The nature of Georgia is rich and diverse, giving tourists a wide variety of possibilities for rest and recreation. Georgia ’s nature is protected by national parks and natural reserves - about 20% of Georgia ’s territory is under protection. The concept of nature protection goes back to the 12 th century, when Georgia ’s famous Queen Tamar made a royal decree about protecting some territories. The first official natural reserve was established in the 19 th century, and now there are 15 national parks and natural reserves.

Presently, very intensive work is being conducted on establishing national parks in Georgia . Plans to create seven national parks are in the process of working at. One national park, Borjomi-Kharagauli, has already been created and is in operation. A second, Colkhetian national park in western Georgia , is in the process of completion.

Borjomi-Kharagauli national park was founded in 1995 and has been open for visitors since 1999. The park area is 863,300 hectares. It has five entrances: Atskuri, Panavi, Nunisi, Borjomi and Marelisis. Three camps for tourists and visitors’ center have been built on the territory of the park. Eight tours are offered to tourists. The easiest and the shortest of them is 5 km long, the hardest and longest - 42 km. Borjomi-Kharagauli national park is becoming a real center of ecotourism

The history of protected territories in Georgia dates back to the Medieval Ages when the territories were used by local feudal lords for hunting. The next stage of environmental protection began in the 19th century when Georgia lost its independence and became a part of the Russian Empire. In 1862, the brother of ruling Russian Emperor Mikhail Romanoff was appointed Viceroy of the Russian Empire to Transcaucasia . He was greatly impressed by the beauty of the Borjomi Gorge and decided to build a summer residence there. In 1871, King Alexander II presented Borjomi Gorge to his brother. Soon, Mikhail Romanoff fenced a large part of the forest and forbade felling of trees and hunting without permission. After more than a century of the country’s turbulent history, the implementors of the Borjomi-Kharagauli used the territory established by Mikhail Romanoff as the basis for the first national park in the Caucasus . 1995 Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park was created with the support of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the German Government and was officially inaugurated in 2001.

Today the area of the National Park covers more than 76,000 hectares, which amounts to nearly 1% of the territory of Georgia . The large area of mountainous forest has been preserved here in its pristine and virgin state. A number of endemic and relict species of flora and endangered species of fauna can be found in the forests as well as among sprawling subalpine and alpine meadows of Borjomi.

The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is located in central Georgia and is part of the Caucasian upland region (Smaller Caucasus). The park is one of the largest in Europe - it covers more than 76,000 hectares of native forest and sub-alpine and alpine meadows, home to rare species of flora and fauna.

A network of trails invites you to experience the stunning variety of blossoming plants, breathtaking views and magical atmosphere.

In addition to the untouched beauty of the National Park, the surrounding villages are rich with medieval history, cottage industries and legendary Georgian hospitality.