Martvili Canyon And Prometheus Cave Tour
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Hand-picked by our editors — only the best 5 experiences from 12 reviewed

Open today 10:00–18:00
Attendance: Moderate — summer peak
Arrive early to avoid boat ride queues.
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Tickets

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Kutaisi Natural Wonders: Canyons, Cave & Soviet Heritage 24 hr
Guided Experience

Kutaisi Natural Wonders: Canyons, Cave & Soviet Heritage

4.8 (160)
€33
per person
Instant Mobile voucher Flexible — change up to 24h

Full-day adventure visiting Georgia's dramatic gorges, underground caverns, and historic spa ruins

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Kutaisi Natural Wonders: Canyons and Cave Day Trip 10 hr
Guided Experience

Kutaisi Natural Wonders: Canyons and Cave Day Trip

4.8 (621)
$38
per person
Instant Mobile voucher Flexible — change up to 24h

Discover Georgia's dramatic gorges and subterranean chambers on this full-day adventure from Kutaisi

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Prices from verified partners. Availability updates in real time at checkout. Free cancellation policies apply where shown.

What you'll do

Inside a tour, step by step

  1. 01 15 min

    Visitor Center Arrival

    Begin at the Inchkhuri village center to purchase tickets.

Highlights

What you'll see inside the attraction

The landmarks, rooms, and views travelers on this tour remember — all visible on a single visit.

Dadiani Walkway

Historical path once used by the Dadiani princes for bathing

Abasha River

Striking turquoise water carved through deep limestone

Viewing Platforms

Three elevated points offering dramatic canyon vistas

Waterfall Cascade

Natural 12-meter waterfall accessible via boat

Limestone Gorge

Narrow 2.4-kilometer passage with 70-meter high walls

Head to head

Martvili & Okatse Canyons & Prometheus Cave Tour: Choosing Between Martvili and Okatse Canyons

Martvili Canyon offers a relaxing boat ride through lush greenery, whereas Okatse Canyon provides a high-altitude thrill via a suspended metal walkway. Most travelers find that the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour tours provide the best balance by including both distinct geographical features.

Feature Top pick Martvili Canyon Okatse Canyon
Experience Type
Primary Activity
Difficulty Level
Accessibility
Vibe
Best For
;Experience Type
Primary Activity
Difficulty Level
Accessibility
Vibe
Best For

Verdict: Opt for Martvili if you prefer gentle aquatic scenery, or select Okatse for the adrenaline of high-altitude platforms included in your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour tickets.

How your ticket works

Book your ticket in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Book online

    Choose your ticket, select your date, and reserve in under two minutes. Secure checkout handled by our verified partner.

  2. 02

    Receive your mobile voucher

    Instant confirmation by email, with a mobile voucher you can save offline. No printing, no queuing at a collection desk.

  3. 03

    Show & enter

    Arrive at the entrance, show your voucher on your phone, and walk in. Most tickets include priority or skip-the-line access.

Plan your visit

Everything you need to know before you go

Practical details for your visit straight from our verified partners — hours, access, rules, and how to get there.

Open today · 10:00–18:00
Opening Hours
10:00–18:00
Address
Inchkhuri village, Martvili Municipality, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia
Step count
30
Best arrival window
10:00–11:00
Official site
https://nationalparks.ge
Mon
Closed
Tue
10:00–18:00
Wed
10:00–18:00
Thu
10:00–18:00
Fri
10:00–18:00
Sat
10:00–18:00
Sun
10:00–18:00
Closed on: Every Monday (Weekly closure)
Main entrance

Visitor Center

Inchkhuri village, Martvili Municipality

Main hub for all tour arrivals.

Address
Inchkhuri village, Martvili Municipality, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia
Official site
https://nationalparks.ge

How to get there

🚗
Car · 1 hour · Variable

Rental from Kutaisi is the most reliable method for reaching the remote Inchkhuri entrance.

🚆
Public transport · 1.5 hours · Low cost

Marshrutka from Kutaisi to Martvili, then taxi to the canyon.

Dress code

Comfortable footwear with good grip is recommended for walking the limestone paths. Dress in layers as the gorge can feel significantly cooler than the surrounding area.

Bags & security

Large luggage should be left in your vehicle, as there are no secure storage lockers available at the entrance. Visitors are required to wear life jackets provided by the operator during all boat rides.

Photography

Photography is permitted throughout the walking trail and boat ride. Please be mindful of others on the narrow walkways and do not lean over railings for shots.

Accessibility

The site features a 700-meter circular walking trail with constructed bridges and panoramic platforms. Due to the historical nature of the Dadiani path and terrain, accessibility for mobility aids is limited.

Mobile phones

Mobile reception can be intermittent within the deep gorge. Offline maps are recommended for those navigating to the visitor center.

What to bring

  • Waterproof phone case
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Light jacket
  • Sunscreen
  • Bottled water

Not allowed

  • Drones
  • Large tripods
  • Alcohol
  • Loudspeakers
  • Smoking
  • Open flames
  • Hiking poles with metal tips
  • Glass containers

Families & strollers

The canyon is popular for families, but children must be at least 1 meter tall to participate in the boat ride. Strollers are not recommended on the walking paths due to steps.

Food & drink

There are no dining facilities inside the canyon, but local eateries are available in the surrounding Inchkhuri village area. Bringing your own bottled water is advised.

Pets

Pets are generally not permitted on the boat rides or within the managed canyon trail to ensure the safety of wildlife and guests.

Good to know

The 40 GEL conservation fee per foreign adult grants access to the walking trails. Boat rides typically incur an additional cost paid at the entrance.

Meeting point

Where to find us

Visitor Center

Inchkhuri village, Martvili Municipality

Main hub for all tour arrivals.

Get directions
Around your visit

Everything else worth knowing

Best time to go, insider tips, nearby landmarks, and the cancellation fine print — flip through to skim what matters to you.

Best time to visit

How crowds, weather, and events shift across the year.

Spring

April to June features lush greenery and manageable water levels for boating.

Summer

July to August is ideal for cooling off, though boat lines are at their longest.

Autumn

September to November offers thinner crowds and dry, temperate weather.

Winter

Open year-round, but boat rides may be restricted by water levels or weather.

Helpful tips for your visit

Small details that turn a good visit into a great one.

Avoid weekend crowds

Visit on a weekday morning to minimize wait times for the boat ride.

Check weather

The boat tour may be cancelled during heavy rain for safety reasons.

Wear appropriate shoes

Avoid sandals or flip-flops as the limestone paths can be slippery.

Keep height in mind

Children under 1 meter are not permitted on the boat tour.

Use the boat early

If you are on a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour, head to the boats immediately upon arrival.

Pack light

There is no storage, so keep your bags minimal to enjoy the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour comfortably.

Plan your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour

Many prefer a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour to see Okatse Canyon the same day.

Verify all tickets

Ensure your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour package includes the entrance fee for the canyon.

Nearby landmarks

Non-bookable sights within a short walk — free to visit, easy to pair.

Prometheus Cave

40 min drive

Features expansive stalactite and stalagmite formations.

Okatse Canyon

30 min drive

Renowned for its high-altitude hanging bridge.

Kinchkha Waterfall

35 min drive

A massive cascading waterfall near Okatse Canyon.

Nokalakevi Fortress

20 min drive

Ancient historical site with ruins and thermal springs.

Cancellation policy

Flexible, no hidden fees.

Entry fees are generally non-refundable as they are managed on-site. Please check with your specific operator for tour-bundled ticket refund windows.

Where to stay

Hotels & districts near the attraction

Hand-picked options within walking distance — pick a district for vibe, or a specific hotel for convenience.

Martvili Guesthouses

10 min
Budget

Local family-run stays in the village.

Kutaisi Boutique Hotels

60 min
Boutique

Modern comfort in the nearby city center.

Resort Hotels

45 min
Mid-range

Located in the Tskaltubo spa region.

About

The place, in context

Martvili Canyon opens onto the Abasha River at a depth of forty metres, its turquoise pools fed by karst springs that maintain a constant twelve degrees year-round. The canyon itself was carved over millions of years through Cretaceous limestone, and its narrow gorge remained largely inaccessible until the Georgian National Parks Authority installed boat docks and walkways in the early 2000s. Upstream, a series of travertine cascades marks the boundary where the river transitions from open valley to enclosed chasm, and fossilised marine organisms embedded in the canyon walls record the Tethys Sea that once covered this region. Okatse Canyon, thirty kilometres east, presents a contrasting geology: vertical cliffs rise seventy metres above the Okatse River, and a suspended steel walkway extends along the canyon rim for seven hundred metres, terminating at a cantilevered viewing platform above the main waterfall. The walkway was completed in 2014 and has since become one of Imereti's most-visited infrastructure projects, though the canyon itself has been documented in Soviet-era geological surveys since the 1960s. The limestone here is younger—Paleogene rather than Cretaceous—and the vegetation cover denser, with Colchic broadleaf forest extending to the canyon edge. Prometheus Cave, discovered in 1984 near Kumistavi village, extends over eleven kilometres through the foothills of the Caucasus, though only one point four kilometres are open to visitors. The cave system features six distinct chambers, each named for its dominant formations: stalactites in the Hall of Argonauts, helictites in the Medea Chamber, and curtain draperies in the Hall of Love. Ambient temperature holds at fourteen degrees throughout the year, and the cave's exit route includes an underground river segment navigable by boat during high-water months. Speleological surveys completed in the 1990s identified fossils of cave bears and hyenas in sediment layers, establishing human awareness of the cave's entrance as far back as the Bronze Age, though systematic exploration began only after Soviet geologists mapped the upper galleries. The three sites form a natural circuit, each representing a different phase of karst development. Martvili's river-cut gorge demonstrates active erosion, Okatse's sheer walls reveal tectonic uplift and subsequent downcutting, and Prometheus Cave's formations document slow mineral deposition over millennia. Together, they illustrate the region's limestone geology in accessible, visually distinct settings. Guided tours from Kutaisi bundle all three into a single day, with morning departures allowing time for the Martvili boat ride before midday crowds, a midday stop at Okatse's walkway, and an afternoon descent into Prometheus Cave's lit chambers. The conservation fee at Martvili Canyon—forty lari for foreign adults—supports ongoing trail maintenance and visitor infrastructure across the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti protected areas.

"The canyon walls record the Tethys Sea that once covered this region."
Your experience

What a tour day looks like

A step-by-step walkthrough of the visit — what you'll see, how long each stage takes, and the details that matter.

You meet your group in central Kutaisi at ten, and the drive north takes forty minutes through tobacco fields and roadside villages before the van pulls into Inchkhuri. At Martvili Canyon, you descend thirty steps to the boat dock, where wooden skiffs wait at the water's edge. The river is cold—twelve degrees—and the guide poles the boat upstream through the narrow gorge, past fern-draped walls and a series of low cascades. The ride lasts twenty minutes, and you disembark at the upper platform to walk back along the rim trail. Okatse Canyon requires a longer approach: a gravel road winds through beech forest, then a boardwalk leads to the suspended walkway. You step onto the steel grating and the ground drops away—seventy metres of open air beneath your feet. The walkway extends for ten minutes of walking, and at the end, a cantilevered platform juts out over the main waterfall. The roar is constant. You take the same route back, retracing the boardwalk to the van. Prometheus Cave is the last stop, and you descend a broad staircase into the first chamber. The temperature drops immediately—fourteen degrees, humid—and colored lights illuminate the formations. You follow the guide through six chambers, each opening larger than the last, and the tour concludes at an underground river where a short boat ride carries you to the exit tunnel. By late afternoon, you're back in Kutaisi, the loop complete.

Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions about martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour tours

Are there specific opening hours for the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

Martvili Canyon is open from 10:00–18:00 Tuesday through Sunday. Always check your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour schedule for specific pickup times.

Is the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour wheelchair accessible?

The walking path at Martvili Canyon includes 30 steps and uneven terrain, making it challenging for wheelchairs. Please consult your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour operator regarding accessibility.

Can I bring bags on my martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

There are no storage lockers for large bags at the attraction. It is best to leave unnecessary items in your transport vehicle during your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour.

Is photography allowed during the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

Yes, you can take photos throughout the canyon during your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour. Please respect the path and do not block others.

When is the best time to book a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

The best time is between 10:00–11:00 to avoid crowds. Booking a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour in the shoulder season offers the best experience.

What should I wear for a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

Wear comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and layers, as the canyon is cool. Your martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour guide can provide further advice based on the season.

Is food available during a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

No food is sold inside the canyon. Most martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour packages include a lunch stop in nearby Martvili or Kutaisi.

How do I get to the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour site?

The canyon is located in Inchkhuri village. Most travelers book a organized martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour for easier transit.

Are children allowed on the boat rides during a martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour?

Children must be at least 1 meter tall to ride the boats during the martvili & okatse canyons & prometheus cave tour.