Day hike · Martvili, Georgia

Caves & Waterfalls
of Balda

A big, fun day out. You don't need climbing or ropes, just steady walking, and every climb ends at a cave or a swim.

Saturday 24 October Leave Kutaisi 06:30 Sunny · 14–23°C Sunrise 07:33 · Sunset 18:14
20.8 km
Loop from the car
~1,300 m
Up, spread over the day
~10 h
Including swims & lunch
3 + 1
Waterfall swims + a cave

The route

We park at Balda Monastery, 53 km (about 1h10) from Kutaisi through Martvili. Open all stops in Google Maps ↗

Main loop Plan B: ridge trail out and back

The day

The times are a steady pace, not a race.

  1. Leave Kutaisi

    Grab khachapuri and coffee to go

  2. Look at the Abasha from the bridgeGo / no-go

    Clear, and you can see stones on the bottom: full loop. Brown, fast or high: Plan B.

  3. Start at Balda Monastery
  4. North viewpointWarm-up

    3.2 km · +360 m · first views over the Abasha valley

  5. Jortsku CaveHeadlamps on

    1.3 km · gentle · 30 minutes exploring

  6. Kaghu waterfallSwim + lunch

    4.3 km · mostly downhill to a mossy cascade

  7. River branch up to OnioreThe big one

    4 km · +670 m · log crossings through boxwood forest, so take it slow

  8. Oniore waterfallBest swim

    A 70 m wall of water at the warmest part of the day. Peek into Toba I cave next to it, but don't go past the entrance.

  9. Toba waterfallQuick dip

    1.2 km · easy · long cascade

  10. Up to the ridge

    2.7 km · +160 m · marked trail past Vako's Hut

  11. Cruise down the ridge

    4.1 km · all downhill

  12. Back at the car

    40 minutes before sunset

Good to know

Plan B

  • If the river is too high, skip the cave and the river branch
  • Ridge trail to Toba and Oniore, then back the same way
  • ~16 km · 7–8 h · still two swims
  • Turn back at Toba if the Toba river looks rough

Checkpoints

  • Not at Kaghu by 12:30: swim there and walk the flat 1.5 km back to the car
  • Not at Oniore by 15:00: skip the Toba dip
  • Water above the knee at a crossing: turn back
  • No phone signal at Kaghu

Pack

  • Headlamp each + spare batteries
  • Sandals for crossings, trekking poles
  • 2–2.5 L water, lunch, plenty of snacks
  • Swimwear, towel, warm layer for after the swims (the water's cold)
  • Offline map + GPX, power bank, first aid
↓ Download GPX track All stops in Google Maps Directions to parking