The Askhi Plateau is an elevated plain, the highest karst massif of Western Georgia, with a height of 2519 meters, located on the territory of Georgia in the Tsager and Martvili region ( Lower Svaneti and Upper Svaneti ).
The plateau shape resembles a fish. Askhi plateau begins in the west of the gorge of the Tehuri River and abruptly ends in the east to the river Kvereshula and Tskhenistskali . It is a plateau highland with tectogenic relief forms. The northern step is the Qibiya Basin (6 by 12 km) and the Maidani Plateau (4 by 12 km), and the southern step is composed of the Turchu Didgami synclinal fields and erosion canyons of the Tsachkhuri, Abashi, Okatse and other rivers.
The northern and eastern borders of the massif are indicated by high (over 300m) steep cliffs. The space covered by vegetation is characteristic of alpine meadows .
The highest point of the Askhi massif is the peak of Godirakili (Tskhvindgul) with a height of 2519m.
The area of the massif is 450 km sq., Of which 120 km sq. Of mountain bare and sod karst.
Hydrology . The Askhi massif is a separate karst massif with the manifestation of centrifugal runoff. Karst springs are confined to different hydrodynamic zones and hypsometric levels, sometimes flowing out of horizontal cave galleries and form magnificent waterfalls 40 meters high (Toby -1 cave) and 105 meters (Toby-2 cave named after A. Okrodzhanashvili).
The waters are mainly calcium-bicarbonate.
Caves of the Asha Plateau. Over 140 cavities have been explored on the plateau. The caves are mostly rocky and dangerous to visit. Some caves have many petrified corals and other marine life.
Parts of the caves are given the names so there is "Vysotsky Cave", "Machulsky Cave", "Nino Cave" with wells and meanders (52 meters explored), etc.
According to the "Institute of Karst Studies and Speleology of the USSR" for 1973 on a plateau of 38 wells and mines, 41 subhorizontal cave. The total length of all the cavities studied was 3409 m with a total depth of 1383 meters.
The floor area of the caves is 16300 square meters, and the volume of emptiness is 192500 cubic meters. The density of the caves in the massif reaches 1064 per 100 km.
Anthropogenic deposits were found in some caves containing the remains of the sites of primitive people (in the caves of Dzhortsku, Tsachkhuri, Toba-3, Begela, Leshuluhe, Moten, etc.)
In some caves, temperatures are negative all year round, which helps preserve cryogenic deposits.
The relatively high air temperature (12.5-5.0 C) and other favorable environmental conditions contributed to the settlement of these underground cavities with a rich cave fauna. Some of them are endemic to the Caucasus.
In almost all caves, Dolichpoda euxina Sem. In underground streams and reservoirs live amphipods (Niphargus sp.). In many caves of the Askhi plateau, the following types of underground fauna are revealed: in the cave of Leshuluhe- Oligochaeta, Isopoda, Aranei. Alkarina cave - Ixodes vespentili onis, etc.
On the southern border of the plateau are the most beautiful Martyville Canyon and Okatse Canyon.
You can get to the plateau along the very picturesque ecological trail equipped in 2016 by the EU from the village of Zubi . The climb takes about 5 hours on foot and about the same on a horse. The trail is marked along the entire length and starts from the village of Zubi .
The landscapes of the plateau are very beautiful, many large birds nest, many chamois, bears and other inhabitants. from the plateau, beautiful views of the lakes in the Kulbaki region, the mountains of the great Caucasus, and in clear weather you can see the waters of the Black Sea.
In Soviet times, Secretary General Khrushchev N.S. planned to use the Asha plateau site as an aerodrome. However, nothing was done. Today, the Askha plateau is used by residents of nearby villages ( Zubi , Okureshi, Kulbaki) for long-term grazing of cows and horses. To do this, a camp was organized on the plateau in the form of a house near the lake.
In general, the Askhi plateau is poorly studied.
The Askha Plateau belongs to the category of specially protected natural territories and is protected by Georgian law.