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Georgia Guidebook
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Imereti in 2 days: canyons and caves from Kutaisi

Updated · June 15, 2026

A 2-day Imereti route from Kutaisi: Gelati, Sataplia, Prometheus Cave, the Okatse and Martvili canyons. Stops, distance guides and season.

Route day by day

Days on the road
2
Distance
≈125 km
Budget from
130 GEL
Best season
May, June, July, August, September, October

  1. Kutaisi

    Route start

    Georgia's third city and a handy base for the west of the country: Bagrati Cathedral, the Colchis Fountain and the Rioni river. All the route's day trips radiate from here.

    Old houses on the bank of the Rioni and a hilltop church in Kutaisi
    Photo: Matthias Bethke / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  2. Gelati Monastery

    11 km from the start

    stop ≈60 min

    A 12th-century monastery founded by David the Builder — a UNESCO site and a medieval centre of learning. Famous for the mosaic of the Virgin in the apse.

    The main Church of the Nativity of the Virgin at Gelati Monastery
    Photo: Arian Zwegers / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

  3. Sataplia

    25 km from the start

    stop ≈60 min

    A reserve with a floodlit karst cave, genuine dinosaur footprints and a glass viewing platform over the hills.

    The Sataplia karst cave with coloured lighting on the formations
    Photo: FingerWiki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  4. Prometheus Cave

    40 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    Kumistavi — a large karst cave with halls of floodlit stalactites and an underground river you can travel by boat. Another overnight stay in Kutaisi.

    A hall of Prometheus Cave with a floodlit path
    Photo: Dmitrij Rodionov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

  5. Okatse Canyon

    95 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    A suspended walkway along a cliff up to 100 m deep, with a viewing platform over the drop. The Kinchkha waterfall is nearby.

    The cantilevered viewing platform over the chasm of Okatse Canyon
    Photo: Zysko serhii / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  6. Martvili Canyon

    125 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    A limestone canyon on the Abasha river with emerald water, waterfalls and a boat trip. The final stop before the return to Kutaisi.

    The waterfall and emerald water of Martvili Canyon
    Photo: Jami430 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Route map

The map with stops loads on click — to keep the page lightweight.

Imereti and neighbouring Samegrelo are Georgia’s green west: monasteries, karst caves and canyons of emerald water. In two days, with Kutaisi as a base, you can see ancient Gelati, underground halls and boat-trip canyons alike.

A floodlit hall of Prometheus Cave with stalactites and a path
Prometheus Cave near Kutaisi — halls of floodlit stalactites and an underground river with a boat. Photo: Gaga.vaa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 1: Kutaisi → Gelati → Sataplia → Prometheus Cave

The base for the route is Kutaisi. In the morning head to Gelati Monastery (12th century, UNESCO), and then to the Sataplia reserve — a floodlit cave, dinosaur footprints and a glass viewing platform.

The Gelati monastery complex on a hill
The Gelati monastery complex on a hill near Kutaisi. Photo: Matthias Bethke / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dinosaur footprints on a stone slab at Sataplia
Cretaceous dinosaur footprints on a stone slab. Photo: Paata vardanashvili / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

In the afternoon comes Prometheus Cave (Kumistavi) with its halls of stalactites and a boat ride along the underground river. It’s convenient to head back to Kutaisi for the night.

Day 2: the Okatse and Martvili canyons

The second day is about canyons. Okatse Canyon is a suspended walkway along a 100-metre cliff with a platform over the drop; nearby is the tall Kinchkha waterfall. Next is Martvili Canyon with the emerald water of the Abasha river and a boat trip between the limestone walls. From there it’s back to Kutaisi (about 50 km more).

The cantilevered balcony of Okatse on a cable-stayed support over the gorge
The main Okatse platform juts out ahead on a cable-stayed support. Photo: Paata vardanashvili / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Kinchkha waterfall falls into a vivid turquoise pool
Not far from Okatse, the Kinchkha waterfall gathers beneath a ledge into a vivid turquoise basin. Photo: Paata vardanashvili / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Boats on green water deep inside Martvili Canyon beside a high limestone wall
Boats enter the narrowest part of Martvili Canyon, between sheer walls. Photo: Kober / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

What to keep in mind

  • The distances and times in the route card are rounded guides, not exact measurements; the canyons lie in different directions from Kutaisi, so the real mileage depends on the order of the stops.
  • The “from” budget is a lower bound for fuel, an overnight stay and food excluding car hire and entry tickets / boat tours.
  • The boat trips in the canyons and some of the trails are seasonal and depend on the water level and the weather; check opening times and ticket prices before you travel.
  • Bring comfortable shoes: Sataplia, Okatse and the caves involve a lot of walking along trails and stairs.

The easiest way to sort a car for the route is to arrange it in advance — see the car hire section. There’s more about the route’s base in the Kutaisi guide; more trip plans are in the routes section.