Beyond the town of Dedoplistskaro, expanses of wheat fields give way to a strange, low-altitude, semi-desert zone where eroded badlands alternate with steppe grasslands, canyons, savannah, ancient wild pistachio forests and riverbank woodlands along the Alazani River. It's a fascinating area for any botanist, zoologist or nature lover. A total 370 sq km of territory comprise the Vashlovani Protected Areas, which harbours a very high concentration of different species including 46 mammals, 135 birds, 30 reptiles and 600 plants, many of them rare or endangered.
