Kinchkha Waterfall

Kinchkha Waterfall, also called Okatse Waterfall, lies in Khoni municipality near the village of Kinchkhaperdi, 843 metres above sea level. It is a cascade of waterfalls falling in three tiers from the eastern cliff of the Askhi limestone massif into the valley of the Okatse, also known as the Satsiskvilo. The upper two tiers are formed on a right tributary of the Okatse: the first is about 25 metres high and the second reaches 70 metres. 20 metres after the stream joins the Okatse, the third tier of the cascade, about 35 metres high, forms.

The waterfall is a natural monument and belongs, with the Okatse Canyon natural monument, to the Imereti Caves Protected Areas; the nearest town is Khoni. All around is the karst landscape of the Askhi massif, with cliffs, sinkholes and caves. The water is most abundant in spring, with the snowmelt and after long rains, while by the end of summer the flow thins.

The second name of the river Okatse, Satsiskvilo, comes from the word for a mill, since the people of the valley used the force of its water for centuries. The waterfall was declared a natural monument together with Okatse Canyon and became part of the Imereti Caves Protected Areas, which are run by the Agency of Protected Areas. Today Kinchkha is a separate site of the Agency with its own ticket and opening hours and, with Okatse Canyon, the main natural sight of Khoni municipality.

Kinchkha, also called the Okatse waterfall, is 5 kilometres from Okatse Canyon, by the village of Kinchkhaperdi in Khoni municipality; from Kutaisi through Khoni it is a little over an hour by car. The waterfall is a separate site of the Agency of Protected Areas with its own ticket and hours: 10:00–18:00 in spring and winter, 10:00–24:00 in summer and 10:00–19:00 in autumn; prices are on the Agency's site. The water is most abundant in spring, when the snow melts.