At the far southeastern tip of Georgia lies possibly the most inhospitable and barren land in all of Europe. Here you will find Vashlovani National Park, Georgia’s very own desert ecosystem. Full of badlands, canyons and Serengeti-like plains, Vashlovani is not for those without a wild sense of adventure.
All you need is a 4×4, a full tank of gas, and emergency supplies and you can explore this vast land where gazelles and lynx can still be found. If this sounds like something that interests you, read on to learn how to make a day trip to Vashlovani National Park in Georgia.
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Vashlovani National Park – What You Need to Know
Where is Vashlovani National Park
Vashlovani is located along the border with Azerbaijan in the southeast corner of Georgia. The nearest town that isn’t a nearly abandoned village is Dedoplis Tskaro. Here you’ll find the Vashlovani visitors center and a few gas stations and supermarkets. See the section below on navigating the park for a better map, as Google Maps does not have most of the park mapped out.
How to get to Vashlovani National Park
Getting to Vashlovani is not exactly difficult, but you’ll need to decide what level of risk you’re willing to take first. Are you going to drive yourself or take an organized tour?
Going with an organized tour is the safest option, but doesn’t allow you freedom to explore the park. Driving yourself is by far the best way to get there, but you’re on your own in a dangerous desert where you might not see another human the entire day so you have to be prepared.
There are numerous tours – that are not too popular (or cheap) – that will take you from Tbilisi to Vashlovani and back. However, this really makes for an incredibly long day and limits your time in the park.
The best place to start and end your day trip is Sighnaghi or Dedoplis. From Sighnaghi it’s about 40 minutes to Dedoplis and from there it’s about 1.5-2 hours drive to the entrance to the park.
The drive east from Dedoplis starts out on a very well maintained paved road where you can easily drive 100 kmh. When that ends though you are spit out into what can only be described as the worst road on the planet. Seemingly once fully paved, it’s now just giant pothole after giant pothole.
As you start down this road look to your right and you’ll see fields of wheat. Parallel to this god awful road on the other side of the wheat field is a dirt road used by farmers. There are multiple turn offs to get to the dirt road and I suggest using them. You can easily go 60 kmh on the dirt road compared to 20 kmh at best on the main road.
Eventually you’ll get to the tiny, depressing village of Kasristkalli and from there you hit another dirt road that takes you into the park.
Weather and when to visit
Vashlovani is hot and dry. But sometimes it does rain and if this happens the day before your trip or if there is rain in the forecast for the day of your trip you absolutely must cancel your plans. It will be disappointing but necessary.
The roads in the park turn to sloppy mud when the rains come and this will all but assure you of getting stuck and having to walk 15 km through the desert sun to some form of safety.
The best time of year to visit is in the fall or spring. We went in summer but this is not recommended due to the extreme heat and abundance of snakes. We had no plans to hike or camp though so didn’t mind the heat and could avoid the snakes. Summer also has the least chance of rain if you can handle the heat.
How to visit Vashlovani as a day trip
A day trip to Vashlovani is a long day but it will be worth it. We left Dedoplis at about 9:30 AM and got back there at about 6:30 PM. The Border Police station in Dedoplis does not open till 9 and you’ll want to be there right when it opens (see section below for explanation).
Our day included driving through all the park’s badlands and spending some quality time along the river at the Azerbaijan border. It’s a lot of intense driving through dry river beds so be prepared to focus.
For a more relaxing experience consider spending the night at the river. There are a few decent stone huts that can be rented out at Mijniskure, right on the border. If you really want to experience the park there are multiple camping options. This is not suggested in summer though.
Where to stay
For a Vashlovani day trip I recommend staying in the beautiful village of Sighnaghi in the heart of the Georgian wine region. From Sighnaghi it’s about 40 minutes to the visitors center in Dedoplis. A day trip from Tbilisi is just too much and the town of Dedoplis is not attractive so I don’t recommend staying there.
There are a few guest houses and some nice sights to see outside the town like Eagle Gorge and Khornabuji Castle. But it’s worth the extra 40 minute drive to get back to the gorgeous walled village of Sighnaghi.
If you wish to stay inside the park there are few options. You can book your stay at Mijniskure or a campsite through the visitor’s center in Dedoplis. The huts at Mijniskure cost 40 GEL per night (50 GEL for 3 people) and a campsite runs 5 GEL per night.
The huts are basic, and if you want bedding you have to request that at the visitors center. You must bring all your own equipment to cook and coolers if you need to keep something cold. Campsites are primitive and provide no services.
Lastly, if you have a campervan then you have more freedom. As long as you’re not blocking one of the dirt roads you can park anywhere overnight.
4×4 vehicle
A 4×4 meant for off-roading is a requirement for driving in Vashlovani. You need high clearance and good suspension. Something like a Subaru Forester, while 4×4, will not be appropriate for the park’s “roads”.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO VISIT VASHLOVANI NATIONAL PARK WITHOUT A HIGH CLEARANCE 4×4 VEHICLE!!!
We used Royal Car Rent Georgia and can recommend them. They met us at the airport to give us the vehicle and provided assistance when needed our entire trip.
For a full breakdown of driving in Georgia check out my post on driving in Georgia. While driving in Georgia is an experience in itself, driving in Vashlovani is even wilder. There are no paved roads and even half the dirt roads are not actually roads but dried ancient river beds that snake between canyons.
They are very bumpy so you’ll test the suspension of your vehicle. Ensure that your 4×4 is in good health before embarking on the journey.
Language
Georgian is the official language and anyone you will encounter working in the park (such as border guards or park staff) will not speak any English. If you have an emergency, such as your vehicle getting stuck, you will have to communicate through body language alone. There is no cell reception so your Translate app won’t work. How’s your Russian?
Money
The Georgian Lari (GEL) is the currency and you will need cash to pay the entrance fee and border police permit at the visitor’s center. Other than that you don’t need any money for Vashlovani.
Wildlife
Vashlovani is known for having animals that you’d never think you’d see in Europe, though sadly many of these species – such as the Caucasian Leopard and the striped hyena – have not been spotted in years and could be extinct.
It is also possible, though highly unlikely, to see lynx, brown bears, and grey wolves. You might catch a few gazelles, but they roam freely and the park is huge. Snakes, rabbits, vultures, and wild boar are more likely to be seen.
Advanced preparation
Advanced preparation is vital to an enjoyable experience in Vashlovani. See the next section for more information.
Food
There are no services in the park. You must bring all your own food. There are numerous supermarkets in Dedoplis to stock up.
Travel Insurance
It’s a very good idea to have travel insurance on any trip to Georgia, especially if going to Vashlovani. We use World Nomads and had good experiences with them. World Nomads provides coverage for travelers in over 100 countries. You can search for a coverage plan using the link below.
Before You Go – Important Trip Preparation
There are a number of things you need to do before entering Vashlovani. This isn’t stopping by Badlands in South Dakota. It can be seriously dangerous if you’re not properly prepared and you need to register with the visitors center and Border Police first so that there is a record of your visit.
Border Police
If you plan to go to Mijniskure at the Azerbaijan border – which I definitely recommend, this park isn’t worth it if you don’t – you need a pass from the border police.
Call or email Nino at the Vashlovani visitors center (+995 577101849, nseturidze13@gmail.com) and she will arrange the paperwork for you. She’s fluent in English and very helpful. All you have to do is send copies of your passport and vehicle registration and she’ll do the rest.
Then you simply stop by the Border Police and show your passport and they’ll give you your paperwork. Keep it in the car as you’ll have to show it to the guard at the border checkpoint about 10km before you reach Mijniskure. The border police opens at 9 AM so be there at 9 AM sharp.
Visitors Center
After you get your border control documents you will need to stop by the visitors center in Dedoplis to pay the entry fee. At only 5 GEL per person it’s a bargain. The park gets literally a few visitors per day and must not make any money from fees. Here you can also buy a paper map of the park, which is highly recommended. Once you have your payment receipt you can enter the park.
Supplies
There are no services or anything inside the park. The last chance to get anything is Dedoplis. No matter how much gas you have in the tank, fill up before leaving town. The roads in the park will burn through gasoline like water so you need a full tank.
Carry plenty of water and food, enough to last a 15-20km hike in the hot sun if your vehicle breaks down or gets stuck and you have to find help. Also carry a daypack just in case you need to make that hike for help.
Lastly, make sure when you pick up your rental vehicle to check that it has all the tools needed to change a tire. We got extremely lucky and got a flat tire in Sighnaghi after getting back from Vashlovani. When I went to change the tire there was no jack in the trunk and some locals had to find one for me. Had the tire gone flat in Vashlovani we would have been seriously fucked.
Navigating the park
There is no mobile phone coverage anywhere in the park and no official roads. The detailed map of the park (3 GEL) that you can purchase from the visitors center shows all the 4×4 roads and trails through the park as well as the key sights and points of interest. Inside the park there are signs at major crossroads that give distances and estimated driving times to points of interest.
If you’d like a little more reassurance on your location there is a way to download an offline map of the park. The smart phone app maps.me has the dirt roads in the park decently mapped out. But if that’s not enough you can use this link to download a maps.me map made by fellow travel bloggers goingthewholehogg.com.
Save that file to your phone and when you open maps.me you can upload it and it will superimpose this special map over the map of the park. Their map includes all the landmarks in the park and clearly shows the dirt roads so you don’t get lost. This offline map was vital to feeling safe in the park when we were there.
Key Stops in Vashlovani
The main attraction of Vashlovani is driving the winding canyons and dried river beds of the badlands. When I say badlands I mean arid mountains of dried soil, almost identical to what you see in Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA. There is more to the park than just the badlands, but these are the main draw for visitors.
There are actually two distinct sections of the park that are not connected. If you only have one day you’ll only be able to see one section and I highly recommend the badlands. The other region has some funky boiling mud pools and stuff like that. If that interests you, feel free to visit that section of the park instead.
Here are some of the key stops to make. For the exact location of each point of interest, refer to the maps.me map you downloaded earlier. Most of these spots are not on Google Maps.
Bear Canyon
In Bear Canyon you will drive along the bed of an ancient river that carved through these badlands one day in the distant past. You can theoretically drive as far as you feel comfortable.
We only went to the Bear Canyon campsite before turning around. Here there is a short hiking trail through the badlands. Don’t attempt the hike if you are there in summer. It isn’t worth the heat and possibility of getting bitten by a snake.
Alesilebi Viewpoint
This is an interesting spot for a viewpoint because it’s at the bottom of the canyon and not the top. But from here you get a great 180 degree view of the badlands from the dried river bed. It is possible to hike up some of the mounds to get a better view. Keep in mind these “mountains” are not rock but soil so they can be very soft and dangerous to climb up.
Pantishara Viewpoint
This viewpoint is at the top of a canyon, but it’s not quite the badlands view you are looking for. This canyon is more covered in trees and grass, though there are some odd monolithic rocks below.
If you were going to skip one of the stops I’d skip this one. There is an interesting info board about leopards though. Leopards used to roam freely in Vashlovani but none have been spotted since 2009.
Usakhelo Viewpoint
This viewpoint gives you an awesome overlook of the badlands area near the Azerbaijan border. You’re still too far to see the river that forms the border from here, but you can see the road wind down the valley through the badlands.
There is a steel observation deck you can use to get a view straight down. From here it’s about a half hour of intense driving through an ancient riverbed to get to the river.
Mijniskure
Mijniskure is essentially the end of the road. You can’t go any further because there are no bridges across the Alazani River to Azerbaijan here. There’s a land border with Azerbaijan not too far south from here, but you’ll have to off-road it to get there, plus you’d need a permit and visa to enter. So don’t try that.
There really aren’t any good views at Mijniskure itself. It’s just an area with a few buildings and a few huts you can stay overnight in. There should be at least one person working year-round here though, so in case of emergency you can always come to Mijniskure.
North of Mijniskure
To get the best views, drive north along the river. There is a treacherous road that has some incredibly difficult terrain. There were a few times when I was seriously worried about getting stuck. If you’re confident on the terrain though, this road has the best views in the park. There are some awesome places to stop on the road and view the badlands along the border.
Unfortunately, as of July 2021 (and confirmed in 2023) you cannot go too far along this road. There was a rockfall about 2 km north of Mijniskure and it has completely blocked the road. When you get to the stop with an incredibly steep, long downhill pass, don’t go any further. It’s possible that this rockfall might take a while to clear. For up-to-date information, check with Nino at the visitors center.
The Grasslands
As you drive back from Mijniskure you will pass through the Georgian version of the Serengeti. Here is your best chance to see gazelles, though don’t hold your breath. There are few of them and the park is massive.
It really looks like the African plains though. You might run into a shepherd and his herd. The sheepdogs are pretty aggressive so be careful. They are trained not to bite but don’t do anything stupid if one runs up to you barking like mad.
Shavi Mta Monastery
There is a totally isolated monastery in the northeastern section of the park. This area is out of the badlands and resembles more of a forested mountain with a flat valley below. If you are doing a day trip it would be very difficult to fit this in. However, if you’re spending the night in the park this is a must-see.
Western Vashlovani
If you’re making a day trip to Vashlovani, you probably won’t make it to the western part of the park unless it’s the focus of your trip. If you hit the spots mentioned in the previous section, there simply won’t be enough time to hit the western part of the park.
It’s completely separate and you have to drive all the way back to Dedoplis before heading on the road that leads southwest to western Vashlovani. It’s possible to focus a day trip on this part of the park though.
Western Vashlovani is mostly known for its funky landscape of badlands mixed with boiling mud pots. From Dedoplis it’s 52 km across a bumpy dirt road to reach the Takhti-Tepha Mud Volcanoes. This is probably the main feature of western Vashlovani.
Similar to boiling mud pots you see in geothermal hot zones like Iceland or New Zealand, these “mud volcanos” sort of just bubble freely, though they are not actually boiling. In addition to the mud volcanos, there is a large reservoir that is relatively popular for fishing known as the Dalis Mta Reservoir.
On your way out to western Vashlovani you’ll want to at least stop at St. Elia Monastery. Georgia has no shortage of gorgeous monasteries built into mountainsides, and St. Elia does not disappoint.
South of the monastery it’s a lonely drive to get to the mud volcanos. While it’s definitely a unique spot, if you have to choose between western Vashlovani and the rest of the park I will definitely recommend the rest of the park, as discussed earlier.
The Sound of Silence
The most amazing thing about our day in Vashlovani was that we did not see one other visitor the entire day. Other than a few border guards, some other government water management workers, and a lone shepherd, we saw no other humans.
This is probably the least visited place in Georgia and one of the least visited places in the world. How many times have you been on vacation and been able to say that you didn’t see a single other tourist the entire day? I can’t think of anything else, and I’ve been to some pretty remote places.
In total we saw 8 other people in the park, all of whom either worked or lived there. The silence in the park was eerily magical. When the wind was not blowing and the locusts were not howling it was completely silent. Just nothing.
You’ll need to get out of the badlands to hear the silence though, as the locusts in the badlands are pretty loud. A few of them will also probably hop on your car for a ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Vashlovani National Park?
The only reasonable way to get to Vashlovani is to drive yourself or take an organized tour. Even if you managed to get a ride to the park from Dedoplis, you’d be essentially stranded at the park boundary. A 4×4 vehicle with high clearance is required for visiting Vashlovani.
What animals are in Vashlovani National Park?
Vashlovani National Park has a wide array of wildlife. In the park you can find snakes, rabbits, vultures, wild boar, and gazelles. If you’re lucky you might spot a lynx, bear or a grey wolf. Hyenas and leopards used to roam Vashlovani, but they haven’t been spotted in years and are thought to be extinct in the park.
Do you need to book in advance to visit Vashlovani National Park?
You don’t need to book a visit to Vashlovani in advance unless you’re planning on taking an organized tour. You do need to make advanced preparations and know what to expect, however. So it’s best you read through this entire article in detail. Visiting Vashlovani is no walk in the park.
Final Word
Vashlovani National Park is a wild adventure waiting to be had. It’s lonely in the park, but breathtakingly beautiful. If you’re aware of the risks and comfortable driving on difficult terrain, you will be rewarded with an experience like no other in Europe.
2 comments
Where did you rent the car? Most rentals don’t allow driving through the national park
Hi Trevin, have a look at the section of this article called “4×4 Vehicle”. There I explain where I rented from what type of vehicle you have to rent to be able to go to Vashlovani. Most rental vehicles will not be sufficient.