Prometheus Cave: Tickets, the Route Inside and Getting There

I take guests to Prometheus Cave on almost every trip to western Georgia. Everyone likes it: wine lovers, hikers, kids and people who have never been underground. Below are current prices from Georgia's Agency of Protected Areas, opening hours, what the route looks like and honest advice on combining the cave with the canyons in one day.

Ticket prices in 2026

A cave guide is included in the ticket: visitors go in groups and you can't walk the cave alone. Buy the boat ride at the ticket office together with your entry — you can't add it later at the exit. Residents need to show an ID card or passport for the reduced price. Tickets are non-refundable.

Opening hours and when to go

The cave is open all year, seven days a week, from 10:00 to 17:00. Weather outside doesn't matter — it is always cool and damp inside, which makes it a good rainy-day plan in Imereti. If you are pairing it with the open-air canyons, check the Kutaisi weather by month first.

On summer weekends tour buses reach the ticket office by noon. My advice: arrive at opening time or after 15:00. Autumn and winter are quiet, and in November the cave is one of the few sights where the weather simply doesn't matter.

The route inside and the boat

Speleologists found the cave in the 1980s and it opened to visitors in 2011. Around 11 km of passages have been explored, and about 1.8 km of them are open to visitors. The visitor trail runs through six halls — the Argonauts, Kolkheti, Medea, Love, Prometheus and Iberia halls — lit in colour and full of stalactites, stalagmites, underground lakes and frozen "waterfalls" of stone.

The walk takes about an hour. At the end you either walk out or take a 15-minute boat ride along the underground Kumi river. The boat is the most atmospheric part: darkness, silence and a low ceiling just above your head. After heavy rain the water rises and the boat is suspended for a while — then everyone walks out.

• Temperature — around 14 °C all year;
• Path — concrete walkways with handrails, lots of steps, wet in places;
• Effort — easy, fine for kids and older travellers, not for strollers;
• Photos — the light is warm and uneven, so use your phone's night mode.

The cave in numbers

Most of the system is closed: speleologists still map it, and only the six halls with walkways and lighting are open. Figures come from the Agency of Protected Areas, which runs the site.

Why it is named after Prometheus

The Greeks placed Prometheus — the titan who stole fire for people — in chains on a Caucasus mountain, where an eagle pecked at his liver every day. Georgia has its own, older version of the story: the hero Amirani, who defied God, gave people metal and was chained to a mountain with his loyal dog. The dog licks the chain thin every year, and every year the smiths repair it. Many scholars think the Greek myth grew out of tales like this one, which is why a cave in western Georgia carries the Greek titan's name.

The halls follow the same theme: the Argonauts, Kolkheti and Medea recall the voyage for the Golden Fleece to ancient Colchis, which lay in today's western Georgia.

How a visit goes, step by step

1. Car park and ticket office. Buy entry and, if you want it, the boat ride at the same time.
2. Waiting for your group. You can't walk the cave alone: visitors go in with a cave guide, so wait at the entrance for the next group.
3. The walk. A cave guide leads you through the six halls, stopping at the main formations and explaining the lighting and the cave's history.
4. The exit. At the end you either take the boat along the Kumi river or follow the tunnel to the exit on foot.
5. Back to the car. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the whole visit, including the ticket office and the walk from the car park.

How to get to Prometheus Cave

The cave is next to the village of Kumistavi in Tskaltubo municipality. It is easy to reach from Kutaisi and harder from Tbilisi or Batumi, especially without a car.

From Kutaisi, the easiest option is a Bolt taxi — agree that the driver waits about an hour and a half. Minibuses to Kumistavi are irregular and it is easy to get stuck on the way back. From Tbilisi, a day trip only works by car: leave at 7–8 am and stop in Kutaisi on the way. I explain how to plan that day in my Kutaisi day trip guide. From Batumi it is about three hours each way, so most people combine the cave with the canyons.

Tours that include the cave

You can reach the cave on your own, but linking it with the canyons and Kutaisi in one day without a car is hard. Our tours cover transfers, a guide and a tested route, and we time the ticket office to skip the queue:

• Kutaisi tour from Tbilisi — from ₾183 per person: Bagrati, Gelati, the cave and Okatse Canyon;
• Batumi to Kutaisi day trip — from ₾195 per person, back at the sea by evening;
• Martvili and Okatse canyons with the cave — from ₾180 per person, departing Tbilisi.

If you are already in Kutaisi or flying into it, the Kutaisi excursion linked above is the most convenient. Entry tickets on every tour are paid on site at the prices in the table.

What to see nearby

Prometheus Cave is one stop on a bigger trip around Imereti. Most day plans add one or two of these:

• Martvili Canyon — turquoise water and a boat ride. See my Martvili Canyon guide.
• Okatse Canyon — a metal walkway over the gorge, with Kinchkha waterfall nearby.
• Tskaltubo — a former spa town with abandoned Soviet-era sanatoriums and radon baths, right next to the cave. Read about Tskaltubo's sanatoriums.
• Gelati — a 12th-century UNESCO monastery near Kutaisi, covered with other sites in monasteries in Georgia.

The cave, Martvili and Okatse in one day is a full but realistic plan if you start early. For more ideas, see what to see in Georgia.

What to bring and wear

1. A warm layer — after summer heat, 14 °C feels cold.
2. Non-slip shoes — the path is damp in places and has many steps.
3. Spare time — allow 1.5–2 hours including the ticket office and walk from the car park.

With young children the cave is one of the best stops in western Georgia: a short walk and a lot to see. More family ideas are in Georgia with kids.