TauniA month before our trip to Georgia, we saw an article about a new diamond-shaped glass cafe hanging 900 feet above Tsalka Canyon in Georgia. It looked magical and we knew we had to get there. We looked for more information about it, and saw several articles describing the cafe, but none of them had any information on how to get there. It almost seemed like the article-writers had little belief that anyone would actually go there. We didn’t see any tours there online [since it had just opened two months before our trip] so we hoped we could figure out how to visit once we got to Georgia.
At the end of our first tour in Georgia – a private tour to Kazbegi with Select Georgia Tours, we asked our guide [and the owner of Select Georgia tours] if he did a tour to Tskalka canyon. He did, of course. Since it was a private tour we were able to choose our own itinerary – and while he offered several other stops there and back, we wanted a streamlined tour as it would be our last day in Georgia and we had to get to the airport afterward.
It was a beautiful 2-hour drive to the canyon through the mountains. Much better roads and more relaxing than the military highway we’d taken to Kazbegi. And then we were there … and it was even better than in the articles.
There was a diamond-shaped glass cafe and viewing platform suspended in the middle of Tsalka canyon, with a bridge leading to and from it. The bridge had alternating opaque and transparent sections so you could see through to the canyon below while walking to the diamond cafe. The canyon floor and river below were beautiful and you felt all 900 feet above the deck.
There were three floors in the diamond, and although the cafe itself was closed, you could go down to the bottom level and stand on the glass floor above the canyon. It was even more vertiginous than the bridge – if one of those panels went, there would be nothing between you and the floor of the canyon.
Once we had seen enough [and let’s be honest, taken enough pictures and selfies], we were ready to head back to Tbilisi. The 2 hours there and back were totally justified. However, our guide had other ideas. He had been to the canyon multiple times but not since the diamond cafe was built. So, in his mind the best part of the canyon was the canyon itself – the cafe was just the icing on top. He led us to a hike down into the canyon. The path was well manicured – with metal paths and stairs leading down to the canyon below. Once we got to the bottom, there was a wide deck surrounded by gentle waterfalls and a sparkling river. We were lucky to be there without any other tourists [a horde of them showed up as we were leaving].. We drank in the calm of the river and the canyon. The diamond cafe sparkled high above us. The calm beauty of the river was worth the hike into [and out of !] the canyon.
The diamond cafe was our last site in Georgia, our last hurrah before we left. We had seen the mountains, the wine growing area, the city, and this was the perfect crown jewel to end the trip. If you want to go [and you should!] I recommend Select Georgia Tours.
