The story of Karagöl-Sahara National Park

Karagöl was born from a landslide: it formed from water collecting in the hollow behind a rotationally sliding mass of earth, and today it is ringed by dense spruce and pine forest. Karagöl-Sahara National Park in Şavşat is made up of two separate areas: Karagöl, 45 km north of the district centre, and the Sahara plateau, 17 km away.

Sahara is one of the few flat stretches at 1700–1800 m in steep terrain cut by deep valleys, and these meadows beside the Laşet stream host the Sahara Pancarcı festivities, drawing locals who live outside the district back home. To protect this beauty, 3766 hectares were declared a national park in 1994. Researchers have recorded 562 plant species from 292 genera and 80 families here, 57 of them endemic.

Bears, wolves and lynx live in the forests, and trout and carp swim in the lake. The Meşeli fairy chimneys also lie within the park.