Kvariati: a travel guide

Kvariati: clear water, a small beach, and what to expect.

Kvariati is a small village between Gonio and Sarpi, close to the Turkish border and about 15 km from Batumi. People come for the water, which is among the clearest on the Georgian coast and good for snorkelling. The beach is short and pebbly, and there is not much else.

When to go

·July and August are full, especially at weekends, when Batumi comes down for the day.
·June and September are the best time. On calm days the water is at its clearest.
·October to May almost everything is closed.

Getting there

·From Tbilisi by train to Batumi, about four hours, then on by bus or taxi, half an hour to forty minutes.
·From Batumi on a bus or marshrutka towards Sarpi, about half an hour. Ask the driver to stop at Kvariati.
·By taxi from Batumi airport, about fifteen minutes.

What it costs

A night in a guesthouse, in season80 to 180 GEL

A meal out25 to 50 GEL

A taxi from central Batumi20 to 35 GEL

Rough figures. They move with the season and the place.

Worth doing

·Snorkelling. Bring your own mask.
·In summer you can arrange a dive here.
·Gonio fortress, a few minutes up the road.

One thing worth knowing

The sea gets deep fairly quickly here. For children who cannot swim it is the wrong beach; Ureki, where it stays shallow a long way out, is the better choice.