Shekvetili Dendrological Park and Magnetic Sands: Tour from Batumi

This is a trip to the north of Adjara - the direction tourists from Batumi take less often than the mountains, and they are missing out. In one day you will climb to a church with all of Batumi at your feet, walk the walls of a Byzantine fortress above the sea, spend an hour in a park where lemurs stroll the paths between trees brought from all over the world, test the black sand of Ureki with a magnet, and on the way back have lunch with trout that is netted from a flow-through pool only after you have ordered it. The route runs along the coast, with no serpentines and no long drives, so children and older travelers handle it equally well.

The main point of the day is the dendrological park in Shekvetili, half an hour from Kobuleti and just over an hour from Batumi. Getting there on your own means changing buses; as part of the tour the park is built into a route that fits in four more stops you would hardly reach in a single day by yourselves: the panoramic Sameba church, Petra fortress with its abandoned lemon farm, and the beach of black magnetic sand.

Who this route is for

Families with kids - one day fits lemurs on the paths, magnetic sand to dig in and a spot of fishing before lunch, while the longest stretch of driving is about an hour. Those who have already been to the mountains - this is a different Adjara: not waterfalls and gorges but a coastline with history, from a Byzantine fortress to a Soviet lemon farm. And those who like an easy pace: there are many stops, but not one that calls for stamina or hiking boots.

What to bring

If you plan to swim at Ureki - a swimsuit, a towel and a change of clothes: the beach has changing cabins (paid), but no towels. In summer - sunscreen and a hat: an hour on an open beach at noon is no joke. Money for lunch - cash is safer, the terminal at the riverside restaurant may lose signal. And free space on your phone: between the Sameba panorama, the lemurs and the black sand there will be more shots than you expect.