificent views open up over the endless valleys of Kakheti, framed by the Caucasus Mountains.
Another remarkable place in Vashlovani National Park is the Takhti Tepa mud volcanoes. They are located in the most remote part of the park, almost on the border with Azerbaijan. These are, of course, not real volcanoes. Instead of magma, they push grey-blue clay up to the surface. The largest of them is only 4 metres in diameter. Surprisingly, the bubbling mud is not hot at all, but rather cool. Do not miss this fascinating experience when you come to Vashlovani.
All in all, the national park is definitely worth renting an off-road vehicle to get here. Surprisingly, tourists almost never travel to Vashlovani. So it is quite possible that when you arrive in this valley of Martian landscapes, you will have nature all to yourself. Vashlovani National Park is a secluded corner that you should definitely visit!