David Gareja (Davit Gareji) cave monastery and the Rainbow Hills

 


The David Gareja (Davit Gareji) cave monastery complex is one of the truly outstanding attractions of Georgia. It consists of a main monastery, churches, chapels and hermit caves, in part or fully carved out of rock. The setting of the site is also beautiful, as it faces the colourful rolling Rainbow Hills. The site is right on the border with Azerbaijan, and unfortunately some of the attractions are closed for the public. It is still a very impressive place, which can be visited in a day from Tbilisi. It is a working monastery, so respectful attire and behaviour are required. Accommodation and restaurants are available in the nearest village. 

There is no public transport to the cave monastery complex, but taking an expensive tour is not the only choice. There is a shared transport service that departs from the Pushkin monument (in Pushkin Park on Freedom Square) every morning if two or more people turn up. (I'm not sure, maybe they use a smaller car if there is only a couple of visitors, in my case we used this orange van.) No reservation is needed, but the group that organises the trips can be contacted on their Facebook page: Gareji Line. The round trip is reasonably priced and it gives you enough time for the monastery complex. It's a full day program with a stop at a restaurant.


























































































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