Annual Adventure Tournament Held in Vardzia

An annual adventure tournament was held near Vardzia complex in Samtskhe-Javakheti , southern Georgia.

The 3-day event was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia with the support of the National Tourism Administration and Georgian Tourism Association.

The tournament included cycling, rafting and running competitions.

8 teams participated in the competition and each team was represented by 6 people.

The aim of the event is to promote tourism in Samtskhe-Javakheti and to develop tourist products in the region.

Vardzia's adventure tournament was founded in 2009 and is held every year since then.

Vardzia Cave Monastery was mainly built in the second half of XII century. The cave city is excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometers from Aspindza. 

The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred meters and in up to nineteen tiers. There are old Georgian frescos inside the Church of the Dormition, dating to the 1180.

The site was abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia has been submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

By Thea Morriso