About 4km south of Tmogvi village and 2km before Vardzia, a track heads 600m up from the road to this cave monastery that predated Vardzia by four centuries. It’s almost as intriguing as Vardzia itself and far less visited. A handful of monks have reoccupied the caves at the bottom left of the complex, after centuries of abandonment. You can climb up to the little white domed church, high up the cliff, by a series of wooden ladders inside the rock.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.23 MILES
The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is both a cultural symbol and a spectacular natural phenomenon with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi…
18.24 MILES
Possibly of Urartian origin, this 'Devil's Castle' was for centuries a Georgian stronghold known as Qajis Tsikhe. It remains one of northeast Turkey's…
24.82 MILES
Rabati Castle has been comprehensively renovated from the perilous, semi-ruined state it was left in a decade ago, and while it was a much-needed…
20.9 MILES
Sapara has a dramatic position clinging to a cliff edge about 12km southeast of Akhaltsikhe, and rivals Vardzia as one of the most important sights in the…
6.83 MILES
This impressive 10th- to 14th-century fortress perches on a rocky crag above the meeting of the Paravani and Mtkvari Rivers, 45km southeast of Akhaltsikhe…
1.06 MILES
Eleven kilometres past Khertvisi Fortress towards Vardzia, atop a high rocky hill across the river (which flows far below in a gorge), the remains of the…
22.16 MILES
Well worth a three-minute detour as you drive by on the lakeside road, the smaller of Dogruyol's two side-by-side mosques is a curious hybrid with a…
Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum
24.84 MILES
The Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum has well-displayed exhibits ranging from archaeological finds from the 4th-millennium-BC Kura-Araxes culture to…
Nearby Vardzia attractions
1.06 MILES
Eleven kilometres past Khertvisi Fortress towards Vardzia, atop a high rocky hill across the river (which flows far below in a gorge), the remains of the…
1.23 MILES
The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is both a cultural symbol and a spectacular natural phenomenon with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi…
6.83 MILES
This impressive 10th- to 14th-century fortress perches on a rocky crag above the meeting of the Paravani and Mtkvari Rivers, 45km southeast of Akhaltsikhe…
18.24 MILES
Possibly of Urartian origin, this 'Devil's Castle' was for centuries a Georgian stronghold known as Qajis Tsikhe. It remains one of northeast Turkey's…
20.9 MILES
Sapara has a dramatic position clinging to a cliff edge about 12km southeast of Akhaltsikhe, and rivals Vardzia as one of the most important sights in the…
22.16 MILES
Well worth a three-minute detour as you drive by on the lakeside road, the smaller of Dogruyol's two side-by-side mosques is a curious hybrid with a…
24.82 MILES
Rabati Castle has been comprehensively renovated from the perilous, semi-ruined state it was left in a decade ago, and while it was a much-needed…
8. Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum
24.84 MILES
The Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum has well-displayed exhibits ranging from archaeological finds from the 4th-millennium-BC Kura-Araxes culture to…