Artvin - Karagöl National Park

NATIONAL PARKS

Location: The park is situated within the borders of Savsat and Artvin provinces, and is spread over the plateaus of Karagol and Sahara.
Transportation: By road, the old Georgian town of Savsat is 45km south of Karagol, and 17km from Sahara.

Highlights: The area around Karagol is Paleocene or neocene and is separated by valleys, with cracks causing landslides, and dense forests with spruce trees and pines. The area at the northeast of the lake, around Bagat, is good for grass-skiing.

The Sahara Plateau has a geological structure formed by the basalt cover of the region. The ground in this area breaks easily, which causes the slope to increase. The forests here have spruce and fir trees, and Scotch pines in the lower regions.

The area around the Kocabey Plateau has plant species from the Alpine zone. Around the River Resat, at an altitude of 1800m, there is a Pancar (beetroot) festival every year during which many visitors come to participate, which in turn gives a significant economic boost to the area.
In order to protect the natural beauty of the area, National Park status was granted to 3766 hectares in 1994.

Facilities: In the Karagol area, there is a lodge providing accommodation for 12 people.