Birdwatching

The Black Sea coast, in particular, the surroundings of Batumi, the villages of Khelvachauri and Kobuleti municipalities are the best bird watching locations representing the most numerous and narrow corridor of raptor migration where more than 1, 000,000 migratory raptors are recorded annually - these places are known as “funnels” or “bottlenecks”.  Ajara occupies the third place in the world in terms of the volume of raptor migration. The place is known as "Eastern Black Sea migration corridor". The majority of migratory birds are flying from North - Eastern Europe, Western Caucasus and Western Russia. The most numerous species are: Honey-buzzard; Steppe Buzzard, Black Kite; Lesser Spotted Eagle and Booted Eagle.

The village “Chaisubani” is the best place for those wishing to share their interests in ecology and migration of birds of prey. Apart from birdwatching, it is possible to enjoy picturesque landscapes and breathtaking views. Several paths from here lead to the bird watching points in Mtirala National Park. In 2012 the first Birdwatching festival was held in Ajara and it was organized by an International Organization “Batumi Raptor Count” and the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara. The aim of the festival was to popularize birdwatching in Ajara. Experts of bird watching and interested people from Georgia as well as from foreign countries participated in the festival. Huge potential of birdwatching of Ajara was once again confirmed on 3 September, 2012 when according to the data from “Batumi Raptor Count” 179 342 migrating honey buzzards were registered during one single day thus breaking the latest record set in Israel in 1982- about 124, 000 migrating honey buzzards a day.