The source of the Mzymta is
Lake Verkhny Kardyvach in
Western Caucasus, at a height of . The upper course of the river is located within the
Caucasus Nature Reserve. The Mzymta flows in a narrow valley through
Lake Kardyvach and forms several waterfalls, the biggest of which is the Izumrudny (Emerald) waterfall, . Downstream of Lake Kardyvach, the river flows west and enters
Sochi National Park. The banks are covered with
beech forests and
chestnuts, and also ancient
Ubykh gardens with wild
pear,
walnut and chestnut. In Esto-Sadok and Krasnaya Polyana, the Mzymta flows through its first urban area, where some of the events of the 2014 Winter Olympics took place. Downstream it turns south. The Mzymta comes through the Akhshtyr and Dzykhra gorges, which are popular tourist attractions. The Mzymta enters the Black Sea in
Adler, where the rest of the Winter Olympics took place. At the mouth, there is a big talus train, dividing into branches across the
floodplains. Mzymta carries large amounts of
silt out to sea.
Mineral springs are also found in the catchment basin. The river is fed by
spring tides and rain
freshets. The Mzymta is a floatable river, and a popular attraction is
rafting.
Krasnopolyanskaya hydroelectric power station has a reservoir with a daily streamflow regulation. ==Average intensity of flow==