Sataplia Strict Nature Reserve ( ka, სათაფლიის სახელმწიფო ნაკრძალი) is located 10 km from town of Kutaisi in

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...

region of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Visitors center is located in village lower Alvani,

Akhmeta Municipality Akhmeta ( ka, ახმეტის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Axmeṫis municiṗaliṫeṫi'') is the administrative – territorial unit in Eastern Georgia, in the region of Kakheti. The administrative center of Akhmeta muni ...

at the slopes of

extinct volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

— Mount Sataplia. The name Sataplia can be freely translated as a "honey place" (In Georgian language თაფლი, tapli means honey) and in fact bees used to live in small holes and caves and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

was harvested by the local population. Sataplia Strict Nature Reserve is part of ''Imereti Caves Protected Areas'', which also includes Sataplia Managed Reserve,

Prometheus Cave Natural Monument Prometheus Cave Natural Monument ( ka, პრომეთეს მღვიმე) also known as ''Kumistavi Cave'' ( ka, ყუმისთავის მღვიმე) and ''Tsqaltubo Cave'' ( ka, ღლიანის მღვიმე) ...

History

The Natural Park Sataplia was founded in 1935 to protect recently discovered

karst cave Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

with exotic stalactites and stalagmites as well Colchian forest, geological and archaeological sites, by Petre Chabukiani. Park was expanded to it present borders in 1957. In 2010 and 2011 the Sataplia Managed Reserve was developed to accommodate tourists: visitor center was built, a coffee house in the middle of the park, a small museum, a small park with dinosaur models and glass observation deck built above the cliff. Furthermore, the main karst cave was equipped with lighting effects and a secure footpath.

Geography

Of the total area of 350 ha, 348 ha are covered with forests. Relief of the landscape is mountainous. The reservation features a crater of an extinct volcano, a site of remains of a man of the Stone Age and fossilized traces of dinosaurs. The largest cave of Sataplia was discovered in 1925 and is about 900 m long.

Flora and fauna

Mount Sataplia Colchian forest (98% of the area) has both the alpine flora and subtropical plants. There are many tree species threatened with extinction.

Jackal Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es, squirrels, martens and

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

s belong to ordinary residents of the park. Occasionally there is a

Roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

and a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

References

National parks of Georgia (country) Protected areas established in 1935 Geography of Kakheti Tourist attractions in Kakheti {{Georgia-geo-stub

History

Geography

Flora and fauna

See also

References