Lake Kartsakhi

What should you know about Lake Kartsakhi?

One part of the lake is in Georgian territory and is also called Khozaphini, and the other part is in Turkey and is known as Agdashi, meaning ‘white stones.’ The shore of the lake is rocky, and the stones around are covered with white sediment due to the excessive salinity of the water.

Lake Kartsakhi is in the protected areas of the Javakheti National Park. Its basin area is 158 square meters; the depth is only a meter. It is an endorheic lake with a volcanic origin basin and is covered with ice from December to mid-March.

Unique nature of Lake Kartsakhi 

More than 140 species of birds have been recorded in the mountainous area of ​​Javakheti, and among them, 80-85 species are indigenous. There are both nesting and migratory birds at Lake Kartsakhi, including the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus Crispus), common grey crane (Grus grus), gray heron (Ardea cinerea), white stork (Ciconia ciconia), and others. You can observe birds at any time of the year from a specific tower. May to October is the fishing season on Lake Kartsakhi. Keep in mind that fishing on Lake Kartsakhi is only permitted with a hook. You can catch vendace (Coregonus Albula), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and crab (Brachyura).