Poti
GeorgiaCfa
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
დიდება უფალს | Glory to God
Why visit
Poti rewards travelers interested in the deep mythological and ancient layers of the Caucasus. The Kolkheti National Park, protecting Europe's largest preserved subtropical wetlands and rare Colchic forest, begins just south of town and offers boat trips through Lake Paliastomi looking for Caucasian otters and migrating birds. The Andrei Pervozvanny Cathedral, modeled on Hagia Sophia, anchors the central square. Poti also serves as a launch point for the Black Sea coast and the wine and watchtower country of Svaneti and Samegrelo inland.
When to avoid
Poti is a working port, not a beach resort. The city center is gritty, the Black Sea here is murky from river silt, and the beaches are dark sand with industrial views. Mosquitoes are vicious in the wetlands, especially May through September. The 2008 Russia to Georgia war saw Russian airstrikes on the harbor. Political tensions still occasionally flare. Don't expect English. Russian is more useful, Georgian most useful.
