GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Martvili Canyon

Where emerald waters carve ancient stone

Martvili Canyon

Why go

Martvili Canyon is a 700-meter limestone gorge carved by the Abasha River over millennia, once sacred to the region's pre-Christian inhabitants. In the 7th century, the canyon became the domain of St. Andrew the First-Called Monastery, whose monks used its secluded pools for baptismal rites. The water's extraordinary milky turquoise hue comes from dissolved limestone minerals refracting sunlight through depths reaching 30 meters. This is Samegrelo's most accessible natural wonder—a place where you drift beneath towering walls draped in wild boxwood and fern, past travertine formations that drip like candle wax, and emerge into a landscape that feels stolen from Southeast Asia yet is unmistakably Georgian.

On the ground See

  • Take a guided boat ride through the narrowest section of the canyon, where the river runs between vertical limestone walls just meters apart
  • Walk the 1.5-kilometer trail to the 30-meter Dadiani Waterfall, named for the noble family who once owned these lands as a private retreat
  • Visit the 7th-century Martvili Monastery perched above the canyon, with its frescoed church and medieval stone bridge crossing the Abasha

Practical Know before you go

Best visited May through October when water levels permit boat navigation; the site lies 45 minutes by road from Kutaisi and requires a small entrance fee for canyon access, with boat tickets purchased separately on-site.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly