Why go
Sataplia Karst Field lies within the Sataplia State Reserve, established in 1935 to protect one of Georgia's most significant karst landscapes. This 330-hectare territory preserves a complex underground world of caves, sinkholes, and subterranean rivers carved from Cretaceous limestone. The reserve's name derives from the local honey-bearing plant *Tupistra sataplioides*. Beyond its geological drama, the site holds remarkable paleontological significance: preserved dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous period, discovered in the 1930s, are visible on exposed limestone slabs. The karst field represents a rare convergence of accessible cave systems, fossil evidence, and endemic biodiversity including the Colchic boxwood and numerous bat species. It rewards visitors with tangible depth—literally and figuratively—of Georgia's natural history.