Dinosaur tracks
Preserved in rock.
Aleksey Muhranoff — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paata vardanashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jon Gudorf Photography — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Surprizi — CC0 · James Emery from Douglasville, United States — CC BY 2.0 · Surprizi — CC0 · Paata vardanashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0 · James Emery from Douglasville, United States — CC BY 2.0
A nature reserve on the slopes of the extinct volcano Mount Sataplia, near the village of Banoja about ten kilometres from Kutaisi, bringing together dinosaur footprints, a karst cave and dense Colchic forest in one place. Its name roughly means «honey place», as wild bees once lived in the rock crevices and locals gathered their honey. Its highlight is a set of footprints left by plant-eating and predatory dinosaurs of different ages, preserved in the rock inside a building made to protect them; the type found here is called «Satapliasaurus». Life-size dinosaur models nearby delight children especially. Easy trails lead to a karst cave lit in bright colours, with its stalactites and stalagmites, through green Colchic forest and the wild bees' habitat, and to a glass viewing platform that looks out over the plains of Imereti and Kutaisi from a great height. Tickets are 30 GEL for foreign adults and 15 GEL for citizens and residents, including a guide in Georgian, English or Russian, and it opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm, per the Agency of Protected Areas. Allow an hour and a half; the cave is damp, so wear suitable shoes.
Preserved in rock.
Stalactites and stalagmites.
Views over Imereti.
Slopes of Mount Sataplia near Banoja village, about ten kilometres north of Kutaisi
Yes; the dinosaur tracks and models, the coloured cave and the easy trails make it one of the best family outings near Kutaisi.