Bateti Lake
A tiny landslide-dammed lake in the forested Dzama valley at 1,313 m — one of Georgia's most photogenic autumn spots, when the beech forest turns crimson over green water.
- Time needed
- 3 h
- From Tbilisi
- 115 km · 2:15
- Road
- Unpaved sections
- Car needed
- Crossover / SUV
- Season
- May–October
- Entry
- free
In autumn, Bateti Lake becomes one of the most photogenic places in Georgia. The tiny lake — just 0.02 km², with a maximum depth of 12 metres — was formed by a landslide damming the Batetistskali stream, on the forested slopes of the upper Dzama valley in Kareli Municipality, near the village of Kodmani, at 1,313 metres above sea level.
Late October is the show: the beech forest turns crimson and scarlet and mirrors itself in the still, green water, while the trunks of dead trees rise straight out of the lake — the image that has made Bateti a pilgrimage site for photographers. The lake matters to naturalists too: it is a habitat of the banded newt, a near-threatened species.
There are no facilities at all — no café, no shop, no toilets. This is a picnic-and-photography destination: bring a blanket, food and time. The drive itself rewards: the Dzama gorge road strings together monasteries and villages, and pairing the lake with the frescoes of Kintsvisi Monastery makes the day complete.
Gallery
Practical advice
Peak color is late October — the foliage window lasts about two weeks, so watch the weather. In an ordinary car you will park lower down and walk the final forest kilometre or two (30–40 minutes), so bring dry walking shoes. Pack out your rubbish: the lake has almost no upkeep. In winter the road is often impassable — plan the visit between May and October.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi take the highway to Kareli, then turn south onto the Dzama valley road, past monasteries and villages. The asphalt soon gives way to gravel in the gorge: about 115 km and 2:15 in total. A high-clearance SUV gets you closest to the lake; an ordinary sedan stops lower down, leaving the last stretch as a 30–40 minute forest walk. After rain the surface turns soft — trust a 4x4.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Kintsvisi Monastery
A 13th-century monastery in the woods, home to the Angel of Kintsvisi — the best-known fresco in Georgian art.
Samtsevrisi Church of St George
A small 7th-century free-cross church on a hill above the Mtkvari plain, remarkable for the purity of its geometry.
Uplistsikhe
A city carved into the rock above the Mtkvari — Georgia's oldest urban centre, with over 3,000 years of history.
Best car for this trip
Unpaved sections
Guides
- Do You Need a 4x4 in Georgia? We rate the road surface and the minimum car class for all 267 places in our database. 227 of them need nothin
- Winter Driving in Georgia: What Closes, What Opens, Which Car Of the 267 places we map, 161 are in season in winter and 52 are flagged as not reachable year-round. The pass
Pickup locations
Car Rental in Tbilisi — 89 km (straight line)
Booking and enquiries
The easiest way to reach these places is by car — you pick the route and the stops.