GoBatumi
MACHAKHELA VALLEY

MACHAKHELA VALLEY

Distance from Batumi: 22 km

Height above sea level: 300-800 meters

Best time to visit: Spring, Summer, Autumn.

In 19 km south to Batumi there's a turn, and 3 km route will bring us from there to the Valley. So, it is just 3 km away from the main automobile road. It’s 10 km distance from the beginning of the Valley to Tskhemlara Bridge. Tourists can walk or ride horse or bicycle in the villages. There are centuries-old arch bridges in Machakhela Valley, the biggest of them being Tskhemlara Bridge (length - 25 m, width - 2 m); here one can also visit fortresses, churches and monasteries, maranis (wine cellars) built by the limestone and satsnakhelis (wine squeezers), which belong to the various historic periods. Several legends about Queen Tamar are associated with Machakhela Valley. In the old times, there was number of rich smitheries in the valley. Along with the family and agricultural tools, they were forging colds and firearms. At the junction of Chorokhi and Machakhela Rivers there is a monument of Machakhela gun; here, in Zemo Chkhutuneti Village, is located rich with the exhibition items Machakhela Ethnographical

Museum; in Machakhela Valley the tourists might be interested in famous Machakhela honey and its manufacturing technologies. The tourists traveling from Batumi to Machakhela will be able to visit following monuments and tourist objects: Chkhutuneti fortress, Tskhemlara bridge, Machakhela historical and ethnographic museum - Now called the Chkhutuneti museum, Kokoleti bridge, Chrheri bridge, nearby you can also visit: Machakhela Gun monument. Machakhela National Park is located at the administrative border of Khelvachauri and Keda Municipalities, in Machakhela River Valley and is the part of environmental corridor, which links together protected areas of south-west Georgia (Mtirala National Park and Kintrishi Protected Areas) and north-east Turkey (Jamil Biosphere Reserve).

Activities: Become familiar with traditional rules of cattle breeding, poultry raising, vegetable growing and bee keeping, hunting, fishing, traditional ways of cooking local dishes, hiking, camping, horse-racing, and visiting historical and cultural sites in addition, learn about the history of creating gun "Machakhela" as well as the popular national trades of knitting, embroidery, wickerwork with baskets and long baskets, wine making and vodka brewing (seasonal).

tags: