What is the best day trip from Kutaisi?
The best day trip from Kutaisi is Megobari Tours’ nine-hour day to Martvili Canyon, Okatse Canyon and Prometheus Cave, from $37 a person and rated 4.9 from 1,592 reviews; the entry fees, about $42 (110 GEL), are paid on top. For something other than canyons, Globus Travel Georgia’s Chiatura day costs $29, and Megobari’s shorter six-hour canyon and cave day $26.
Best for the canyons and the cave in one day
Canyons and the cave9 hours, 3 sitesfrom$37a person shown at a discount from $41 on 11 November 2026BookSee detailsWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Best for something other than canyons
Chiatura7.5 hours, cable carsfrom$29a person shown at a discount from $38 on 11 November 2026BookSee detailsWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Best for a shorter day, or with young children
The shorter canyon day6 hours, 2 sitesfrom$26a person shown at a discount from $29BookSee detailsWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Martvili canyon, Samegrelo Pick 1 of 3First-timers in western Georgia
Canyons and the cave
from$37a person shown at a discount from $41 on 11 November 2026
Book with GetYourGuideWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
From Kutaisi: Martvili and Okatse canyons and Prometheus Cave. Run by Megobari Tours, booked through GetYourGuide.
Martvili, Okatse and Prometheus in one guided day from Kutaisi, from $37.
Fees on top add about $42 (110 GEL) or more; Okatse closes in rain or snow.
- 9 hoursfrom central Kutaisi
- 3 sitesMartvili, Okatse, Prometheus
- 1,592reviews, 4.9 out of 5
- Freecancellation up to 24 hours before
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- 4.9 from 1,592 reviews, with guests on the tour in November 2026.
- All three of the big natural sights near Kutaisi in one day.
- A local cave guide inside Prometheus.
- Free to cancel up to 24 hours before, and pay later.
Skip it if
- You want a shorter day, or have young children: the shorter canyon day.
- You have seen enough caves: Chiatura.
In the price
- Transport by minibus and an English-speaking guide
- Martvili Canyon, with its boat ride when the water allows
- Okatse Canyon's hanging walkway, when it is open
- Prometheus Cave's 1.5 km route with a local cave guide
- A photo stop at a Tskaltubo sanatorium
Not in the price
- Entry fees, about 110 GEL for the three sites
- The boats, about 30 GEL each, and the Okatse 4x4, 15 GEL
CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Price checked 11 November 2026.
The Katskhi pillar, Imereti Pick 2 of 3A second day, or a wet one
Chiatura
from$29a person shown at a discount from $38 on 11 November 2026
Book with GetYourGuideWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Kutaisi: Chiatura, Katskhi Pillar and Mgvimevi Monastery tour. Run by Globus Travel Georgia, booked through GetYourGuide.
Katskhi Pillar, Mgvimevi Monastery and Chiatura's cable cars in one day, from $29.
Not the canyons; uneven ground and stairs, and no lunch included.
- 7.5 hoursfrom Kutaisi
- Cable carsabout two hours in Chiatura
- 287reviews, 4.9 out of 5
- Freecancellation up to 24 hours before
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- 4.9 from 287 reviews, with a guest on the tour in November 2026.
- No canyon or boat to be cancelled by the weather.
- Chiatura's cable cars and Soviet-era town, like nowhere else in Georgia.
- A private option for your group alone.
Skip it if
- You want Martvili, Okatse and Prometheus: canyons and the cave.
- You have young children and want a short day: the shorter canyon day.
In the price
- Transport and an English-speaking driver-guide
- Katskhi Pillar, the limestone pillar with a church on top
- Mgvimevi Monastery, built partly into the cliffs
- A ride on Chiatura's cable cars, about two hours in the town
- Chiatura's theatre, railway station and Soviet-era streets
Not in the price
- Food and drinks
- Optional entrance fees
CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Price checked 11 November 2026.
Martvili canyon, Samegrelo Pick 3 of 3Families and anyone wanting six hours
The shorter canyon day
from$26a person shown at a discount from $29
Book with GetYourGuideWe may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Kutaisi: Martvili Canyon and Prometheus Cave, with a Georgian lunch. Run by Megobari Tours, booked through GetYourGuide.
Martvili and Prometheus with a lunch stop, about six hours, from $26.
No Okatse, and lunch and entry fees are paid on top.
- 6 hoursfrom central Kutaisi
- 2 sitesMartvili and Prometheus
- 90reviews, 4.9 out of 5
- Freecancellation up to 24 hours before
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- About six hours, the shortest of our picks.
- Pitched at families with young children.
- The cheapest of our picks, from $26.
Skip it if
- You want Okatse's walkway too: canyons and the cave.
- You want no canyons at all: Chiatura.
In the price
- Transport and an English-speaking guide
- Martvili Canyon's 700 m loop, with an optional boat ride
- Prometheus Cave's 1.5 km route with a local cave guide
- A stop for a Georgian lunch, ordered and paid at the table
- A Tskaltubo sanatorium on the way back
Not in the price
- Entry fees, about 80 GEL for the two sites
- Lunch, the boats and the Martvili zipline
CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Price checked 11 November 2026.
Canyons, caves or something else?
Choose the canyons and the cave for nature, Chiatura for Soviet cable cars and a church on a rock pillar, and the monasteries for an easy half day you can do alone.
| Day | What you see | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Canyons and the cave | Martvili Canyon, Okatse Canyon, Prometheus Cave | The busiest choice; entry fees about $42 (110 GEL) on top |
| A shorter canyon day | Martvili Canyon, Prometheus Cave, a Tskaltubo sanatorium | About six hours; entry fees about $31 (80 GEL) on top |
| Chiatura | Katskhi Pillar, Mgvimevi Monastery, the Chiatura cable cars | No canyon to close in the rain |
| Monasteries | Gelati, Bagrati Cathedral, Motsameta | Free to enter; a minibus or a taxi from Kutaisi |
What are the canyons and the cave like?
Martvili Canyon is a 700 m loop trail with bridges and viewing platforms above a turquoise river, and a boat ride of about 15 minutes into the part of the gorge you cannot walk. Okatse Canyon is a 780 m walkway hanging over the gorge, reached by a 4x4 from the visitor centre or a forest walk of about 2.5 km each way. Prometheus Cave is a lit route of about 1.4 km through six halls of stalactites and stalagmites, walked with a cave guide, with a boat on the underground river in spring, summer and autumn.
How much does a day trip from Kutaisi cost?
A group day trip from Kutaisi costs $26 to $37 a person on our picks, plus the entry fees: about $15 (40 GEL) each for Prometheus Cave and Martvili Canyon and about $12 (30 GEL) for Okatse Canyon for foreign adults since April 2026, and the boats extra.
| Ticket | Foreign adult | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| Prometheus Cave | About $15 (40 GEL) | Boat on the underground river about $12 (30 GEL), not in winter |
| Martvili Canyon | About $15 (40 GEL) | Boat about $8 to $12 (20 to 30 GEL), when the water allows |
| Okatse Canyon | About $12 (30 GEL) | 4x4 to the trailhead, about $6 (15 GEL) on Megobari’s listing |
| Kinchkha Waterfall | About $8 (20 GEL) | None |
Children under 6 enter free at the caves and Martvili, but not at Okatse, Megobari notes. Ask at the first ticket desk for a combined ticket: Prometheus, Martvili and Kinchkha together cost about $35 (90 GEL) instead of about $38 (100 GEL) bought one by one. The big ticket desks take cards, but carry lari in cash for the 4x4 drivers and in case a card terminal is down.
Day trips from Kutaisi in winter
Yes, you can see the caves and canyons in winter: Prometheus Cave, Martvili Canyon and Okatse Canyon all open every day, Prometheus from 10:00 to 17:00 and Martvili from 10:00 to 18:00. Three things change. Prometheus’s boat runs only from spring to autumn, Martvili’s boat stops when the river is high, and Okatse closes in rain or snow, when Megobari swaps it for another stop.
On a wet winter day, a cave and a canyon walk still work, and Chiatura and the monasteries lose nothing to the weather. Kutaisi is milder than Tbilisi in winter; for the month by month picture, see our guide to the best time to visit Georgia.
On your own: Gelati, Bagrati and Motsameta
The monasteries around Kutaisi are free and close enough to do without a tour. Gelati is a minibus or taxi ride out of the city, and Bagrati Cathedral is in Kutaisi itself.
- Gelatiopen 09:00 to 18:00, free, with conservation work inside
- Minibusfrom behind the Meskhishvili Theatre at 07:30, 11:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00, back at 08:00, 11:30, 14:30 and 16:30, about $0.77 (2 GEL)
- Go earlythe last listed minibus back leaves Gelati at 16:30
Dress for a working church at all three: shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women.
Longer trips from Kutaisi
Two of Georgia’s great sights are long days or nights away from Kutaisi. Vardzia, the cave monastery in the south, is a 14-hour day tour or two days with a night by the caves; see Vardzia trips by base. Mestia in Svaneti is about 5 to 6 hours by car, which needs nights; see our guide to Svaneti.
Kutaisi day trip questions
How far are the canyons and Prometheus Cave from Kutaisi?
Martvili Canyon is about 45 km from Kutaisi, and Prometheus Cave is in Kumistavi, near Tskaltubo. The sites sit within about 20 km of one another, so one day takes in three.
Can children join?
Yes. Children under 6 enter free except at Okatse, and Megobari says its six-hour day suits families with young children. Martvili’s boat takes children taller than 1 metre, and the tours say they do not suit people with limited mobility.
Is Prometheus Cave worth it in December?
Yes, if you can live without the boat. The cave walk runs every day of the year, so it is one of the few sights near Kutaisi that a cold or wet December day does not spoil.
What should you wear?
Shoes with grip, a warm layer for the cave, and a rain layer. For the monasteries, cover shoulders and knees.
Can you add Tskaltubo’s sanatoriums?
Yes. Both Megobari days stop at one of Tskaltubo’s abandoned Soviet sanatoriums for photos on the way back.
How we picked
We compared the day trips from Kutaisi sold on GetYourGuide, read each shortlisted tour’s listing for its route, length, entry fees and what happens in bad weather, and checked prices and terms on 11 November 2026. Opening hours for the caves and canyons come from the Agency of Protected Areas’ park pages, Gelati’s from the Kutaisi tourism office as reported by Georgia Digest in September 2026, and ticket prices from guides updated in October 2026. We left out a well-rated small-group day whose listing describes Gelati as closed and quotes old ticket prices. For each trip we weighed what you see, the hours in the car, the fees on top and how it copes with winter.