Ecotourism in Georgia - what you can see during the mountain routes.

According to the description from official sources, ecotourism is "a responsible journey to a natural area that contributes to the protection of nature and improves the well—being of local residents." It's like a vacation with loved ones in the country, where you can not only sunbathe in the sun, but also need to cultivate a vegetable garden, take care of flowers and whitewash apple trees.

Components of ecotourism:

• Enlightenment — throughout their journey, tourists dynamically study nature
• Money — funds from the tourist flow go to the preservation of environmental protection
• Actions — every tourist, in addition to recreation, helps in the revival of natural resources.

Nowadays, interest in eco-tourism has increased significantly. And this is due to the fact that people are in a hurry to see the masterpieces of nature, which may disappear in a few years. And, of course, ecotourism is chosen because of fatigue from office work, they want to get rid of stress and just touch nature.

So, if you:

• want to see pagan sanctuaries and ancient Christian monuments, cave towns and castles that are hidden high in the mountains, canyons, unique frescoes in long–forgotten monasteries - in general, there are many monuments scattered far across the ancient land of Georgia;
• are you interested to see with your own eyes amazing crystal clear lakes and bubbling waterfalls hidden between rocks, to hear the noise of stormy mountain rivers, to taste clean and transparent spring water, to inhale the fragrance of blooming mountain slopes;
• you are not afraid of long roads and want to make sure that "only mountains are better than mountains" and try yourself in mountain sports, conquering snow—capped peaks with climbers, or experience "cave tourism";
• you want to help in preserving this amazing nature and culture - then ecotourism in Georgia suits you!

Georgia consists of a wide variety of ecosystems. These are subtropical moist forests, mountain steppes, and alpine ecosystems. It is also rich in cultural heritage. And all this gives this country huge opportunities to improve and study a wide range of forms of eco-tourism.

The population of Georgia is 4.7 million people. Such a population is located on an area of 69.700 km2. Despite this, there are areas of land untouched by people. Georgia is located in the central and western part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas.

It occupies only one seventh of the Caucasus. But this does not prevent us from having a high level of various biological species with unique flora and fauna, a large variety of landscapes – from watery mountain forests and swamps to the highest mountains, alpine ecosystems and deserts.

The fourth part of terrestrial vertebrates and fish, most of the flowering plants of Georgia are a specific component of the Caucasian region: species consist of 12 amphibians, 54 reptiles, more than 100 mammals and more than 370 species of birds.

Georgia is located simultaneously in 4 climatic zones: along the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the southern slopes of the Great Caucasus Mountains, at the same latitude as Washington, D.C., northern Greece and northern Spain.

The nature of Georgia is protected and protected by national parks and nature reserves. The zones in need of protection occupy about 20% of the territory of the mountainous country. When Georgia was ruled by the Soviet government, 15 nature reserves were founded with a total area of more than 168,000 hectares. Such as Algeti, Borjomi, Kazbegi, Akhmeta, etc.

Georgia is a wonderful place to conduct a bird-watching tour. With its many varieties of landscape, it is interesting to observe numerous unique species in the semi-desert atmosphere, in savannas, floodplain forests, alpine meadows, glaciers and swamps. There are about 370 species of birds in the country, of which there are species on the verge of extinction, such as the Caucasian grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi) or the Caucasian ular (Tetraogallus caucasicus). If you are interested in bird watching, then you can choose a tour with a qualified specialist.

You can find a horse in any Georgian mountain village. Such horse breeds as Kabards and Tushetti have excellent endurance and beauty. The Caucasus Mountains are considered their homeland. If you want to get an unforgettable experience and impressions, then go for a ride on horseback on the mountain slopes of Georgia.

On your way, you may meet locals who can speak dialects that are different from each other. You can also observe different traditions – a unique combination of mountain religions, myths and Christianity. Throughout your walk you will enjoy the legendary Georgian hospitality. In some small villages you can find and taste products grown and produced on ecologically clean plots of land: the most delicate cheeses, juicy fruits and healthy vegetables, as well as delicious homemade grape wines.

Find more interesting facts about Georgia on the pages of the Madloba catalog. We try to simply and fascinatingly tell about all the nuances of the life of the Georgian people, to give useful recommendations to tourists and guests of the country.