Mtirala National Park

Mtirala National Park lies east of Batumi on the coastal ridge and is one of the most unusual natural areas in Georgia. The name translates literally as "the weeping one", and it is accurate: more than four thousand millimetres of rain fall here each year, which puts the park among the wettest places in Europe.

The result is Colchic relict forest — evergreen understorey, moss-covered trees, ferns and lianas. This ecosystem survives from the Tertiary period and is found almost nowhere outside western Georgia, which is why the park matters internationally rather than just locally.

What the park offers:

• A short trail to the waterfall — a roughly two-hour route past a small lake
• A zipline across the river near the visitor centre
• Longer ridge routes that require an overnight stay
• The visitor centre at Chakvistavi, with an information point and camping areas

The main warning concerns weather. Rain here is the norm, not the exception, and catching a dry day is genuinely a matter of luck. Choose your clothing for wet conditions rather than sun, and treat a clear afternoon as a bonus. In compensation, the forest is at its most striking in mist, and there are far fewer visitors than on the coast.