Poti

Poti

Things to do - general

Poti

Poti, Georgia’s main port, is visited by travellers for two main reasons: the Ukraine ferry and the nearby Kolkheti National Park.
Once a centre of the Ottoman slave trade, Poti developed after coming under Russian control in 1828. In 2008 Russian forces controlled Poti for a month and sank several Georgian naval vessels in the port.
The centre of the city is marked by Poti’s cathedral, which is modelled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia and was completed in 1907. Ten streets radiate from Rustavelis rkali (Rustaveli Circle), the very large roundabout surrounding the cathedral. Davit Aghmashenebeli, the main street, runs northwest from here across a branch of the Rioni River to reach a junction after 1.5km. Here Gegidze heads to the right (east), while the port is 400m to the west. Parnavazi runs 600m eastward from Rustavelis rkali, through the market area, to a square with another bridge leading to the train station on Reqvava.
More about How to get in Potii
Delica Club Georgia

Country Georgia
Region

Samegrelo Region

Capital CityPoti
Population48,000
Languages spokenGeorgian, English, Russian
Phone Code493

Sights

Poti, Georgia’s main port, is visited by travellers for two main reasons: the Ukraine ferry and the nearby Kolkheti National Park.

Kolkheti National Park

This 285 sq. km national park encompasses three separate areas of coastline and wetlands north and southeast of Poti. The southeastern area, focused on Lake Paliastomi, is of most interest to visitors, thanks to its large bird population. The most interesting months to visit are January to May, when swans, geese, ducks, and rare pelicans, storks and booted eagles winter here. From May to September, one hour dolphin spotting trips on the Black Sea (up to six people 200 GEL) are offered by the visitors centre, 4km south of the centre of Poti on the Batumi road. The visitors centre sells an English-language field guide to the park’s birds and organises trips on Lake Paliastomi by pontoon boat (up to six people 120 GEL per hour) or catamaran (up to six people 165 GEL per hour). It also rents kayaks (25 GEL for three hours).

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Activities info

Sleeping & Eating

Mosquitoes can be a nuisance here.

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Culture and history

Once a centre of the Ottoman slave trade, Poti developed after coming under Russian control in 1828. In 2008 Russian forces controlled Poti for a month and sank several Georgian naval vessels in the port.

Jason & The Golden Fleece

In the Ancient Greek myth of the Golden Fleece, Jason, a prince of Thessaly, responds to his uncle Pelias’ challenge to go to the land of Colchis, on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, to find the Golden Fleece. (Colchis was a historical kingdom occupying most of western Georgia in antiquity.) Jason had a special ship, the Argo, built to carry him and 49 other adventurous young Greek rowers, thenceforth known as the Argonauts. After various tribulations, they reached the kingdom of Colchis and sailed up the Phasis River (the present-day Rioni), where they were received by King Aeëtes in his capital (possibly Vani or Kutaisi). Aeëtes agreed to give up the fleece if Jason could yoke two fire-breathing bulls to a plough, and then sow the teeth of a dragon from which a crop of armed men would spring. Jason secretly promised marriage to Aeëtes’ daughter Medea, who had conceived a violent passion for him, in return for help from her skills in magic. Medea gave Jason a charm which enabled him to survive Aeëtes’ tests and to take the fleece from the dragon that guarded it.
The Golden Fleece itself is related to real mountain traditions: in Svaneti and Racha, people sifted for gold in mountain rivers by placing a sheepskin, in which tiny nuggets of gold would collect, across the rocks. This technique still exists today in the Caucasus.
Tim Severin’s The Jason Voyage (1986) tells the story of a modern-day row from Greece to Georgia in a smaller replica of the Argo.

Culture and history

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