Cave · Navenakhevi, Terjola Municipality, Imereti
Navenakhevi Cave
ნავენახევის მღვიმე · Navenakhevi Cave Natural Monument
A two-level limestone cave at Navenakhevi, Terjola municipality, where four halls joined by steps lead to a stalagnate seven metres thick that closes the cave.
Where it is
42.2418, 42.8631
Why go
The visit is an out-and-back walk: the cave has a single entrance, so you return the way you came after reaching the stalagnate, a column formed where stalactite and stalagmite have fused. The geographer Levan Maruashvili first studied it in the 1930s, and it opened to tourists in 2018 with a visitor centre that includes a cafeteria, an amphitheatre, an educational area and a children's play area. Forest trails start nearby for anyone who wants time outside afterwards. It is a much shorter cave than Prometheus, which makes it a manageable stop east of Kutaisi rather than a half-day undertaking.
Near Navenakhevi Cave
Monastery
Motsameta Monastery
A small monastery on a rock promontory in a bend of the Tskaltsitela river, a few kilometres from Kutaisi and usually visited on the way to Gelati.
10 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Gelati Monastery
The twelfth-century monastery and medieval academy founded by David the Builder above Kutaisi, and the only UNESCO World Heritage site in western Georgia.
10 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Park
Ajameti Managed Reserve
A protected lowland forest on the Rioni plain 15 km from Kutaisi, set aside to preserve relict groves of Imeretian oak and zelkova, with some oaks more than 250 years old.
12 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Synagogue
Kutaisi Synagogue
Kutaisi's main synagogue, built in 1886 on Boris Gaponov Street in the historic Jewish quarter, with an ornamented stone façade opening onto the street through a triple arcade and a painted interior.
13 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ