Chachuna Managed Reserve

There is a startling variety of landscapes in the reserve, including sprawling meadows, imposing limestone cliffs, and loamy hills covered in steppe plants, which, if you follow the Iori River, will eventually turn into a unique riverine forest.

These forests are home to rare plants which have been listed in Georgia’s “Red Book”. Here you can encounter white poplars (Populus alba), grayish oaks (Quercus pedunculiflora), and Caucasian hackberries (Celtis caucasica), among others.

No less rich is the variety of fauna. There are raccoons and jackals, along with endangered reed cats, wolves, and more. In 2020 a camera trap even caught a picture of a lynx. 

Up to sixty species of birds protected under the Bern Convention live there, including the magnificent black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) and the eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliacal). Griffon vultures and Egyptian vultures make their nests in the caves of Chachuna’s limestone cliffs.