Distance from Batumi: 65 km
Area: 588 sq / km
Population: 22600 people
In the very center of Adjara, on the Meskheti and Shavsheti mountain ranges, there is a typical Adjarian region - Shuakhevi. Local residents are mainly engaged in farming, animal husbandry and tobacco growing. So, if you like healthy and organic food, then Shuakhevi is the best place to visit. The most interesting places to visit in Shuakhevi are the Chvana and Mareti gorges, as well as the villages of Nigazeuli, Gomarduli, Khabelashvilebi and Neniya. Here you can enjoy the beauty of nature, stay in guesthouses and get acquainted with the life of locals, as well as take long mountain hikes in alpine meadows. In the forests you can find chamois, wild boar, jackals, etc., as well as the typical flora of the Caucasus: beech, oak, various types of coniferous vegetation. While in Shuakhevi, do not miss the chance to try the traditional local cuisine, consisting mainly of dairy products, and ask the owners of the guesthouse to cook you something special.
What to do in Shuakhevi:
1. Visit the shepherds' settlements “Jvari Mindori” and “Chirukhi”;
2. Taste Shuakhevi tobacco (tutuni);
3. Visit Furtio arch bridge and Otolta fortress;
4. Take part in tobacco harvesting;
5. Meet a brown bear on forest paths;
6. Ride a horse in the woods.
What to see in Shuakhevi:
Fortresses: Nigazeuli (18th century), Kaviani (12-13th centuries), Okropilauri (11-12th centuries), Darchidzeebi (12-13th centuries), Otolta (11-13th centuries), Changchalo (12-13th centuries), Tsinareti ( 11-12 centuries).
Khabelashvili Bridge (19th century), Vardzhanauli arch bridge (12th century), the church in Oladauri.
Places where you can stay overnight, relax for a few days, feel the daily life of the Adjarian village, eat natural food, and participate in cooking classes:
Paposhvilebi village, Darchidzeebi village, Chirukhi mountain
Approximate cost of accommodation / overnight including three meals a day- 50 GEL
Walking routes: Chvana and Mareti gorges, Kaviani fortress, as well as a long route connecting the municipalities of Shuakhevi and Khulo
Transport:
How to get there: shuttle buses depart from the old Batumi bus station (1, Mayakovsky st. ) every hour. The cost is about 4-5 GEL. Intra-village shuttle buses departs directly from the district center.
