TABERNE
Samegrelo
7,468 km²
total area
311 113 people
population
humid subtropical
climate
Samegrelo
region
Why Samegrelo?
Samegrelo, the western region of Georgia, is famous for its history, beautiful places and dishes made from various spices and peppers. The main products of Megrelian cuisine are Elarji, Kupati, Gebzhalia and Gomi. The region is also home to one of the most beautiful lakes in the country – Lake Tobavarchkhili.
Hikers will enjoy a trip to the Tobavarchkhili lakes, as the trip to them is one of the most impressive that one can take in Georgia. However, it should be noted that the trek is quite difficult considering about 5 days of walking through forests and even tropical jungle. It is not recommended to travel without a guide. However, the beautiful nature, canyons, waterfalls and natural landscapes are worth every step. Also, everyone should know that there is no cell service here, which makes the trip even more adventurous. It takes an average of two days to get to the nearest settlement.
Anaklia is a coastal resort in the Samegrelo region. Every year in August, the city hosts one of the most popular electro music festivals, GEM fest.
Flight
Samegrelo is located in the northwest of the country. You can get here by plane from Tbilisi. Also, before departure, you must provide a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19
climate
Samegrelo is located in the central part of western Georgia, the river Rioni, Inguri, Tskhenistskali and between the Black Sea, on the Kolkheti lowland, the foothills of the Caucasus Range, partly in the mountainous zone. Samegrelo is located on the border from the north of Svaneti and the Caucasus Range, from the northeast of Racha, from the east of Imereti, from the south of Guria, from the northwest of Abkhazia, and from the west it borders the Black Sea.
Accommodation
The region has a choice of hotels and dozens of guest houses. The choice of hotels is not as wide as in the capital, but still the city will provide you with options. We analyzed them and tried to choose the most optimal hotels in terms of price-quality ratio according to various criteria here
Wonderful
Interesting
CUISINE AND RESTAURANTS
In the cuisine of this region, an important dish is sulguni, or cow cheese. Local chefs use it in many dishes, for example, in khachapuri, baking sulguni in dough, in local cheese cake with the addition of mint and corn flour kaarza, in hominy - corn porridge with cheese, sulguni is even added to mashed potatoes. Very peculiar fragrant salads are also common in this area - phaleuli and pies, the fillings for which are made from edible herbs with spices. The fillings made from garlic, spicy tsitsaki pepper are very popular among locals.
Transport
The most optimal and economical way to travel within the city and around the country is city buses and fixed-route taxis. Buses run throughout the city and beyond. Buses start operating from 7 am to 12 pm. Please note that they run irregularly early in the morning and late in the evening. On the central streets at the stops there are special boards in English with a description of the time of arrival and bus routes. A walking route around the SAMEGRELO region is available in the spring-summer season. Mysterious waterfalls and lakes, caves and forests of extraordinary beauty - all this will meet on our way.
WINEMAKING
In Georgia, the Guria-Samegrelo region can be considered the most ancient place for winemaking. First mentioned in historical sources about Kolkheti. The current history of winemaking in these two regions is associated with two foreigners: the Scot Jacob Mar in Guria and the Frenchman Achille Murat in Samegrelo. The main grape varieties in the region are: White: Chkhaveri, jani, Mtevandidi, Skhilatubani, zenaturi, Sakmiela Red: Ojaleshi,Chvitiluri Chechipeshi, Chergvali, Machkvaturi, Cheshi.