DESCRIPTION

Martvili Canyon have been discovered by the Dadiani princely family in the 19th century. They were so enchanted by the local area that they ordered the creation of a path to the canyon along the river. The Dadiani family, which ruled Georgia until 1867, loved to take a bath here. To get to the pools, they used private paths and stairs, which can still be walk today. This historic path has been transformed into a paved walking trail about 700 meters long, which starts directly at the visitor center. Special care should be taken when arriving at the trail during the rain, as the stones can be slippery, and it is easy to have an accident in these cases.

The canyon’s visitor center is located in the village of Inchkhuri. Today there are 2 bridges, 3 viewing platforms and a 30-foot limestone historic stairs. The path offers good views of the Fur Bridge, Dadiani Baths and a 12-meter waterfall. The biggest attraction, however, is a short pontoon boat ride (mandatory with a guide) down the Abasha River, which shows us the true beauty of the place. Carved by the river, the 2.4-kilometer gorge has 50-70-meter rock walls and several cascading waterfalls. You can read about rafting by pontoon later in this article. The time to explore the entire canyon not counting the Abasha River rafting is less than 1.5 hours.

There are some things which make Martvili a different canyon from the rest of Georgian gorges. First, its “presence.” In the canyon, you’ll find beautifully twisted trees with spindle-shaped branches and giant boulders covered with moss that hang over the sparkling turquoise-blue water. The vegetation here is dense, and the slopes are winding. The whole area resembles a fairy tale world. High humidity and subtropical climate make, that it is “green” here practically all year round. Secondly, Martvili Canyon is a Protected Area of the National Parks of Georgia, so you won’t see any vandalism carried out on the local flora and fauna.