Chokhatauri municipality is located in western Georgia, in the region of Guria, 150 m above sea level. It is bordered by the municipalities of Samtredia and Vani to the north, Vani to the east, Khulo and Adigeni to the south, and Ozurgeti and Lanchkhuti to the west.
The total area of Chokhatauri municipality is 820 km², the population, as of 2017, is 18,415 people. There are 2 townships and 60 villages in the municipality.
Most of Chokhatauri is mountainous. The municipality is characterized by subtropical sea air in Bar, and humid air in mountains.
The leading sector in the municipality is agriculture: grain farming, viticulture, fruit growing, tea growing, and animal husbandry. Furthermore, an important place is occupied by Nabeglavi mineral deposits, which are the main mineral wealth of the municipality.
There are ancient and interesting cultural-historical monuments in Chokhatauri: churches-monasteries, fortresses, and the Eristavi residence. The Church of the Archangel of Erketis from the 13th-9th centuries and the Monastery of the Fathers of the Desert carved out of the rock are located here. In Chokhatauri, there is a local lore museum, where the preserved archaeological material covers a period from the 6th-5th centuries BC to the developed Middle Ages.
The house-museum of Nodar Dumbadze, which opened in 1994 and is where the writer’s personal belongings, manuscripts, books and photographs are kept, is located in the village of Khidistavi in Chokhatauri.
Chokhatauri is especially attractive for hiking and mountain-loving tourists, as it offers a mountain resort – Bakhmaro, where sea and mountain air combine together with impressive nature to create a unique environment. Bakhmaro also has natural healing properties. The resort is surrounded by fir and Sochi evergreen forests. However, due to high rainfall here, the season lasts only for three months of summer. In winter, getting to Bakhmaro is quite difficult. Chokhatauri is an impressive place for nature lovers. The largest part of the municipality is occupied by forests, where you can find beech, oak, chestnut, sochi, chadar, tskhila and takhmela trees, and at 1500-1600 meters above sea level, you can also walk in spruce and sochi forests. Roe deer, wild boar, hares, wolves, bears, foxes, badgers and other animals live in Chokhatauri forests. It is true that Chotatauri is not distinguished by an abundance of lakes and waterfalls, however, Jaji Lake, nestled between Apur meadows and mountains, with impressive views, is one of the preferred places for nature lovers.
