GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Algeti National Park

Tbilisi's forested backyard with mountain views

Algeti National Park

Why go

Algeti National Park spreads across the southern slopes of the Trialeti Range, just 60 kilometers southwest of Tbilisi, making it one of Georgia's most accessible protected areas. Established in 1965 and expanded to its current boundaries in 2007, the park preserves a rare transition zone where Colchic broadleaf forests of the humid west meet drier eastern Caucasian woodlands of hornbeam and oak. This botanical intermingling creates layered habitats for roe deer, wild boar, brown bear, and over 100 bird species. The park's proximity to the capital has made it a cherished weekend refuge for generations of Tbilisians, yet its 6,800 hectares remain remarkably quiet beyond the main recreational zones. The mixed forests here are not scenery but living history—remnants of the ancient woodland that once carpeted this entire region before millennia of human settlement.

On the ground See

  • Hike to Birtvisi Canyon and Arsena's Castle, where limestone pinnacles hide a medieval fortress refuge above the Algeti valley
  • Explore the old-growth oak and hornbeam forests along the Algeti River gorge, where moss-covered trunks and fern understory evoke pre-industrial Georgia
  • Visit the designated picnic clearings near the park entrance, where families have gathered for decades at stone tables beneath mature chestnut and walnut trees

Practical Know before you go

Best visited May through October; reachable via public marshrutka from Tbilisi's Didube station to Manglisi (1.5 hours), then taxi or hike to the park entrance.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly