The Sataplia Nature Reserve is located 10 kilometers east of Kutaisi. It is a wonderful natural attraction not only of Kutaisi, but also of the whole of Georgia. The nature protection regime does not allow you to walk along the paths of the reserve on your own; however, there are interesting places on the routes equipped for visiting.
Mount Sataplia means "Honey Mountain" in Georgian. The main sights of Sataplia were found by a local teacher and historian Petro Chebukiani. In 1925, he discovered the Sataplia Cave, and in 1934, he found dinosaur footprints nearby on the slope of a limestone mountain. After these finds, in 1939, the local authorities established a nature reserve here.
In 2010, the nature reserve was fully equipped for a comfortable visit by tourists. Near the entrance to the reserve is the most famous attraction of Sataplia - the footprints of dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Era. A large pavilion has been built over these footprints, where you can walk up the stairs and see dinosaur footprints. Scientists suggest that these tracks were left by dinosaurs about 160 million years ago. Why the limestone on the mountainside was soft when the dinosaurs walked over it is unknown.
From the pavilion with dinosaur footprints, walk straight 450 meters to the Colchis Forest. This is another very interesting attraction of the Sataplia Nature Reserve. Here you will see a section of forest in which rocks and tree trunks are covered with moss. Thanks to the nature protection regime, the endemics of this region have been preserved here: Colchian boxwood, Colchian oak, Colchian cripple (also called Jonjoli). There are also traditional beeches and yews. The Colchis forest in Sataplia looks very authentic.
At the top of Mount Sataplia there is an observation deck with a glass floor. It is a bridge in the form of an arc over a cliff. It offers a beautiful view of the surroundings of the reserve, as well as the city of Kutaisi. In the distance, the Trialeti Mountain Range is visible, which stretches from Borjomi to Batumi. The height of its mountains reaches 2800 meters. Since the view from the observation deck of Sataplia opens to the south, and not to the north, it is impossible to see the Main Caucasian Ridge from here.
Be sure to visit the Sataplia Cave, which is located near the observation deck. The route inside the cave equipped for excursions is 300 meters. In the cave, you will see three halls: the Hall of Flaming Stones, the Transparent Hall and the most famous Hall of the Stone Heart. In the Cave of Sataplia, as in the Cave of Prometheus, in one of the halls an underground river flows along the bottom, but it is impossible to sail on it by boat.
