Martvili canyon: rowing through a green cathedral

By Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD · 15/09/2026

Updated 17 October 2026

Martvili is the canyon everyone photographs, and for once the photographs are accurate: a gorge forty metres deep and in places only a few metres wide, its walls draped in moss and ferns, its water the improbable turquoise of glacier melt filtered through limestone, and light that filters down through the trees overhead so that everything — rock, water, air — is green. It looks like a set. It is a river.

The Dadiani

Samegrelo, the lowland region west of Kutaisi, was ruled for six centuries by the Dadiani family, princes with a palace at Zugdidi and a taste for the European. In the 19th century they made the canyon their bathing place: a stone stairway leads down to a pool at the head of the gorge where the family swam, and the spot is still called the Dadiani bath. The last Dadiani married a niece of Napoleon III; their palace at Zugdidi, an hour away, keeps one of Napoleon’s death masks and a good deal of French furniture.

The walk and the boat

The site is organised in two parts. A walkway with bridges and viewing platforms follows the upper canyon for about 700 metres — the section with the waterfalls, where the river drops in steps through the rock and the spray keeps the moss alive. Below it, in the calmer lower section, is the boat: an inflatable raft with a boatman, fifteen minutes up the gorge between the walls and back, in water so clear you see the stones on the bottom and the trout above them. The boat is the reason to come. The queue for it in July can be long; mornings and weekdays are better.

The river

The Abasha rises in the hills of Lechkhumi and is, for most of its length, an ordinary green river. The canyon is a two-kilometre accident: a band of hard limestone that the water cut down through rather than around, over a few hundred thousand years. Upstream, the river is warm enough to swim in summer; downstream it joins the Tekhuri and flows to the Black Sea. The whole limestone belt of western Georgia — Prometheus cave, Sataplia, the Okatse canyon with its cliff walkway — is the same rock, carved by different rivers.

Practical

Martvili is 45 minutes from Kutaisi. The walkway takes half an hour; the boat, with the wait, an hour. Wear shoes that grip — the platforms are wet — and bring something waterproof for phones on the boat. There is a café and a small museum at the entrance. The Okatse canyon, 40 minutes away, is the aerial counterpart: a walkway bolted to the cliff 100 metres above the river, ending in a platform over nothing. The two together, with Prometheus on the way, are the classic Imereti day.

See it with GTour

Martvili is the centre of the canyons & Prometheus cave day from Kutaisi, the third day of the Kutaisi & Western Georgia tour, and the last stop before the sea on Georgia in 10 days.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

What makes Martvili canyon's water look turquoise? The water is glacier melt filtered through limestone, which gives it an improbable turquoise color. Combined with light filtering through overhead trees, the whole gorge appears green, like rock, water, and air are all tinted the same shade.

What is the Dadiani bath? The Dadiani bath is a stone stairway leading down to a pool at the head of the gorge where the Dadiani family, princes who ruled Samegrelo for six centuries from their palace at Zugdidi, used to swim in the 19th century. The spot is still called by that name today.

What are the two main activities at Martvili canyon? There is a walkway with bridges and viewing platforms following the upper canyon for about 700 metres, past waterfalls where the river drops through the rock. Below that, in the calmer lower section, visitors can take an inflatable raft with a boatman for a fifteen-minute ride up the gorge and back.

Which river formed Martvili canyon and where does it flow? The canyon was carved by the Abasha River, which rises in the hills of Lechkhumi. The two-kilometre canyon formed where the river cut down through a band of hard limestone rather than around it; downstream the Abasha joins the Tekhuri and flows to the Black Sea.

How far is Martvili canyon from Kutaisi, and how long does a visit take? Martvili is about 45 minutes from Kutaisi. The walkway alone takes half an hour, while the boat ride, including the wait in line, takes about an hour.

What is the connection between Martvili and the Okatse canyon? Both canyons are part of the same limestone belt of western Georgia that also includes Prometheus cave and Sataplia. Okatse, 40 minutes from Martvili, offers an aerial counterpart with a walkway bolted to the cliff 100 metres above the river, and the two sites together with Prometheus form the classic Imereti day trip.

What practical tips should visitors know before going to Martvili canyon? Visitors should wear shoes that grip well since the walkway platforms are wet, and bring something waterproof for phones during the boat ride. Mornings and weekdays are recommended to avoid long queues for the boat, especially in July, and there is a café and small museum at the entrance.