Sataplia Nature Reserve

Sataplia is a small protected area on a wooded hill outside Kutaisi that packs several things into a short visit. Preserved on a rock surface under a shelter are footprints left by dinosaurs in what was then coastal mud, both herbivore and predator tracks, found here in the 1930s and among the reasons the reserve exists. A karst cave with stalactites runs through the hill on a short lit route. A glass-floored platform projects from the hillside over the valley with Kutaisi below, and the wood around is Colchic forest, the humid broadleaf type that covers this part of the country. The name means place of honey, from the wild bees on the hill.

History

The Sataplia nature park was founded in 1935 by Petre Chabukiani to protect a recently discovered karst cave with its stalactites and stalagmites, along with Colchian forest and geological and archaeological sites, and it was enlarged to its present borders in 1957. In 2010 and 2011 the managed reserve was fitted out for visitors with a visitor centre, a café, a small museum, a park of dinosaur models and a glass deck over the cliff, and the main cave was given lighting and a safe footpath; the name means "honey place", for the wild bees whose honey local people once gathered from holes in the rock (Wikipedia, Sataplia Strict Nature Reserve).

The landscape

• Dinosaur footprints under shelter - tracks preserved in old coastal mud.
• The karst cave - a short lit route through the hill.
• The glass viewing platform - the projecting deck over the valley.
• Colchic forest - the humid broadleaf woodland of western Georgia.

When to go

April to October. Two to three hours. Visits are guided in groups on a set circuit. Summer weekends are busy with families and school groups.

Practical notes

It is small and the guided circuit moves quickly. Dinosaur model displays on the trail are dated and aimed at children. The cave is short compared with Prometheus nearby. The glass platform is often crowded.

Nearby

Kutaisi is south-east; Prometheus cave lies west.

Key facts