Borjom-Kharagauli National Park

Stretching from the resort of Borjomi to the city of Kharagauli, the park covers the vast area of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the central part of Georgia. With more than 11 nature trails, some of which are loop trails and others are one-way trails, you can find the one that is suitable for you. Before entering the park, make sure to register at Visitors Center in Borjomi (or Visitors Center in Kragauli).

Size

The nature reserve’s area is 107,649 hectares (or 201,000 football stadiums).

Structure

From 800m to 2.650m altitude, park area is mostly covered by a forest and alpine meadows.

History

The Nature Reserve was founded in 1935, later became National Park in 1995.

Good to Know

Due to the structure of the mountains, natural springs are hard to find, therefore always carry your water.

Distance: 160km from Tbilisi (2 hours)
Best for: Hiking, Snowshoe Hiking, Mountain biking, Horseback, Offroad
Best time: April – October. Snowshoe hiking is possible during January – February.
Addon: You can extend your trip by traversing mountain range towards Zekari pass.

How to Get

Public Transport

There are regular public mini-buses in Didube Bus station leaving several times a day. You can also join Bakuriani or Akhaltsikhe bus, which passes by Borjomi.

Private vehicle

The road to Borjomi is well maintained and can be accessed by any type of car. You can also drive a 4wd vehicle and be able to access the inner parts of the park.

Eat and Sleep

There is a network of tourist shelters and campgrounds scattered throughout the park on each of the multi-day trails, as well as a number of ranger stations (sometimes called guard stations).

The tourist shelters have bunk beds, tables, and a designated outdoor fire ring. You will need to bring your own cooking and sleeping gear (e.g., sleeping mat and sleeping bag, gas stove and cooking utensils), as the shelters provide only basic facilities. There is always a latrine nearby and usually a water source at or near the shelter.

You can also camp outside the tourist shelters or ranger stations. The fee is 5 GEL per person per night for camping or 20 GEL per person per night for a bed in a tourist shelter or ranger station.

As for Borjomi town itself, there are plenty of places to eat and sleep, from high end luxury spa hotels to simple and affordable hostels.

What to Do

Hiking

For more information and trail locations, see the map above.

1 Day Hikes

  • No. 6 Footprint Trail
    (17 km, 7+ hours, one way)
  • No. 12 Likani Valley Trail
    (9 km, 4+ hours, loop)
  • No. 7 National Park Information Trail
    (3 km, 2+ hours, loop)

Snowshoe Hikes

  • No. 11 Snowshoe Trail
    (16 km, 6+ hours, return)
  • No. 10 Snowshoe Trail
    (20 km, 2 days, loop)

Multi Day Hikes

  • No. 1 Nikoloz Romanov’s Trail
    (40 km, 3 days, horse riding or hiking, one way)
  • No. 2 St Andrew’s Trail
    (54 km, 4 – 5 days, horse riding or hiking, one way)
  • No. 3 Panorama Trail
    (31 km, 2 days, horse riding or hiking, loop)
  • No. 5 Zekari Overpass Trail
    (26 km, 2 days, loop)
  • No. 9 Shepherd’s Trail
    (43 km, 3 days, horse riding or hiking, one way)

Mountain Biking

Since the route is not too steep, it can be done by mountain bike. The route from Didi Namtvriani is slightly less steep than the route from Patara Namtvriani.

Other than the official route, you can also follow the Trialeti ridge to either reach the Javakheti plateau, descend to Uplistsikhe or cycle all the way to Tbilisi.