Just before you reach Vardzia coming from Alkhatsikhe, you pass through Tsunda — a hamlet of a handful of houses tucked into the Kura valley. The place is almost entirely off the tourist map, but it deserves a stop for one simple reason: hot mineral springs.
A family-run bathhouse offers an indoor pool fed by naturally heated mineral water. After a day clambering around Vardzia's cave-carved cliffs, soaking in the warm sulphurous water is one of the better experiences in the region. Ask locally for the banja and you will be directed to the right house. The family is welcoming, the price modest, and dinner of khinkali and home-distilled chacha is sometimes on offer. It is the kind of place that reminds you why travelling slowly through Georgia pays dividends.
The Kura valley walk between Tsunda and Vardzia along the river bank is also worthwhile — around 5–6 km through volcanic canyon country with almost no other visitors.