Ninoskhevi Waterfall
A 40 m fall up a narrow river path.
Paata vardanashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexey Komarov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paata vardanashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paata vardanashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexey Komarov — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lagodekhi Protected Areas cover more than 24,000 hectares of the Greater Caucasus's southern slopes at Georgia's north-eastern tip, bordering Azerbaijan and Russia's Dagestan. They rise from 590 to 3,500 metres, from beech forest to alpine meadows and glacial lakes. Most of the land is a strict reserve kept for research; visitors keep to five marked trails, mostly in the managed reserve. The reserve began with Ludwik Młokosiewicz, a Polish officer turned naturalist who lived in these forests and urged their protection from 1889. It was declared in 1912, three years after his death, as the first nature reserve in present-day Georgia, and the Caucasian grouse's scientific name honours him. It shelters East Caucasian tur, chamois, red deer, brown bears and lynx. From the visitor centre, a 9.5 km trail (three to five hours) runs through old forest to the six-metre Black Grouse, or Rocho, waterfall. The Ninoskhevi trail (8.5 km, four to six hours) starts at Gurgeniani village and follows a narrow riverside path to a 40-metre waterfall. Other routes climb to the medieval Machi fortress and, over three days in summer and autumn, to Black Rock Lake on the main ridge. The visitor centre is in Lagodekhi town, about an hour's drive (48 km) from Sighnaghi. The fortress and lake routes enter the border zone and need a special pass, applied for online beforehand; carry your passport. Paths turn muddy and slippery after rain; wear boots with grip. The Monastery of St Nino at Bodbe, near Sighnaghi, lies 39 km south-west as the crow flies.
A 40 m fall up a narrow river path.
Six metres high, through old forest.
Three days to the ridge, summer and autumn.
Visitor centre, 197 Vashlovani Street, Lagodekhi, Kakheti
A 10.5 km trail of three to four hours, on foot or on horseback, starts at the reserve's administration centre in Matsimi village, 7 km by road from Lagodekhi. Inside the fortress walls stand a church and the ruins of old buildings.
In a tourist shelter for 16 people, 11.5 km up from the visitor centre, at 30 GEL a night per person (20 GEL for students). Tents, sleeping bags and mats can be hired at the centre.