Batumi Raptor Migration — 4-Day Private Birding Tour
Batumi · Chorokhi Delta · Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho) · Mtirala National Park
Overview
A four-day private birding tour from Batumi during the autumn raptor migration, when around a million birds of prey follow the Black Sea coast south each year. With a specialist bird guide from the Batumi birding community, you spend full sessions at the Sakhalvasho and Shuamta count stations, an afternoon at the Chorokhi delta and time in the Colchic forest of Mtirala National Park. The 2025 season set a record, with more than 1.4 million raptors counted. Late August to early September brings honey buzzards, black kites and harriers, with peak days of more than 100,000 birds; late September to early October brings steppe buzzards and eagles. Mornings start early, but the walking is short: a steep 10–15 minute path up to Sakhalvasho, then hours of watching from the station. It suits keen birders and photographers as well as curious beginners. Your driver-guide handles the logistics; the bird guide, three nights in Batumi and packed lunches on the station days are included. Minimum two travellers.
Itinerary
4 stops: Batumi, Chorokhi Delta, Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho), Mtirala National Park
1Day 1Arrival and the Chorokhi delta
Batumi airport pickup; the delta is 10 minutes from the airport.
Airport pickup and hotel check-in
Chorokhi delta with the bird guide (2–3 h)
Chorokhi DeltaDay 1 afternoon: 2–3 hours at the mouth of the Chorokhi river south of Batumi, looking for waders, terns, herons and passing marsh harriers.Day 1 afternoon: 2–3 hours at the mouth of the Chorokhi river south of Batumi, looking for waders, terns, herons and passing marsh harriers.
The Chorokhi Delta is the mouth of the Chorokhi river on the Black Sea, about 5 km south of Batumi just past the airport, and the main birdwatching site on the Adjarian coast. Its gravel beaches, mudflats, pools, marsh and reedbeds attract waders, herons, crakes, terns and gulls on migration, and dolphins and harbour porpoises feed offshore. There are no paths or facilities: you walk the gravel banks with binoculars and a bird guide for 2–3 hours.
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Dinner in Batumi (not included)
BatumiYour base for three nights. We meet you at Batumi airport (BUS); Kutaisi airport, about 150 km and 2–2.5 h away, is possible on request.Your base for three nights. We meet you at Batumi airport (BUS); Kutaisi airport, about 150 km and 2–2.5 h away, is possible on request.
Batumi is Georgia's main Black Sea city and the capital of Adjara, about 370 km (5.5–6 h by road, about 5–5.5 h by train) from Tbilisi and 150 km from Kutaisi. Its seafront Boulevard runs for about 7 km past palms, pebble beaches and modern towers, and the compact old town around Europe Square has 19th-century houses, cafés and the Piazza. Travellers come for the sea from June to September, the Botanical Garden on Green Cape, Adjarian food and day trips into the green hills of mountainous Adjara.
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Overnight: Batumi (hotel, breakfast)
2Day 2A full day at Sakhalvasho
The main count station; about 30 minutes' drive each way.
- Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)Days 2 and 4: Station 1 of the Batumi Raptor Count at Sakhalvasho, about 30 minutes' drive from Batumi, then a steep 10–15 minute path. The station has a shelter and a toilet, and the counters are happy to explain what is passing.
Days 2 and 4: Station 1 of the Batumi Raptor Count at Sakhalvasho, about 30 minutes' drive from Batumi, then a steep 10–15 minute path. The station has a shelter and a toilet, and the counters are happy to explain what is passing.
The hills behind Batumi form one of the world's great bottlenecks for migrating birds of prey: squeezed between the Black Sea and the Lesser Caucasus, more than a million raptors pass each autumn, and 1,422,172 were counted in 2025. The Batumi Raptor Count has watched them since 2008 from Station 1 on the hilltop above Sakhalvasho, about 30 minutes from Batumi, which has a shelter and a toilet. Visitors spend the day on the hill with a bird guide, counting honey buzzards, black kites, harriers, steppe buzzards and eagles.
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Drive to Sakhalvasho, then the 10–15 minute walk up
At the station with the bird guide; packed lunch (included)
Back in Batumi
Overnight: Batumi (hotel, breakfast)
3Day 3Shuamta station and Mtirala
Short drives; an easy forest walk in the afternoon.
Morning session at the Shuamta count station
Packed lunch (included)
Mtirala National Park around Chakvistavi (2–3 h)
Mtirala National ParkDay 3: a morning at the second count station at Shuamta, then an afternoon in Mtirala National Park's Colchic rainforest around Chakvistavi, for woodland birds and a gentle forest walk.Day 3: a morning at the second count station at Shuamta, then an afternoon in Mtirala National Park's Colchic rainforest around Chakvistavi, for woodland birds and a gentle forest walk.
Mtirala National Park protects Colchic rainforest in the hills behind Chakvi, about 30 km (40 min) north-east of Batumi. Its name means "crying", after rainfall of up to about 4,500 mm a year, among the highest in Georgia. From the visitor area in Chakvistavi, a marked trail follows the river through boxwood and ivy to a waterfall and a small gorge lake, and a longer two-day loop climbs to about 1,250 m. It suits nature lovers, birders and families escaping the coast.
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Back in Batumi
Overnight: Batumi (hotel, breakfast)
4Day 4Dawn at Sakhalvasho and departure
Airport drop-off by 15:00; book a flight after 16:00.
Dawn session at Sakhalvasho
Back to the hotel to check out
Airport drop-off by 15:00
Make this tour your own:Build your own tour
What's Included
Included
- Private car or minivan in Batumi with fuel and parking (sedan for 1–3 travellers, minivan for 4–8)
- English-speaking driver-guide throughout (Russian-speaking on request)
- Specialist bird guide on all field days
- 3 nights in a standard hotel in Batumi, twin/double rooms, breakfast included
- Packed lunches on days 2 and 3
- Donation to the Batumi Raptor Count
- Batumi airport pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
Not included
- Lunch on days 1 and 4, and dinners (about 25–40 GEL per person for lunch)
- Drinks
- Binoculars and telescopes (bring your own; rental on request)
- Tips (optional)
- Travel insurance (mandatory for visitors to Georgia from 1 January 2026)
- Flights
Map
Good to know
- Best Time to Visit
- 25 Aug–10 Oct only (peaks 28 Aug–5 Sep and 25 Sep–5 Oct)
- Physical Requirements
- Suitable for most fitness levels. Involves some walking on mostly flat terrain with minimal elevation changes.
- Cancellation Policy
- Nothing to pay now. Your quote includes the cancellation terms before you pay anything.
- Season
- the tour runs only from 25 August to 10 October. Choose dates by target species: honey buzzards peak around 28 August–5 September, steppe buzzards and eagles around 25 September–5 October.
- Weather
- numbers depend on wind and rain. On poor days the bird guide moves between stations and the delta to find birds, but no count can be promised.
- Walking
- a steep 10–15 minute path to Sakhalvasho, then mostly standing or sitting at the station; the forest walk in Mtirala is on easy paths.
- What to bring
- binoculars, hat, sunscreen and a light rain jacket; early mornings on the ridge can be cool.
- Group
- minimum two travellers; the bird guide works with one group at a time.
Categories:
Short trip (2–5 days)
Nature & wildlife
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