Egrisi Mountain Range

The Egrisi mountain range (Georgian: ეგრისის ქედი), also known as the Samegrelo Mountains (სამეგრელოს ქედი) or Odishi Mountains (ოდიშის ქედი), runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus in the Mingrelia / Samegrelo region of Georgia.

It is connected to the Greater Caucasus by the Svaneti Mountains and is 62 km long and 37 km wide. The mountains are bordered by the Svaneti rivers, the valley of the Tskhenistsqali river to the east and the valley of the Enguri river to the west.

The highest point of the Egrisi Mountains is Chitagvala at 3,226 metres. Other peaks over 3,000 metres include Tsalmagi, Tekhurishdudi, Lakumurashdudi and Didghalidudi. The name of the mountain range comes from the early medieval Georgian region of Egrisi, which corresponds to ancient Colchis.

The Egrisi Mountains are largely composed of Jurassic porphyry rock. The southern edge consists of Triassic limestones and contains numerous karst massifs and caves. At the highest altitudes, there are small glaciers and remains of old glaciers. The glacial lake Tobavarchkhili lies at an altitude of 2,643 metres. Other lakes include Okhoja and Didi Tobavarchkhili.

The southern slopes receive over 2,000 millimetres of precipitation per year, and higher peaks receive over 3,000 millimetres. The northern slopes receive 1,500 to 2,000 millimetres of precipitation per year. During the colder months, the mountains are covered with a snowpack of 2 to 5 metres.

In the centre of the mountains, at an altitude of 1,600 m above sea level, along the Tekhuri River, lies the balneological resort of Lebarde. It was founded during the Soviet era, but has since been largely abandoned. The construction of a new road to Lebarde has been announced for 2019, in order to promote the development of sanatoriums, hotels and cable cars.

The slopes of the Egrisi mountain range are covered with Colchic deciduous forests of oak, beech, chestnut and hornbeam up to an altitude of 1,200 metres. From 1,200 metres upwards, coniferous forests of Nordmann fir and oriental spruce alternate, reaching up to 2,100 metres.

The endemic and endangered Megreli birch (Betula megrelica) grows in some places. A significant part of Georgia’s temperate rainforests is located in the Egrisi Mountains. The highest altitudes are covered by subalpine and alpine grasslands.