The colourful, or rainbow, mountains of Mravaltskaro are located in Gardabani Municipality, Kvemo Kartli, in the Gareji semi-desert, next to the Mravaltskaro Reservoir. The hills rise to around 500-550 metres above sea level and form a striped landscape of alternating layers of sedimentary rock in different colours: yellow comes from sandstone, brown, red and grey from clay, and white stripes relate to sea salt left over from when the Gareji desert was the floor of an ancient sea. This combination of colours has earned the site the nickname "Georgian Mars".
The mountains sit near the David Gareja monastery complex, founded in the 6th century by the Assyrian monk David, and are often combined with a visit to Natlismtsemeli Monastery in a single trip. There's almost no vegetation on the hills, the terrain is dry and offers no shade, so a visit should be planned with plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen.
The road is paved as far as Udabno village, followed by around 14 km of unpaved track to the Mravaltskaro Reservoir, requiring a 4x4. From the reservoir, reaching the striped peaks themselves, marked on maps as the "Red Mountains", involves a 2 to 4 km hike depending on which point you head for. There's no direct public transport to the site.











