Guesthouses in the
bird migration bottleneck

Support conservation and the local community

We highly advise everyone who is interested in visiting the area, to stay in one of the guesthouses close to the watchsites. This is a very authentic experience, whereby you get to know the local culture while enjoying the migration from the terrace of your guesthouse. Moreover, the economic opportunities created in this way have helped us to gain support among the villagers to reduce the illegal hunting of birds of prey.

In 2010 BRC created a network of guesthouses run by local families, where visitors can stay for a modest fee. We provided them with training, feedback and coordinated the bookings. From 2015  till 2016 the guesthouses were run by the tour company Batumi Birding. Since 2017 the guesthouses are independently managed and organized on their own.

Book a guesthouse

We encourage tourists visiting the watch-sites independently to book accommodation in the local guesthouses, for example through the listing on gobatumi.com.

Visit the count posts

During your stay you can attend raptor watch points (Sakhalvasho, Shuamta) to meet our volunteer raptor count team. The guesthouses are within walking distance from the Sakhalvasho watchpoint and there is a regular bus service provided by BRC from the village to the second count station (Shuamta). Ask us the day before about vacant seats and timing, should you wish to make use of that. We count on a kind donation to our project for every ride you take with us.

Visit nearby birding spots

There are also opportunities to visit other birding or cultural highlights in Ajara region. Other popular destinations in the region (Mtirala National Park, Chorokhi Delta, Kobuleti and Kolkheti National Park) can be reached by public transport, or a guided tour with our cooperating tour companies.