2-Day Private Safari to Vashlovani National Park

The trip starts from Dedoplistskaro. Soon after leaving the town, road goes between agricultural fields which serve as favored hunting grounds for various birds of prey. Here you meet Kestrels, Harriers, Buzzards, Eagles... And if you’re well prepared, you might even capture stunning photographs from the comfort of your car.

We pause at the park’s entrance to take in the sheer scale of the arid light forests. This is the heart of the "Georgian Savanna."

At the Leopard Viewpoint, standing at the collision of two distinct worlds, we get a teaser of the park's grandeur. But the real show begins when we drop into Pantishara Gorge. This canyon is a living gallery. Here, the ground beneath our feet tells a dual story: the fossilised history of a prehistoric ocean, and the fresh, unwritten tales of the wildlife that roamed here last night.

And it’s lunchtime! Grab your lunch box and enjoy locally-made food and warm coffee right in the middle of the wilderness.

Continue driving along a dry riverbed through the canyon. Rugged cliffs are favorite perching spots for vultures - with a spotter, you can even make impressive videos using your phone.

We enter the realm of the Gazelle. We will move quietly, observing these graceful creatures from a distance to respect their habitat while learning the incredible story of their remarkable return to Georgia.

We leave Samukhi valley for a drive through savanna-like woodlands. The road here is rugged and demanding. Just as the terrain challenges us, it rewards us with the Usakhelo Viewpoint - a panorama so vast it feels like the edge of the world.

We descend the curved road to the river. You will check into your cabin on the banks of the Alazani, the natural border with Azerbaijan. The night here is not silent; it is alive with the song of nightingales and the splash of river life.

We rise before the sun. A short hike takes us to a hilltop to watch the sunrise paint the Sharp Walls of the valley in burning gold. This is the photographer’s dream hour.

Before the heat rises, we walk the dry riverbed. This is detective work - we analyze fresh tracks to see what creatures - wolves, porcupines, or lynx - passed by while we slept.

After hike, we check-out and follow the current upstream through a corridor of surreal, sculpted clay badlands. The drive itself is a visual feast, winding upwards until we reach the Ghoristskali Viewpoint. From this soaring vantage, the entire landscape opens up, offering a dramatic retrospective of the wilderness we have just traversed.

As we climb to the park's highest point, the world changes. The arid desert vanishes, replaced by broadleaf forests and low-mountain meadows. In spring (April-May), this ridge is ablaze with the rare, blood-red Fern-leaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia).

On our return across the Shiraki Plain, we encounter a ghost of the Cold War. We will explore the ruins of a massive Soviet military airbase—hangars, runways, and the skeletal remains of aircraft left to the elements.

We arrive back in Dedoplistskaro, dusty, tired, and full of stories.