Shekvetili Dendrological Park: History & How to Get There
Shekvetili Dendrological Park: how it was built, what grows and lives there, opening hours, and how to get there.
Shekvetili Dendrological Park is 60 hectares of rare trees and exotic animals on the Black Sea coast, between the villages of Ureki and Kobuleti. Entry is free, and the easiest way to get there is by car: 40 km and about 40 minutes from Batumi, or 328 km and 4–4.5 hours from Tbilisi.
History: how century-old trees ended up in western Georgia
The park took four years to build, from 2016 to 2020. The idea and the funding came from Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream party and one of the wealthiest people in the country. On his initiative, mature trees were brought to Shekvetili from across western Georgia, mostly from the Guria and Samegrelo regions. Some of them were several hundred years old.
Moving the giants made headlines more than once. In 2016, a eucalyptus was shipped across the Black Sea on a barge, and the image went viral simply because nobody expected to see a tree floating past the coast. In Kobuleti, a newly built roundabout was dismantled to let one of the trees through. Traffic was blocked for hours during some of these transports, and in 2019 a tree stuck en route damaged the power grid, leaving several villages without electricity for a full day.
The park opened to visitors on July 15, 2020. Admission has stayed free since then, and the site has become one of the main draws along the Adjara and Guria coastline.
What grows and lives in the park
The park holds around 200 large trees: cypress, magnolia, cedar, oak, plane, maple, linden, eucalyptus, ginkgo, and sequoia. Some of the giants are still held upright with steel cables while their root systems settle into the new soil.
A separate section is given over to a bamboo forest, which looks nothing like the rest of the park and tends to be the part kids remember most.
The animal collection is just as broad. More than 50 species of exotic birds and animals from different continents live here: flamingos, swans, geese, and ducks around the main lake, plus parrots, peacocks, Indian cranes, and lemurs. The enclosures sit along the main paths, so the walk through the park follows a natural loop instead of doubling back.
Getting there: car, minibus, or taxi
The park sits right on the road between Ureki and Shekvetili, next to the Paragraph Resort hotel. Typing Shekvetili Dendrological Park into any map app or GPS will take you straight there.
By car. This is the most convenient option for logistics, especially if you're planning to stop by the miniature park, the musical park, or the Tsitsinatela amusement park on the same day, since all three sit within a few kilometers. If you're covering Georgia in a rental car, the dendrological park fits naturally into a Batumi–Kobuleti–Ureki route: no detour needed, and there's free guarded parking right at the entrance. The road here runs almost right along the sea, so in summer this stretch is at its best in a convertible.
By minibus. Marshrutkas heading toward Ureki, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, and Tbilisi leave from the lower cable car station in Batumi. Ask the driver to stop at "Dendrological Park" (Дендропарк); the ride takes 40–50 minutes and costs around 5 GEL (about $2). From Kobuleti it's a shorter hop, just 15 km.
By taxi. A ride from Batumi over a comparable distance usually runs 30–40 GEL (roughly $11–15) one way, with the same 40–45 minute travel time. It's worth confirming the fare through an app or with the dispatcher before getting in; drivers sometimes quote higher prices for longer trips if you flag one down on the street.
There's no direct public transport from Tbilisi, so most people go via Kutaisi or Batumi with a transfer. For a day trip from the capital, a rental car or a private transfer makes more sense than combining a train with a minibus.
Hours, tickets, and how much time to plan for
Admission is free year-round. Opening hours change by season:
- Summer: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- Spring and autumn: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Winter: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
An hour to an hour and a half is usually enough to walk the main paths, reach the lake with the flamingos, and check out the bamboo forest. If you're adding the miniature park or the musical park to the same day, plan for 3–4 hours total.
What's nearby
The dendrological park pairs easily with a few other stops on the same stretch of coast:
- The miniature park and the musical park, both between Kobuleti and Shekvetili on the way in.
- Tsitsinatela amusement park, one of the larger theme parks in Georgia and a good fit for families.
- Ureki's black sand beach, 8 km to the north.
- Batumi Botanical Garden, if you're heading back toward the city.
Worth Knowing
Shekvetili Dendrological Park is free, compact, and slots easily into a coastal route between Batumi and Kobuleti. By car it's about 40 minutes from Batumi; from Tbilisi, plan on half a day of driving each way. In summer the park stays open until 7 PM, parking at the entrance is free, and an hour and a half covers the visit, leaving time for the nearby parks and Ureki's black beach.
