In late May I spent a few days at the Nunisi Forest Spa. This traditional Soviet-style health resort was established in 1930. It’s located in the geothermally-active Borjomi-Kharagauli region. There are several cabins, a dining hall, and a hotel. Nunisi is famous for its warm mineral springs used to treat skin conditions. The resort is located across a steep gorge and is accessible by a vintage ropeway. Forest species include Abies nordmanniana, Castena Sativa, Taxus baccata, Ilex colchica, Corylus avellana, Cornus mas, Alnus incana, Carpinus caucasica and Ostrya carpinifolia.

The resort is located on a branch of the dirt road connecting Surami to Kutaisi in western Georgia. The main road between Surami and Kutaisi is under construction and will include 96 bridges and 53 tunnels (more information on this massive infrastructure project in future posts).

The rail line connecting Tbilisi to the deepwater port at Poti is part of the Trans Caspian Transit Corridor. This corridor will connect China to Europe by rail. The technical pass through the Georgian mountains is being upgraded to reduce the steep grades and turning radii. Railway engineers developed the “Big Variation” which includes an 8km tunnel to increase transit time. In Zvare, a Georgian-Chinese construction team is building viaducts and auxiliary tunnels for the new routing.