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Sataplia Nature Reserve, Kutaisi

Sataplia Cave: stalagmites and stalactites lit in soft pink and white
Photo: Surprizi, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Ticket (foreign visitors, 18+)
30 GEL (from 1 April 2026)
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Hours
Spring and summer 10:00–18:00, autumn and winter 10:00–17:00
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h 30 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Georgian citizens and residents
15 GEL
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Children
Under 6 free; reduced fare for ages 6–18
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
What's included
Dinosaur footprints, exhibition hall and museum, cave, Colchic forest, glass viewpoint
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Days off
None per the Protected Areas Agency site; some guidebooks list Monday
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Guide
Included in the ticket; Georgian, English or Russian (unofficial)
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
VIP service
200 GEL on top of the ticket: private guide, no queue, your choice of time
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Payment
Unofficial: card or cash (lari) at the desk; marshrutkas are cash only
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Getting there
Taxi or Bolt from central Kutaisi ≈ 20 min; the minibus is slow and irregular
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
Banoja village, Tskaltubo Municipality, Imereti
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Coordinates
42.31173, 42.67507YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

1933Kutaisi teacher Petre Chabukiani found the first dinosaur footprints here
3 sourcesNational Geographic GeorgiaShowcaves.comKutaisi Travel
≈ 300 mvisitor route inside the cave — about a third of its length
2 sourcesShowcaves.com — 309 mTonkosti — about a third
Cretaceousage of the limestone holding prints of both predators and plant-eaters
2 sourcesNational Geographic GeorgiaShowcaves.com
900 mlength of the cave, first explored in 1925
3 sourcesRussian WikipediaWikidataShowcaves.com
1 of 5caves on the hill open to visitors
3 sourcesRussian WikipediaTonkostiKutaisi Travel
1935year the reserve was created
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaGeorgia Travel
≈ 350 haarea of the reserve, almost all of it Colchic forest
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaTonkosti
11–14 °Cinside the cave all year
2 sourcesKutaisi Travel — 11 °CShowcaves.com and Tonkosti — 14 °C
2010–2011the footprint pavilion, museum and glass viewpoint were built
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaMadloba
“Honey place”the usual translation of the name — tapli is Georgian for honey; wild bees nested in the crevices
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaMadloba

Sataplia tickets and opening hours

From 1 April 2026, entry for foreign visitors aged 18 and over is 30 GEL; Georgian citizens and residents pay 15 GEL. Those figures appear for the Sataplia page of the Protected Areas Agency portal in search results and in a tour operator's notice of the April price rise, but we couldn't see them on the tariff page itself on 30.10.2026, so we mark them as verifying. Older blogs quote 17.25 or 20 GEL — previous years' fares.

Under-6s go free and there is a reduced fare for ages 6–18; ask at the desk. A guide is included in the ticket — you join a group at the visitor centre. If you'd rather go alone with a guide at a time you choose, the VIP option costs 200 GEL on top of the ticket.

The site opens at 10:00 every day and closes at 18:00 in spring and summer and 17:00 in autumn and winter, according to the agency's portal.

Paying: Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in Georgia, and the desk reportedly takes cards as well as cash (unofficial). Keep some lari in cash anyway — minibus drivers don't take cards.

How to get to Sataplia from Kutaisi

Step-by-step directions are below; the map shows where you arrive.

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Where are you starting from?

We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.

More tips

  1. Start at David the Builder Square by the Colchis Fountain — the easiest place to flag a taxi or book one on Bolt, which works in Kutaisi.
  2. The ride up to the visitor centre is about 10 km and roughly 20 minutes. Ask the driver to wait or come back in 1.5–2 hours; there are rarely free cars at the reserve.
  3. No car? Minibus (marshrutka) No. 45 reportedly runs from the bus stand by the Central Market or from the western end of Javakhishvili Street. It leaves only when it fills up, so the wait can be long. Pay the driver in cash (unofficial).
  4. At the visitor centre buy your ticket and wait for your guided group; the loop starts at the footprint pavilion.
  5. To head back, retrace the route — or, if you're in a taxi, carry on 15–20 minutes to Prometheus Cave and return to town from there.

Is Sataplia worth it?

Yes, especially with kids, or if you want a cave, a forest walk and a view of the city in one easy morning. The loop is short with no hard climbs, and the dinosaur footprints plus the life-size models along the path make it the most family-friendly sight around Kutaisi.

If you've seen big show caves before, Sataplia's cave will feel modest — it's much shorter and simpler than Prometheus Cave. In that case go for the footprints and the glass viewpoint, and only as part of a combined trip so your taxi covers two stops.

Much of the route is outdoors, so heavy rain spoils it. On a wet day, do Prometheus Cave instead and keep Sataplia for clear weather, when the viewpoint actually shows you the valley.

What to see at Sataplia

  • The dinosaur footprints in the pavilion: two limestone layers, predators' prints below and plant-eaters' above, left where they were found.
  • The museum and exhibition hall, with a model dinosaur skeleton and the story of Petre Chabukiani's finds.
  • Life-size dinosaur figures along the path — some reportedly move and roar (unofficial), which is the highlight for most children.
  • Sataplia Cave: a route of about 300 m past stalactites, stalagmites and a small underground lake; guides point out a heart-shaped stalagmite.
  • The Colchic forest — a humid relict forest covering almost the whole hill, crossed by two marked trails.
  • The glass viewpoint, cantilevered over the slope, looking out over Kutaisi and the Rioni valley, with mountains on the horizon on a clear day.

What Sataplia is

Sataplia is a small protected area on the hill of the same name near Banoja village, part of the Imereti Caves Protected Areas. It was set up in 1935 around the discoveries of Petre Chabukiani, a Kutaisi teacher and naturalist, who explored the cave in 1925 and found the dinosaur footprints in the limestone in 1933.

The visitor site as you see it today — the pavilion over the footprints, the museum and the glass viewpoint — dates from a 2010–2011 upgrade. The name is usually translated as “honey place”: tapli means honey in Georgian, and wild bees once nested in the crevices of the hill.

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Sataplia vs Prometheus Cave vs Okatse Canyon

Satapliayou are hereDinosaur footprints, cave, forest, glass viewpoint≈ 20 min, the closest≈ 1.5 hPartly under coverFamilies with kids
Prometheus CaveLarge cave with an underground river and boat30–40 min≈ 1.5 hYes, all undergroundAnyone fine with steps
Okatse CanyonWalkway along a canyon cliffFurther, about an hour≈ 2 hNo, all outdoorsViews

The classic day out: Sataplia and Prometheus Cave in the morning, then Martvili Canyon or Okatse Canyon after lunch. Travel time to Okatse is unofficial.

Views and nature around Kutaisi compared

Places with a view in and around Kutaisi rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Bagrati Cathedral4440 minFree4.5 km
White Bridge4420 minFree5.2 km
Motsameta Monastery3940 minFree7.6 km
Gelati Monastery381 hFree7.9 km
Sataplia Nature Reserveyou are here311 h 30 min30 GEL, under-6s free—
Martvili Canyon221 h 30 minEntry 40 GEL, boat ≈ 20 GEL29.3 km
Kinchkha Waterfall221 h 30 min20 GEL for foreign visitors22.9 km
Okatse Canyon212 h30 GEL for foreign visitors18.5 km

Sataplia, the cave and the city in one day

Morning at Sataplia for the footprints and the viewpoint, then Prometheus Cave, and an evening in central Kutaisi at the Colchis Fountain and the White Bridge. YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

  1. Sataplia Nature Reserveyou are here1 h 30 min · 30 GEL, under-6s free
  2. 164 min walk from the previous stopPrometheus Cave1 h 15 min · 40 GEL, boat +30 GEL
  3. 252 min walk from the previous stopColchis Fountain15 min · Free
  4. 9 min walk from the previous stopWhite Bridge20 min · Free

4 places · about 10 h 25 min with walks · 425 min on foot in total

Go · my route

How to do it right

  • Arrive at the 10:00 opening for a smaller group — you'll still make Prometheus Cave before lunch.
  • Agree on both stops and the waiting time with your taxi driver up front; it's easier than finding a car at the reserve.
  • Take your time in the footprint pavilion — it's the one thing you won't see anywhere else near Kutaisi.
  • With small children, a carrier works better than a pushchair: the cave has steps and wet patches.
  • Save the glass viewpoint for a clear day; in haze the Rioni valley all but disappears.
  • Flying into Kutaisi? Sataplia makes an easy first stop on a tour of the region.

Questions

How much is the Sataplia entrance fee?

From April 2026, 30 GEL for foreign visitors aged 18+ and 15 GEL for Georgian citizens; under-6s are free. A guide is included. We are still verifying these prices.

What are Sataplia's opening hours?

Daily from 10:00, closing at 18:00 in spring and summer and 17:00 in autumn and winter. Some guidebooks list Monday as a day off, so call ahead on a Monday.

How do I get to Sataplia from Kutaisi?

By taxi or Bolt — about 20 minutes from David the Builder Square. Minibus No. 45 reportedly runs too, but it leaves only when full (unofficial).

How long do you need at Sataplia?

About 1.5 hours on site for the footprints, cave, forest trail and viewpoint — around 2.5 hours including the round trip from Kutaisi.

Are the dinosaur footprints real?

Yes. They are fossil prints in Cretaceous limestone, found by Petre Chabukiani in 1933 and shown in the pavilion where they were found.

Can I visit Sataplia and Prometheus Cave in one day?

Easily — they are about 9 km apart. With a taxi that waits, both fit into half a day.

Is Sataplia good for kids?

It's the most family-friendly sight around Kutaisi: a short loop, dinosaur models along the path and free entry for under-6s. Leave the pushchair for the cave.

Do I need a tour to visit Sataplia?

No. Your ticket includes a guide at the visitor centre; an organised tour from Kutaisi only saves you arranging transport.

How cold is Sataplia Cave?

Around 11–14 °C all year, with high humidity. Bring a sweater even in summer.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia, National Parks of Georgia portal (nationalparks.ge): Sataplia — hours, visitor route, VIP service, address, 30.10.2026
  • Sataplia tariff on nationalparks.ge — as indexed by search engines, 30.10.2026; apa.gov.ge tariff page — as indexed (404 when opened)
  • FAHU Travel notice of new prices for western Georgia's natural sites from 1 April 2026
  • National Geographic Georgia, Biodiversity in the South Caucasus: Sataplia dinosaur footprints
  • Showcaves.com: Sataplia Cave
  • Kutaisi Travel — Kutaisi tourism portal: Satapliasaurus, or three discoveries by Petre Chabukiani
  • Georgia Travel — Georgian National Tourism Administration: Sataplia Cave and Nature Reserve
  • English Wikipedia: Sataplia Strict Nature Reserve; Russian Wikipedia: Sataplia; Wikidata Q4408981
  • Tonkosti: Sataplia National Park; Madloba: Sataplia Reserve; GoTrip: Sataplia tour; Lonely Planet: Sataplia Nature Reserve
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedSeasonal hours, the visitor route, the VIP service and the address come from the Sataplia page of the Agency of Protected Areas portal and are marked official. The same portal says “every day”, while Tonkosti and Madloba list Monday as closed, so the day off is marked verifying. The 30 and 15 GEL prices show in the search-engine listing of the portal page and match a tour operator's notice of the 1 April 2026 rise, but they were not visible on the tariff page we opened and the apa.gov.ge page returned a 404, so prices are verifying. The footprints' age varies: National Geographic Georgia and Showcaves.com place them in the Cretaceous, while guidebooks quote 160–165 or even 12 million years, so we say “Cretaceous” without a number. Footprint counts range from 163 to “over 300” across sources, so we don't give one. Madloba dates the find to 1934, the rest to 1933. Guide languages and payment are unofficial; the minibus number comes from Tonkosti and Lonely Planet.

Top YesGo picks: Kutaisi

Colchis Fountain

Kutaisi, Georgia

15 min · Free

Bagrati Cathedral

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White Bridge

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20 min · Free

Motsameta Monastery

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Gelati Monastery

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Prometheus Cave

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1 h 15 min · 40 GEL, boat +30 GEL

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