ZURABTRAVEL
Dashbashi Canyon is located in the village of the same name. This unique place attracts visitors with its grandeur and breathtaking landscapes, especially the numerous beautiful waterfalls. The canyon's height above sea level ranges from 1100 to 1500 meters, and its length is 8 km. The canyon covers a huge area of 669 hectares and has many underground waters and spectacular waterfalls. The mesmerizing slopes of Dashbashi, which are several hundred meters high, are either sheer or gentle, sometimes almost hanging over the river. The slopes rich in vegetation, together with waterfalls, create a unique micro-landscape and microclimate, providing habitat for a variety of animals that cannot be found in other parts of the country. The canyon seems to unite two different natural zones. Dashbashi is an ideal place for eco-tourism, romantic walks, photo tours, and educational trips with children and young people. There are tables and benches on top of the canyon where you can grill kebabs.
After a fulfilling walk through the canyon, one can experience the spiritual by visiting the Betania Monastery. Getting to the monastery is a process that is almost as interesting as the monastery itself. Usually, in Georgia, there is some kind of transportation to the monasteries, but there is nothing to Betania. Betania Monastery is located in the Didgori district of Tbilisi, officially named "Betania Monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary." It was founded during the Golden Age, directly during the reign of Queen Tamar, in a deep and remote gorge of the Vera River. Now this monastery is, on the one hand, the closest to Tbilisi, and on the other hand, the most inaccessible.
The Georgian word Betania (ბეთანია) is taken from the New Testament, where the village of Bethany, which was located near Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, is called so. The Virgin Mary was born in this village, and accordingly, the church in honor of her birth was called the Bethany Church. In Bethany itself, before the Battle of Hattin (1187), there was a church of Martha and Mary, but then it gradually fell into disrepair. Georgia in the 12th century had good connections with Palestine, so the Betania Monastery could have been built as a copy. The road to the monastery is very beautiful.