Balda Canyon

Balda is what Martvili canyon was twenty years ago: no walkway, no ticket desk, no boats. The natural monument lies about ten kilometres north-east of Martvili, near the villages of Pirveli and Meore Balda.

Geologically it belongs to the same karst belt as Martvili canyon, Okatse, Kinchkha and the caves of the Askhi limestone massif. Water dissolves the limestone and rebuilds it as travertine in the bed, producing a chain of short falls, rimmed basins and natural pools.

The gorge is narrow and shaded. The walls are furred with moss and ferns and constantly wet, and alder and hornbeam lean in from above. At midday in summer it is cool down here even when the lowland is at thirty degrees.

Balda was designated a natural monument in 2011 along with a cluster of neighbours that includes Motena and Jortsku caves, the Toba and Oniore waterfalls and the Abasha waterfall. This is one of the densest concentrations of protected natural sites in Georgia, and several can be seen in a day.

The real difference from Martvili is infrastructure, or rather the lack of it. There is no cash desk, no boardwalk, no handrail. Getting into the canyon means walking in the streambed: the stones are wet and slick and in places you wade.

That is also why there are so few people. Even on a summer Saturday you may have the gorge to yourself. This is both the attraction and the risk, because help is not close and the phone signal is poor.

Water level governs everything. In spring and after heavy rain the flow is strong and the bed should be left alone — in karst gorges the water rises suddenly and fast. In August and September it is low, cold and clear, and that is when the colours of the travertine show best.

Two hours covers a visit: the approach path is short and the rest of the time goes on walking slowly upstream. Most people add it to Martvili canyon and Salkhino; all three are within half an hour of each other.

One honest note to finish. If you want a good photograph and a tidy path, Martvili canyon is the better choice. People come to Balda to see a gorge as it was before tourism arrived.