🇬🇪 Natural wonders of Georgia
A small Caucasus country of soaring glaciated peaks, turquoise river canyons, and vast karst caves, where the mountains of Europe and Asia meet.
🗓️ Best time for nature: Summer (June–September) for the high Caucasus; spring and autumn for the green canyons and caves of the west, which are mild much of the year.
The lay of the land
Georgia is squeezed between the Greater Caucasus in the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south, giving it dramatic mountains — including the glaciated 5,000-metre volcano of Kazbek — cut by deep valleys. Its wet western lowlands, drained by rivers off the mountains, are green and almost subtropical, riddled with karst that forms turquoise canyons like Martvili and huge caves like Prometheus. Forests, alpine meadows, and mineral springs fill out one of the most scenically varied small countries in the world.
Where to begin
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Mount Kazbek & Gergeti
A glaciated 5,054 m volcano above a lone medieval church — the icon of the Caucasus.
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Martvili Canyon
A turquoise river canyon of mossy walls and waterfalls in the green west.
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Prometheus Cave
A vast karst cave of stalactites, with an underground-river boat ride.
A taste of the place
Georgian cuisine is one of the world's great food cultures — cheese-filled khachapuri, soup dumplings (khinkali), walnut sauces, fresh herbs, and some of the oldest winemaking on Earth.
Traveling responsibly
- Head to the high Caucasus in summer and the western canyons in the shoulder seasons.
- Dress modestly to enter Georgia's many active churches and monasteries.
- Mountain roads can be affected by weather; allow extra time and hire local drivers.
Georgia packs extraordinary variety into a small Caucasus country. In the north, the glaciated volcano of Kazbek towers over the lone church of Gergeti; in the green, karst-riddled west, the Abasha River carves the turquoise gorge of Martvili and water has hollowed the vast Prometheus Cave. This atlas begins Georgia’s chapter with those three, with its alpine valleys, forests, and mineral springs still to come.
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