The Kulbaki Lakes: Forest Lakes in Hidden Lechkhumi

The Kulbaki Lakes are a pair of small lakes in the Lechkhumi region of western Georgia — the country in the South Caucasus — set in forested mountain terrain at around 955–990 meters above sea level, near the town of Tsageri. Lechkhumi is one of the least-visited regions in Georgia — a small highland area wedged between Racha to the east, Svaneti to the north, and Imereti to the south, with its own distinct character and a landscape of forested valleys that draws a fraction of the attention given its more famous neighbors. The Kulbaki Lakes have become one of the more accessible and rewarding natural destinations in this overlooked region: a pair of forest lakes with an unhurried, peaceful atmosphere that suits the slow-travel character of Lechkhumi, and a genuine nature retreat within reach of travelers passing through the western Georgian highlands.

What are the Kulbaki Lakes?

The Kulbaki Lakes are two small forest lakes in the Lechkhumi highlands of western Georgia, near Tsageri at about 955–990 m elevation: the larger Green Lake (Mtsvane Tba), with a calm, reflective surface and a small trout farm, and the smaller, more seasonal Babushkino Lake. Set in a wooded hollow, they're a quiet, easy nature destination with a cool forest climate — and a base for more serious hiking up into the Askhi plateau and the alpine Lebarde lakes above. Reached by car from Tsageri (about 4.5–5 hours from Tbilisi via Kutaisi), they're best visited May–October as part of a slow Lechkhumi itinerary.

The two lakes

The two lakes that give the destination its name sit only a few hundred meters apart in the same forested hollow, but they have distinctly different characters that make seeing both worthwhile rather than stopping at the more obvious one.

The Green Lake — Mtsvane Tba in Georgian — is the larger, more developed, and more visually striking of the pair. Its name reflects the green-tinged color the water takes on, the surrounding forest reflecting in the surface as the depth absorbs the light. Its origin is unusual: by local accounts the lake was created from marshland, when a resident built a small dam and developed a trout-farming operation, turning previously unproductive wet ground into a lake of real scenic appeal. That trout-farm heritage is still evident in the lake's fish population — a draw for local anglers — and the modest infrastructure that grew up around it (basic facilities, access paths, a cottage) gives it a degree of comfort and accessibility that purely wild lakes lack.

The calm, reflective surface, ringed by forested hills that come down close to the waterline, produces the mirror-effect conditions that reward both the casual visitor and the photographer arriving with a composition in mind. The atmosphere is unhurried and genuinely peaceful — the kind of place where sitting a long while with nothing particular to do feels rewarding rather than dull.

Babushkino Lake is smaller, shallower, and more seasonal — in dry spells and hot summers the level drops and the lake can partly dry out, revealing the more temporary, naturalistic character of a body of water that depends on the season's rainfall. That variability is part of what distinguishes it from the more stable Green Lake, and visiting both at different times of year gives genuinely different experiences of the same place. Babushkino's wilder, less-managed presentation appeals to visitors who find the Green Lake's modest development at odds with what drew them to Lechkhumi — and together the two offer a range that neither alone could.

Hiking and the broader landscape

The Kulbaki Lakes work not only as a destination but as a gateway to the mountain terrain above the Lechkhumi valley, which gives the area an outdoor depth that lakes-only spots lack. The hiking routes from Kulbaki reach up into the higher terrain of the Askhi massif and the alpine lake country around Lebarde — destinations that ask more time and fitness than the lakes themselves, but that open up the high-mountain character of Lechkhumi the valley-level lakes can't provide.

The Lebarde alpine lakes, reached on a longer route from the Kulbaki area, are among the more significant high-altitude destinations in Lechkhumi — small mountain lakes in open alpine terrain above the treeline, with the panoramas the forested lower ground around Kulbaki doesn't offer. Pairing an overnight at Kulbaki with a full-day ascent toward Lebarde (or onward across the Askhi plateau) makes a Lechkhumi itinerary that covers both the accessible, contemplative lakes and the more demanding reward of the alpine zone above.

Horseback riding through the surrounding forest and mountain terrain is available and offers a different pace and perspective than walking — the forest paths and mountain approaches take on a different quality from the saddle, and the tradition of mountain horses in this part of the Caucasus gives the activity an authenticity that more resort-style riding elsewhere lacks.

The Lechkhumi context

The Kulbaki Lakes make more sense understood within their region. Lechkhumi is a small highland area with its own deeply rooted wine tradition, its own architecture, and a way of life that has changed more slowly than in the country's more developed parts. Its wines are a genuine, if little-known, highlight: the Tvishi appellation — a Protected Designation of Origin producing a naturally semi-sweet white from the Tsolikouri grape, grown on the steep Rioni-valley terraces around the villages of Tvishi and Alpana — is among the most refined of Georgia's semi-sweet whites. Lechkhumi is also home to the rare and highly prized Usakhelouri (from the Zubi-Okureshi area, one of the most valuable grapes in the region) and the red Orbeluri Ojaleshi — a wine culture that punches well above the region's size. The regional center of Tsageri, the nearest town to the lakes, provides the practical services and accommodation base, and the wider Lechkhumi valley drive — through small villages, past traditional houses, along the rivers draining westward toward Imereti — gives the lakes the regional context that makes them feel part of a specific place rather than just a scenic stop.

Getting there and when to go

• Location: Forested highlands near Tsageri, Lechkhumi (Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region), western Georgia; ~955–990 m elevation.
• Getting there: By car from Tsageri, the approach road climbing through forest to the lakes; conditions vary with season and weather, and while a standard vehicle manages in dry summer conditions, a vehicle with reasonable ground clearance is advisable for the final stages, especially after rain. From Tbilisi via Kutaisi and Tsageri, allow about 4.5–5 hours.
• Time needed: A relaxed half-day at the lakes; longer (with an overnight) if combining with the Askhi/Lebarde hiking above.
• When to go: May–October, with June–September the most reliable for accessible roads, full lake levels, and the cool forest climate that makes Kulbaki a fine summer retreat from the lowland heat. October brings autumn color to the deciduous forest — visually among the best times — though days shorten and roads grow less reliable toward winter.
• Combine with: A wider Lechkhumi and western-Georgia trip — Racha to the east, Svaneti to the north via the Lechkhumi–Svaneti road, the Imereti sites around Kutaisi to the southwest, and the rest of the Lechkhumi cluster (the Ghvirishi Waterfall, Khvamli Mountain, the Tvishi wine villages, Dekhviri).