Batumi Botanical Garden

The Batumi Botanical Garden lies north of the city on Green Cape, dropping down a hillside directly above the sea. It was founded in 1912 by the Russian botanist and geographer Andrey Krasnov and now covers more than a hundred hectares, making it one of the largest botanical collections in the region.

Its structure is unusual. The garden is divided into floristic sections, each representing a specific part of the world: East Asia, North America, Australia, the Mediterranean, the Himalayas, Mexico and Colchis are all connected by paths. Thanks to the humid subtropical climate, plants grow here that would not survive anywhere else in Georgia — bamboo groves, eucalyptus, palms and magnolias.

In practical terms:

• The site is large and steep — the full circuit takes two to three hours
• The main view opens from the upper paths across the sea and the Green Cape shoreline
• A shuttle runs between the upper and lower entrances

Spring is the best season, when the magnolias and azaleas flower, but the garden is open all year and stays green through winter. Even on a grey day the light under the canopy suits photography, which is useful given how often the Adjaran coast is overcast.