The Black Sea Coast

This chapter travels down along the Black Sea through Guria and Adjara. These half-mountainous coastal regions start rising near the sea and are covered in lush greenery that thrives in their humid, subtropical climate and predominantly clay soils. It rarely freezes near the coast but it often rains, so citrus, tea, corn, beans, soft fruit, persimmons, hazelnuts and tobacco are the favoured crops, while bamboo and invasive creepers grow wild along the roadsides. Farther inland the mountains reach over 2,000 metres (6,562 feet), with spectacular scenery and high villages of log cabins that offer winter snow and sports. When the weather allows, the Adjarian road between Batumi and Akhaltsikhe via Khulo enables scenic access to Samtskhe-Javakheti through the mountains near the border with Turkey.