Georgia

As I will leave the school where I have worked for many years with great pleasure, this meant that there was only one more foreign excursion with my Herpetological Study Group. This also meant that the destination had to be something special. While researching options I quickly came to the conclusion that all European destinations were out, as prices are still very much on the rise. Much to my surprise I saw that Transavia started flying directly to Tbilisi and that those flights were by far the cheapest. Very interesting for me, as Georgia is home to the last snake species I had left to see in Europe. For my students this destination would also be such a great opportunity to broaden their horizons. As the flights go only once per week, I did have to ask the schoolboard for some extra time because we usually get around 5 or 6 days and now we needed 8 days. Despite the political termoil at the time of organizing the trip, I was relieved that the schoolboard gave permission to go so we could start booking our flights. Fantastic!

Wedged between the Greater and the Lesser Caucasus, Georgia isn't a particularly big country, but is home to a large number of species. From the dry steppes in the east to the temperate rainforests to the west, its geographical position ensures that it is home to close to 70 species of amphibian and reptile. For our trip I decided to not do a wild ratrace through the country, but instead focus on two different ecoregions. Most of our time was spent on the eastern steppes where a large number of reptiles can be found, including the Urartian Rat Snake which was my main target. After that we moved to the Lesser Caucasus for a complete change of scenery and a whole new range of new amphibians and reptiles. The weather during our stay matched the route perfectly and on the steppes we had the classic hot and dry conditions, whereas in the mountains it was overcast, rainy, windy and cold. Not the easiest conditions for herping, but with this team we sure made the most out of it without complaining!

28th of May 2025

In the early afternoon we met on Schiphol airport from where we had an incredibly smooth journey towards Tbilisi. Before we knew it we were in the rental van and on our way to the first accommodation in the small village of Udabno on the border with Azerbaijan. The moment we drove of the highway and onto smaller country roads we spotted the first animals. We stopped for a Green Toad (Bufotes viridis) and also heard the first Eastern Tree Frogs (Hyla orientalis) and Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus) calling. Not for long until we had to stop again as I saw a little snake making its way across the road and we had already found a Cat Snake (Telescopus fallax), for many students one of their main targets! Moments later we also saw a little Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) and a baby Fox (Vulpes vulpes). A bit later than scheduled we arrived at Mamuka's Guesthouse where we were received with open arms, hot tea, plenty of snacks and some very promiscuous dogs. 

29th of May 2025

We had a lush breakfast in the guesthouse, packed our bags and drove into the steppe. We first did a small hike towards a valley with some excellent habitat. Along the road we did some small stops to flip some good looking rocks and found the first Levant Green Lizards (Lacerta media) and Glass Lizards (Pseudopus apodus). We marveled at the vibrant colours of the steppes in full bloom and the air full of sounds of buzzing insects and singing birds. During our hike we had high hopes to encounter snakes, but instead saw many Spur-thighed Tortoises (Testudo graeca) and Caucasian Agamas (Laudakia caucasia). Afterwards we visited the stunning David Gareji Monastery which we had all to ourselves. A mystical place where we saw more of the same species and enjoyed the solitude of the site. Near the border with Azerbaijan we searched for snakes in some stunning habitat. The girls found two Collared Dwarf Snakes (Eirenis collaris) and a Camel Spider (Galeodes araneoides), but the border police kindly asked us to leave. On the drive out we saw a Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) dive into the grass were it caught and ate a small Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti). Amazing observation!

A two hour drive brought us towards a different kind of steppe. Around Dedoplistskaro there is much more human influence and huge swaths of steppe have been converted into agricultural land. Not necessarily a bad thing and the densities of snakes can be quite high in this sort of habitat. On the road we indeed encountered many snakes, almost of all of them dead Urartian Rat Snakes and Schmidt's Whip Snakes, but also a large Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) which was very much alive and very smelly. Also many Caspian Green Lizards (Lacerta strigata) were seen basking next to the road. After seeing so many dead snakes we needed some cheering up and treated ourselves to some pizza in Dedoplistskaro. We tried to reach a spot for vipers in the evening, but the roads turned out very bad and manoeuvring the minivan over these roads was no fun and a big risk. We turned around and instead searched some hilly habitat close to the city. There we observed some reproductive behaviour in the local kittens and found a Southern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) nibbling on a Worm Snake (Xerotyphlops vermicularis). 

30th of May 2025

The pressure for finding urartica was on. After spending a whole day in the habitat without encountering an alive individual, we had to change that today. We made a plan and got up early. We drove towards a known spot for Vipera renardi and Elaphe urartica, but on the way we already changed our plan. I spotted some good looking habitat and we had a little stroll there. Not for long until I spotted a subadult Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti) basking in the high grass. A bit later than intended, we arrived on the viper spot, but it was getting hot quite quickly now. The Caspian Green Lizards (Lacerta strigata) were already darting through the high vegetation and my hopes of finding basking snakes vanished. We did search on and just when I wanted to turn around I spotted a large rock in the high grass. Underneath was a juvenile Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti) in deep shed, but also a second snake which had very milky eyes as well. A juvenile Urartian Rat Snake (Elaphe urartica)! Not the prettiest of its kind and a bit underwhelming, but the pressure was off. A little bit. After ample admiration, we decided to explore a nearby military airfield from Soviet times and maybe we could find more stuff to flip there. The airfield turned out to be a time capsule. Row upon row of desreted and empty hangars in the middle of the steppes. Lush green fields with wild flowers in full bloom. A statue of Lenin, seemingly lost in the vast emptiness of the steppe. Signs of the USSR were found inside the hangars as well. We loved exploring this place, but besides more Caspian Green Lizards (Lacerta strigata) and a Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti) we didn't see any more herps. For birding it was great and we saw many Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoes (Upupa epops) and Rollers (Coracias garrulus).

We decided to spend the hottest part of the day resting a bit back at the accommodation so we would be fresh again for the afternoon and evening. But on the way we changed our plan yet again. Despite the heat, we saw many dead snakes littering the tarmac, including our target species. So we turned around and drove the same stretch of road multiple times, and every time new dead snakes turned up. We must have seen 12 dead Dolichophis and 7 dead Elaphe. Incredible as the traffic isn't even that heavy on this road. However, this time we were in more luck, as the entire front row of the car spotted a snake crawling over the road. I hit the brakes, Sven and Tieme ran out and managed to secure a beautiful subadult Urartian Rat Snake (Elaphe urartica)! We made some pictures near an old building which we thought was abandoned, but where a friendly Russian man was still living. Then we drove on to the accommodation where herping buddy Fred had just arrived as well. He and his girlfriend Heidi also happened to be in Georgia at the same time as us and luckily both our itineraries allowed for some herping together around Dedoplistskaro. We had a little rest, before hitting the road again. Also this time fresh dead snakes, but Fred also spotted a larger and even more beautiful Urartian Rat Snake (Elaphe urartica). From finding a juvenile in the morning to a  subadult in the early afternoon, and now an adult. This was a crazy day!

We had some greasy pizza in town, before setting out in the evening. We explored two large ponds and easily found many Green Toads (Bufotes viridis) and Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus). We also saw a few tiny Eastern Spadefoot Toads (Pelobates syriacus) and even saw a large Marsh Frog eating a small Pelobates! The students also spotted a Caspian Terrapin (Mauremys caspica) and we saw some interesting invertebrates as well. 

31st of May 2025

Our final morning around Dedoplistskaro and we decided to dedicate our search efforts to finding some vipers. However, despite the early morning and the seemingly perfect habitat we weren't in luck for those. We did see multiple Glass Lizards (Pseudopus apodus), Caspian Green Lizards (Lacerta strigata) and some huge Schmidt's Whip Snakes (Dolichophis schmidti). Just before turning around back to the car, Tieme found another big and beautiful Urartian Rat Snake (Elaphe urartica) basking in the grass. As it already got hot again, we decided to retreat to the airfield again. On the airstrip where once the jet fighters landed, the students got their first driving lesson and they all drove around a bit on the airfield. A very nice experience and one they will never forget! But then it was time for Tieme and I to crawl behind the steering wheel again, and we drove back to Udabno where Nino was already waiting for us. Also Micki and Mimi were happy to see us again and did some great performances that showed agility and creativity. We did a short round near an old monastery and found species such as Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca), Glass Lizard (Pseudopus apodus), Caucasian Agama (Laudakia caucasia) and Levant Green Lizard (Lacerta media) and rescued a big Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) of the road. The family at the guesthouse had prepared a luxurious meal which was very welcome after a long day in the field. In the evening we again did some roadcruising but weren't lucky as we only saw dead snakes such as Spotted Whip Snake (Hemorrhois ravergieri) and Cat Snake (Telescopus fallax), before the border police send us away again. At a flooded meadow we could enjoy some living animals luckily and saw millions of baby Green Toads (Bufotes viridis).

1st of June 2025

We got up early to enjoy a lush breakfast and we ate until it hurt. Or at least some of us were. The steppes were waiting and we enjoyed a hike through an amazing valley. In the most barren and inhospitable microhabitat we saw several Central Asian Racerunners (Eremias velox). Otherwise, despite the great-looking habitat, we only saw some of the more common species such as Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca), Glass Lizard (Pseudopus apodus), Caucasian Agama (Laudakia caucasia), Levant Green Lizard (Lacerta media) and a baby Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti). The soaring temperatures made us retreat into the minivan and we drove towards the capitol. There we searched at a rocky outcrops and quickly found Caucasian Agamas (Laudakia caucasia) and several Dahl's Rock Lizards (Darevskia dahli). On our drive north we stopped at an overcrowded monastery where we saw several more agamas and even witnessed some interesting behaviour between a male and female. 

Then we steered west and already while approaching the mountains we noticed the weather changing. Clouds moved in and temperatures dropped.  Before going to the hotel we had a quick peek at a beautiful pond where we observed many Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus) and even a few Northern Banded Newts (Ommatotriton ophryticus). At the hotel there was nobody waiting for us and we tried to signal our arrival by incesant shouting, but to no avail. When we asked a local to shout for us that helped and the owner showed up within seconds. We freshened up in the rooms, walked through a beautiful park with calling Long-ear Owl (Asio otus) chicks above our heads and went out for dinner at the fabulous Pesvebi Restaurant. In the evening some of the team went to bed to get some more sleep, while others searched along a small stream for a certain salamander target. We didn't find the salamanders, but instead saw some massive Caucasian Toads (Bufo verrucosissimus) and a few Caucasian Brown Frogs (Rana macrocnemis). The highlight however was finding several Huge Violet Ground Beetles (Carabus scabrosus).

2nd of June 2025

Another overcast day with a slight drizzle coming down. We didn't have to get up that early today... After getting breakfast from a nearby supermarket we drove to a very nice scree-slope. There was very little reptile activity and the cold wind didn't help either. I was then also very surprised to still find a female Transcaucasian Long-nosed Viper (Vipera transcaucasiana). That surely was a highlight for the group! We then tried our luck at a meadow with bracken growing at the edges and there I was very happy to see some lizards such as Derjugin's Lizard (Darevskia derjugini) and Levant Green Lizard (Lacerta media) scuttling around. There was only a tiny bit of sun filtering through the heavy clouds, but apparantly it was enough for some reptiles to come out. I was getting my hopes up and relentlessly searched the forest edges as I knew it should be possible to find our other viper target. It took awhile, but finally my tenacity paid off as I spotted a beautiful female Caucasus Viper (Vipera kaznakovi) basking between the bracken. One morning with two viper species. This was a good morning! In the afternoon we arranged our visit into the National Park for the evening and with the weather deteriorating, we went back to the hotel for a powernap. After regaining some strength it was time to head into the National Park. The rangers were already waiting for us and kindly let us pass the barrier and into the dark and wet forest. Not for long until we encountered the first amphibians such as Caucasian Toad (Bufo verrucosissimus), Caucasian Brown Frog (Rana macrocnemis) and Eastern Tree Frog (Hyla orientalis). And then I spotted a tiny frog with an unusual skin hopping on the path and I knew we had found what we came for, a Caucasian Parsley Frog (Pelodytes caucasicus)! It turned out to be not just one as we saw a grand total of 6 individuals. Most of them were calling males in a swamp which they shared with several Northern Banded Newt (Ommatotriton ophryticus). It was a wet hike and a long hike, but this was a fantastic ending to an already fantastic day!

3rd of June 2025

A heavily ocercast day with a slight drizzle coming down throughout the day. We tried to find more Caucasus Vipers around meadows in the foothills, but to no avail. We did see more Eastern Slow Worms (Anguis colchica), Derjugin's Lizards (Darevskia derjugini), Levant Green Lizards (Lacerta media) and Sven found a Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca) during the only short sunny spell. The weather forecast predicted much of the same weather for the afternoon, so we decided to focus on amphibians instead. We drove into the mountains and around the muddy town of Bakuriani searched for newts. The rain came down even heavier here, but we still hiked to several ponds and puddles. Despite the wet conditions there was very little water in the ponds and we only found a single Caucasian Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris lantzi) along with a few juvenile Eastern Slow Worms (Anguis colchica). In the late afternoon we drove down into Borjomi again for dry socks and a proper meal. In the evening we had high hopes of finding more newt species in some of the promising looking ponds we scouted in the morning. We saw many Northern Banded Newts (Ommatotriton ophryticus), Eastern Tree Frogs (Hyla orientalis), Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus) and two Grass Snakes (Natrix natrix).

4th of June 2025

We slipped into our wet shoes again (which didn't dry at all overnight), packed our bags and drove into town for some breakfast. Our initial plan was to have another go at the Caucasus Vipers, but the weather was again not favourable for reptiles. We left the mountains behind and drove into the open plains in the direction of the airport. There there was a very strong wind blowing, but at least the sun was out. At a remote chapel atop a steep hill, we saw Caucasian Agamas (Laudakia caucasia) and Levant Green Lizards (Lacerta media), but not much more. The local people brought sheep up to the chapel to have them blessed before slaughter. So we did the same. Only with a watermelon. In the nearby town of Gori we celebrated Sprite Month at the Stalin statue. Afterwards we visited a monastery where we saw some beautiful Caucasian Agamas (Laudakia caucasia) and drove towards a lake near Tbilisi. Here we saw Glass Lizards (Pseudopus apodus), Spur-thighed Tortoises (Testudo graeca) and Robin got her hands dirty and caught a European Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis). The traffic in Tbilisi was hell and there were traffic jams without ending, so the 20min. drive to the McDonalds took 1,5 hours. Luckily we left early, so we still had enough time for a meal and to easily make our flight back to Amsterdam. 

Epilogue - last trip with the students, last snake species in Europe

Traveling and herping with student is the best thing about being a biology teacher. As this was my last trip in this setting, it had to be something special. And it sure was. I had a fabulous group of students with me, who were already friends before this trip. The whole day they kept high spirits despite the sometimes challenging circumstances of heat or cold, dust or rain. The laughter was continuous and every joke is always completely over exploited and used over and over. Moreover, this was a pretty experienced team, as almost everybody had done at least one herping trip, and some students have done five already. This was not a school trip, this was a group of friends traveling and herping in the setting of a school trip. Massive thanks to everybody for making this trip so much fun and so special! And a big shoutout to Tieme for putting the idea of these kind of trips in my mind and for making every single one of them such a great success. I couldn't have wished for a better partner in crime!
And then the country itself. Also amazing. Georgia is such a beautiful country, where the people are super friendly, the food is tasty and plentiful and where it is very easy to travel. Our timing to visit Georgia couldn't have been better for some species and especially some big colubrids were in the peak of their activity. We did not only see Urartian Rat Snakes, we saw them in every life stage, from juvenile to adult., Also the parsley frogs were in the middle of their breeding season. Moreover we saw quite some interesting predation events where birds of prey or hedgehogs were eating snakes or anurans were eating each other. However, we noticed that it was a bit late in the year for vipers and newts. Herping friends who visited three weeks prior to us had much more success in that department. For salamanders summer is apparantly the better time to see them. So finding a good time to see everything in Georgia is hard, but going back to such a fantastic country is not! 

Species

Caucasian Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris ssp. lantzi)
Northern Banded Newt (Ommatotriton ophryticus)

Caucasian Toad (Bufo verrucosissimus)

Green Toad (Bufotes viridis)

Eastern Tree Frog (Hyla orientalis)

Eastern Spadefoot Toad (Pelobates syriacus)

Caucasian Parsley Frog (Pelodytes caucasicus)

Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus)

Caucasian Brown Frog (Rana macrocnemis)

European Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis ssp. iberica)

Caspian Terrapin (Mauremys caspica)

Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca)

Eastern Slow Worm (Anguis colchica)

Glass Lizard (Pseudopus apodus)

Caucasian Agama (Laudakia caucasia)

Dahl's Rock Lizard (Darevskia dahli)

Derjugin's Lizard (Darevskia derjugini)

Central Asian Racerunner (Eremias velox ssp. caucasia)

Levant Green Lizard (Lacerta media)

Caspian Green Lizard (Lacerta strigata)

Worm Snake (Xerotyphlops vermicularis)

Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca)

Schmidt's Whip Snake (Dolichophis schmidti)

Collared Dwarf Snake (Eirenis collaris)

Urartian Rat Snake (Elaphe urartica)

Spotted Whip Snake (Hemorrhois ravergieri) DOR

Grass Snake (Natrix natrix ssp. scutata)

Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata)

Cat Snake (Telescopus fallax)

Caucasus Viper (Vipera kaznakovi)

Transcaucasian Long-nosed Viper (Vipera transcaucasiana)

Many thanks to Thomas Bader, Frank Deschandol, Bas Raaijmakers, Lennart Schmid, Jeroen Speybroeck, David Tarkhnishvili & Sebastian Voitel.