Shekvetili Dendrological Park: Georgia's Park of Giant Trees

The Shekvetili Dendrological Park occupies a large stretch of the Black Sea coastal zone in the Guria region of Georgia — the country in the South Caucasus — between the resort areas of Ureki and Kobuleti. It's one of the more unexpected attractions on Georgia's western coast: a large, carefully designed botanical and wildlife park combining an extraordinary collection of mature trees with landscaped lakes, wooden walkways, and a range of birds and animals, giving it a character somewhere between a botanical garden, a wildlife park, and a leisure destination. Opened in 2020, it's among the most ambitious public park projects completed in Georgia in recent years and has quickly become one of the most visited non-beach attractions on the Black Sea coast.

What is the Shekvetili Dendrological Park?

The Shekvetili Dendrological Park is a roughly 60-hectare arboretum on Georgia's Black Sea coast in Guria, opened in 2020 and created by the Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. Its signature feature is its giant mature trees — hundreds of them, some centuries old, transplanted from across Georgia and abroad rather than grown from saplings — alongside 1,000+ plant species, bamboo groves, landscaped lakes, and aviaries of exotic birds including flamingos. It's free to enter, takes about two hours to walk, and is a popular family and nature stop near Ureki and Kobuleti, about 45–70 km north of Batumi. (Note: closed Mondays and Thursdays.)

The tree collection

The dendrological collection is the core of the park's identity and what sets it apart from the ordinary recreational parks of most Georgian coastal towns. The most striking thing on entry is the scale and age of the trees: many specimens are enormous, their trunks suggesting centuries of growth (some are said to be over 300 years old), and the decision to relocate mature trees of this scale — rather than plant saplings and wait decades — gives Shekvetili a visual maturity that new parks lack. Roughly 18 hectares are devoted to giant trees endemic to Georgia (200-plus giants across some 29–39 species — eucalyptus, sequoia, cypress, cedar, magnolia, oak, beech), transplanted from different regions of the country; the remaining ~42 hectares hold thousands of exotic species from five continents. Bamboo groves occupy sections of the park, their dense growth and distinctive sound in the coastal breeze creating microenvironments of particular atmospheric quality.

The oldest and largest specimens are worth seeking out specifically — trees of this scale are genuinely impressive as individual organisms, and the sense of being small beside a very large tree is one of those physical experiences description can't fully convey. The diversity of bark textures, leaf forms, and branching structures makes a continuously engaging environment for anyone who looks at trees as individual subjects rather than background.

It's worth knowing how the park came to be: the giant trees were transplanted from across Georgia in a large, much-discussed (and, among environmentalists, controversial) operation in the years before the park opened to the public in 2020. The result is undeniably impressive, and the story is part of what makes the place distinctive — though it remains a debated chapter in recent Georgian environmental history.

The lakes and water features

The landscaped lakes are among the park's most visually successful elements, the still water reflecting the tree canopy and providing habitat for the waterfowl that have become one of its most popular features. Wooden bridges cross the lakes and link different sections, and the views from the decks — the reflections, the moving birds, the trees above — are the kind of calm, compositionally complete scenes that make the park especially rewarding for photography.

The flamingos around the lakes are among the most unexpected and consistently delighting features — their improbable pink against the green vegetation and dark water gives the lake sections a mild visual surprise that never quite wears off. Ducks, swans, and other waterbirds complete the lake community, and the park keeps aviaries of exotic birds and animals (around 58 bird species, many rare or endangered, plus animals such as lemurs and parrots), so the wildlife element is a genuine part of the visit, not an afterthought.

The experience

The park is designed for unhurried exploration rather than purposeful transit — the paths wander through the tree collection and around the lakes in a way that invites stopping, observing, and doubling back rather than following a straight line from entrance to exit. Plan on about two hours to see it properly. The well-maintained, relatively flat paths make it accessible to visitors of most ages and mobility levels, and there are benches, shaded spots, drinking fountains, and picnic areas throughout. There are no cafés inside, so bring snacks and water, especially in summer; the beach isn't directly accessible from the park (it's about a 20-minute walk around).

One practical caveat to know in advance: the park posts a minimum age of 12 for entry (in practice this is reportedly applied leniently, and families with younger children have been admitted, but it's worth being prepared in case it's enforced). So while the trees, birds, and open space genuinely appeal to children, the official rule is worth checking if you're traveling with young kids.

The Shekvetili cluster

The Dendrological Park is the anchor of a cluster of attractions in the Shekvetili area. Close by — though a separate attraction rather than part of the same site — is the Musicians Park, an open-air sculpture walk where statues of Georgian and international musicians play their music as you approach; combining the two makes a natural Shekvetili outing, covering botanical and wildlife interest plus the cultural, interactive character of the sculpture walk. Also in the area are the Georgia in Miniatures Park (scale models of Georgia's monuments), the Tsitsinatela amusement park, and the Black Sea Arena concert venue. (These are clustered together in Shekvetili but are individually separate attractions, even though tours sometimes bundle them.)

Getting there and context

Shekvetili is on the main Black Sea coastal road between Batumi and Kutaisi, roughly 45–70 km north of Batumi (about an hour by car from the Adjarian capital). Coastal marshrutkas between Batumi and Kobuleti pass the area, though some take the bypass highway, so confirm the route. The park sits between Ureki — the magnetic black-sand beach resort — and Kobuleti, making it an easy addition to any western-Georgia coastal itinerary combining beach time with the natural and cultural sites of Guria.

Practical information

• Location: Shekvetili, Ozurgeti Municipality, Guria, on the Black Sea coast between Ureki and Kobuleti.
• Getting there: By car on the coastal route between Batumi and Kutaisi, ~45–70 km (about an hour) north of Batumi; coastal marshrutkas pass the area (confirm the route).
• Hours: Daily from 10:00 (closing varies seasonally), closed Mondays and Thursdays.
• Admission: Free.
• Good to know: Allow ~2 hours; no cafés inside (bring snacks/water; drinking fountains available); beach ~20 min walk away; posted minimum entry age 12 (reportedly applied leniently).