Private Tour to Soviet Chiatura and Katskhi Column

Meeting point: Tbilisi ( the tour includes pick up from the hotel )

Endpoint: Tbilisi ( the tour includes drop-off at the hotel )

Available dates: Everyday

Pick-up time: 09:00

End time: 21:00

Duration: 12 hours
.

If you are interested in Soviet history and architecture, Chiatura is waiting for you. Known for its extensive network of Soviet-era cable cars, it is a favorite destination in Georgia for urbexers and photographers. Visit ghosts of the past in the Cable Car City of Georgia.
The story of Chiatura starts with manganese, a mineral used to manufacture iron and steel.
Soviet-style apartment blocks dominate Chiatura.

We arrive in Chiatura at 12:10 and explore mesmerizing Mgvimevi Convent, a working nunnery and church embedded in the side of a rocky cliff. It takes around 15 minutes to scale the stairs. Once you reach the entrance, you’re immediately plunged into a cool, dark cave. There are beautiful stone engravings, a glass box displaying three human skulls and other relics, and a small chapel with beautiful frescoes and a wooden iconoclast. Outside, a lookout point gives you a view of the church hugging the cliff face.

After Mgvimevi Convent, we will go to a local place where we will have a delicious lunch.

The next place is Katskhi Column. The great church where daring monks climb closer to God. Katskhi Column (Katskhi Pillar) is a more than 40-meter-tall limestone pillar with an Orthodox monastery perched on top, built in the 6th to 8th centuries. The Katskhi complex is unique, with a magical experience. Each day, monks living below make the nerve-jangling 20-minute ascent via a thin metal ladder bolted to the side of the rock.

And the last destination for this tour is a cable car. We will take a cable car to an old Soviet Pioneer Palace, enjoy the stunning views, and feel the soviet spirit.

After exploring all the historical places, we will return to Tbilisi and finish the tour at 21:00.

Highlights:

• Mgvimevi Convent
• Chiatura 
• Katskhi Column 
• Cable Car in Chiatura