Place · Lailashi, Tsageri Municipality, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Georgia
Lailashi Secret Pool
A spring-fed stone pool on a mountainside in Lechkhumi, built by Lailashi's Jewish community and looking out over the Lajanuri valley.
- spring-fed pool
- swimming
- viewpoint
- jewish heritage
- lechkhumi
- mountain village
Why visit
Lailashi Secret Pool — locally the Okronishi fountain — is an open-air pool set into the hillside above the village of Lailashi, in the Lechkhumi highlands of north-west Georgia. Cold spring water feeds it continuously, and the far edge sits level with a long view down the Lajanuri valley to the reservoir below, which is why photographs of it look like an infinity pool suspended over the mountains. It is not a natural formation. The pool was built by Lailashi's Jewish community, one of several communities — alongside Georgians, Greeks and Armenians — who shared this village for centuries, and it was restored in recent years with USAID funding. Georgia's national tourism administration still lists it simply as a pool built by Jewish people that remains in operation. That history is most of what makes it worth the drive: it is an ordinary village amenity that happens to have one of the better views in the country, rather than a sight built for visitors. The water comes straight off the mountain and is severely cold whatever the month. People do swim, and locally that is unremarkable, but the pool is a working village facility rather than a supervised swimming venue, and and reports describe it being looked after only during the summer season.
Getting there
Lailashi sits on the mountainside above the Lechkhumi highway, roughly 18 km from Tsageri and about two hours' drive from Kutaisi. The access road climbs steeply from the main road and recent firsthand reports describe it as newly sealed, taking around a quarter of an hour from the turning. The pool is on the edge of the village. As with any road at this altitude, a heavy storm or winter weather can change the picture, so it is worth asking in Tsageri before committing to the climb.
Best time to visit
June to September. Summer reports describe the pool in use and a small cafe running, though current operation is not guaranteed.
Through the year
This is a seasonal facility rather than a year-round one. Summer reports describe seasonal upkeep and a cafe on site; outside that window the water appears to be left to itself, and one November visitor found it green with algae. These are visitor accounts rather than published opening arrangements, so treat them as what the place is usually like rather than a guarantee of what will be running on the day. The spring feeding it is cold in every month, so warm weather makes the swim tolerable rather than the water warm. September is included above because Georgian autumns stay mild, but whether the pool is still being maintained that late is not documented — worth checking locally if a late-season swim is the reason for the trip.
Water and swimming
Fed continuously by cold mountain springs, and consistently described as severely cold. Swimming is commonly practised here and a firsthand account reports that it is locally accepted — the writer records being unsure of the etiquette and then learning that swimming in the main pool is completely acceptable. No official swimming rule or safety regime was found, in either direction: no municipal statement, no posted sign, no published depth and no water-quality testing. Nothing suggests swimming is discouraged; equally, nothing grants it. Treat the water as unsupervised and enter it on your own judgement rather than on an expectation set by this page.
Safety
Cold water is the real hazard here. Spring water this cold takes the breath on entry and saps strength quickly, which matters more than depth: get in gradually, keep the swim short, and treat it as a plunge rather than a session. No reliable source documents lifeguard or rescue supervision, so do not assume supervision is present, and keep children within reach in the water. As at any open-air pool, wet stone underfoot is worth expecting, particularly outside the summer months when the pool has not been cleaned — one visitor found it green with algae in November. The drive up is a steep mountain road; take it slowly in poor weather.
Combine it with
It sits naturally within a wider Lechkhumi day rather than as a destination on its own. Tsageri is the nearest town and the practical base for the area, and the Sairme Pillars are the other landmark most often paired with Lailashi on the same route. The Lajanuri reservoir, which the pool looks down on, is passed on the way up.
Local tips
Bring a towel and something to change into — there are two changing rooms at the water's edge, but nothing else. The cafe-bar is reported as a summer arrangement and may not be running, so carry water and food. Entry has been reported as free; there is no indication of a ticket or a gate, but it is a village facility, so treat it as somebody's home ground rather than an attraction.
Photography
The photograph everyone comes for is taken from the far edge, where the waterline reads as continuous with the Lajanuri valley behind it. That view faces down the valley towards the reservoir, so the backdrop is mountains and water rather than sky. Nothing reliable is documented about the light at particular hours, so no claim is made here about sunrise or sunset; cloud sitting in the valley below the pool is a recurring feature of images from the area.
Specific hazards
- Cold water