Sabatlo

Do you remember the passage in the movie the 12 tasks of Asterix, the Pace that sends you mad where they have to do some administrative work? Well, it's more or less the same to get in that national park. First, we have to reach the visitors center in Dedoplistskaro to pay the entrance and get the map. It doesn't seem too difficult but of course we arrived at lunchtime : office closed. We decided to have lunch on a hill where a monastery oversees the town. Second try : office is open but the lady doesn't speak English. Georgian way : call Nino and give the phone to the tourist BUT DON'T TOUCH IT (covid obliges). Nino explains what document we have to send her. She gave us her number (with 3 numbers missing, not very helpful). Next step : border permit to get from the police station a bit further. Georgian efficiency, we only wait 40 minutes to receive this handwritten paper. It's 3PM, good timing to get in the park with our freshly rented Nissan XTrail 4x4 (Ndlr prononced quatro quatro).
The way is well indicated to get in the park and we find it right away (get the irony in my writing please). Or we end up driving close-by the Azerbaijan border... twice until we were escorted by military men in a buggy to our campsite. Its 6 PM, we did literally nothing of the day and didn't see a iota of the park. We spend a rainy night in the tent surrounded by golden chackals calling (it surprisingly sounds similar to hyenas call that are also present in the place).Read more