Prometheus Karst Cave is the most beautiful cave in Georgia. It is located 20 kilometers north of Kutaisi and 7 kilometers north of the balneological resort of Tskaltubo. Prometheus Cave is also called Kumistavi Cave after the name of the village, which is located nearby.
Prometheus Cave was discovered during speleological expedition back in 1983. In 1989, the cave was equipped with an excursion route, a tunnel was cut at the exit, but the collapse of the Soviet Union prevented the project from being implemented. For more than 20 years, the Prometheus Cave remained inaccessible to tourists until the Georgian authorities decided to return to the project of its opening in 2010.
Prometheus Cave has a length of 11 kilometers, but only 1 kilometer was equipped for the excursion route. German and French specialists took part in equipping the cave and creating color illumination of the cave halls. As a result, Prometheus Cave was opened to tourists in 2011. It impresses with its beauty and the scale of underground halls and grottoes.
The cave was named after Prometheus, as there is a nearby mount Khvamli, where, according to legend, Prometheus was chained up for stealing fire from the God Hephaestus and handing it over to people. In Greek myths, the exact place where Prometheus was chained is not specified. It only says that it was "on the rock of the Caucasus Mountains." As a result, there are two places in Georgia associated with the name of Prometheus: Mount Khvalmi near Kutaisi, as well as Mount Kazbek in the Daryal Gorge. There are also two places in Russia: Eagle Rocks on the Black Sea coast in Sochi, as well as Mount Fisht in the Main Caucasian Ridge.
Anyway, Prometheus Cave in Georgia is one of the most interesting places for tourism. Stalactites and stalagmites in 6 karst halls open to the public are preserved in pristine beauty and are very effectively illuminated. At the end of the route, tourists will find a unique attraction: you can swim out of the cave by boat on an underground river (you need to pay in advance)
