Prometheus Cave, Kutaisi

Prometheus Cave tickets and opening hours

From 1 April 2026, entry for foreign visitors is 40 GEL and the boat ride is another 30 GEL. Those figures appear in the Protected Areas Agency tariff as indexed by search engines and in tour operators' notices of the price rise; the tariff page itself returned an error when we checked on 30.10.2026, so we mark the prices as verifying. Older blogs quote 23 or 25 GEL — those are previous years' fares.

Under-6s go free and there is a reduced fare for ages 6–18; ask at the desk for the amount. The boat ticket is sold only with the entry ticket at the visitor centre — you can't buy it at the river, and tickets are non-refundable.

The cave opens at 10:00. Last entry is around 18:00 in spring and summer and around 17:00 in autumn and winter. You can only go in with a guide, in groups that form at the visitor centre, with tours in Georgian, English, Russian or German.

Paying: Visa and Mastercard work widely in Georgia, and the desk reportedly takes cards as well as cash (unofficial). Carry some lari anyway — marshrutka drivers only take cash.

Is Prometheus Cave worth it?

Yes, if you are in Kutaisi for more than a day. It is the best-equipped cave in the region: a big, lit route, impressive formations and a boat ride on an underground river, all done in about an hour and a half on site. It works in any weather, so it is a good rain-day plan.

Skip it if you have already seen large show caves elsewhere and are short on time, or if steps and damp, slippery paths are a problem — the canyons or a walk across the White Bridge in town are easier.

Is the boat worth the extra? It is the most unusual part — a few hundred metres on the river in near-darkness, ending at a different exit. If you skip it, you walk back along the tunnel you came in by.

What to see inside

• Six halls in sequence — Argonauts, Colchis, Medea, Love, Prometheus and Iberia — each with its own colour lighting.
• Stalactites, stalagmites and columns where the two have grown together; in the large halls the ceiling rises far above the path.
• Petrified “waterfalls” and curtain-like flowstone.
• Underground lakes and the Kumistavi river beside the walkway.
• The boat stretch at the end: 300–380 metres on the river, with one more hall that walkers don't see.

What the cave is

Prometheus Cave is part of a large karst system under Kumistavi village, carved by an underground river. Georgian speleologists surveyed it in the 1980s, and in 2011 it opened to tourists with a concrete path, handrails, steps and lighting that changes colour from hall to hall.

The name comes from legend — Prometheus was said to be chained to a rock in the Caucasus, somewhere in this part of Georgia. The cave itself has nothing to do with the myth; the halls are named after the ancient history of Colchis, the Argonauts and Medea.

Prometheus Cave vs Sataplia vs the canyons

With one day, the classic pairing is Prometheus Cave in the morning and Martvili Canyon after lunch. Sataplia is nearest town and fits the drive back.

Water and nature around Kutaisi compared

Places by the water around Kutaisi rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Arrive at the 10:00 opening for a smaller group, and you'll still have time for Sataplia on the way back.
• Decide on the boat at the desk — you can't add it later and tickets aren't refunded.
• After heavy rain the boat may not run; if it matters to you, call the visitor centre first.
• With small children, bring a carrier rather than a pushchair — the route has lots of steps.
• For a full day, pair the cave with Martvili Canyon — that's how most day tours from Kutaisi combine them.

Questions