DAY 01
|
Arrive in TBILISI
| |
Meeting at the airport and transfer. Hotel
accommodation.
Leisure day. Overnight. |
|
DAY 02
 
|
TBILISI - KAZBEGI
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to Kazbegi.
| |
Drive 157km from Tbilisi, on the south slops of
Caucasus main range, along the Georgian military
highway to Kazbegi. This ancient route through the
Caucasus is remarkable for the landscapes; flora and
fauna, people and history, and many travelers to
Georgia will regard this place as a highlight of
their visit. On the way all sightseeing including
Ananuri fortified ensemble - built in the 16th
century, once belonging to the Duke of Aragvi,
located on the left bank of the Aragvi River and
with a fascinating views of Jinvali reservoir.
Arrive in Khevi - a small historical-geographic area
in northeastern Georgia, located on the northern
slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains. The most
prominent geographic feature of the area is a Mount
Kazbek (5047m), which is considered to be one of the
highest points in all Caucasus. These places are
glorified by their nature with high mountains,
gorges, passes, lakes and small rivers. Drive
through beautiful Truso Valley with a spectacular
scenery - the steep slopes of the glacier valley and
colorful patches formed by numeral springs. Arrive
in Kazbegi. Walk up the mountain to Gergeti Holy
Trinity Church which represents an outstanding
monument of Georgian Architecture of the 14th
century, the time when the Georgian Church was
flourishing. It is located on the summit of a
mountain some 2200m above sea level, in front of the
glacier, on the right side of the river Chkheri.
|
Overnight in Kazbegi.
|
DAY 03
 |
KAZBEGI - GUDAURI
Breakfast at the hotel. Trekking Khevi (Sno Valley).
| |
Start a trip through the beautiful Sno Valley
distinguished by its abundance of stone sculptures
and reach village Juta, a starting point for hikers
and climbers to Chaukhi Mountains. 2 to 3 hour
hiking in the Chaukhi Mountains famous for its steep
cliffs and the beautiful scenery of the valleys
carpeted with colorful flowers. |
Drive to Gudauri. Time for leisure. Overnight
|
DAY 04
|
GUDAURI - SHATILI (Khevsureti)
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Khevsureti with off-road
vehicles
| |
Khevsureti (in Georgian - a land of valleys) is a
historical-ethnographic region in eastern Georgia
and together with Tusheti is the most inaccessible
part of the country. The roads are closed for many
months every year due to snowfall and it's only open
to 4x4 vehicles from May to October. Comprising the
small river valleys of the Ardoti, Shatili, Arkhoti
and the Aragvi, with a winter population of
approximately 3,200 people, the province borders
with Chechnya and is included in the present day
Dusheti district. The largest villages are Barisakho
and Shatili. The architecture of Khevsureti is
mostly characterized as fortress style and numbers
of towers are located in the mountains as a sign of
constant watchfulness of their enemies.
Proceed to Shatili via Datvijvari Pass (2676m) and
make a stop on Pass to view Aragvi and Arghuni
gorges. From this point the visitors will enjoy a
splendid view of Barisakho rocks in the South and
Great Caucasus in the North. On the way we will make
two more stops to see
Lebaiskari
tower
and
Kistani castle.
Arrive in
Shatili
- a medieval highland village located in the deep
Arghuni gorge on the height of 1400 m and a unique
complex of the fortified dwellings and medieval
fortresses made of stone and mortar. About 60 towers
of the fortress are located close to each other to
create a fortification chain. Shatili functioned as
a fortress for guarding the northern outskirts of
Georgia.
Shatili sightseeing walking. |
Overnight in Shatili.
|
DAY 05
|
SHATILI - MUTSO - SHATILI
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to Mutso.
| |
Mutso - a small village and one of the former
strongholds of Khevsureti is located on a rocky
mountain (1880 m) on the right bank of the
Andakistskali river. The village, almost completely
abandoned more than a century ago, is a home to
approximately 30 medieval fortified dwelling units
arranged on vertical terraces above the Mutso-Ardoti
gorge, four combat towers and ruins of several old
structures and buildings. Difficult to access, the
village retains original architecture, and is a
popular destination for tourists and mountain
trekkers. Mutso sightseeing and detour to
Ardoti Fortress
- built like an eagle nest , situated on a high rock
above the Andaki River, Ardoti fortress village-
near the Chechnya border was one of the forts to
confront every attack. The St. Mary's cathedral was
built by the order of King Tamar for the purpose of
strengthening Christianity in 1212 in this farthest
village in Khevsureti. |
Return to Shatili. Overnight.
|
DAY 06
|
SHATILI - MTSKHETA - TBILISI
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to Tbilisi. En route
Mtskheta sightseeing.
| |
Mtskheta - the ancient capital of Georgia is the
important religious centre and a museum city that is
on the list of the world sights of UNESCO. It is
situated at the convergence of the Mtkvari and
Aragvi Rivers. There are a number of very
significant archaeological and religious monuments
in and around the town, the most significant among
which are: Svetitskhoveli (11th c.)-a grandiose
cathedral of cross-dome design, known as the burial
site of Christ's mantle and a masterpiece built by
architect Konstantine Arsakidze; Jvari Monastery
(6th c.)-standing on the rocky mountaintop, with its
architectural forms and decorative elements, Jvari
is harmoniously connected with the landscape and
overlooks Mtskheta. |
Hotel accommodation and overnight in Tbilisi.
|
DAY 07
|
TBILISI
Breakfast at the hotel. Tbilisi city tour.
| |
Located strategically at the crossroads between
Europe and Asia and lying along the historic Silk
Road routes, Tbilisi-the capital of Georgia has
often been a point of contention between various
rival powers and empires. The history of the city
can be seen by its architecture, where the Rustaveli
Avenue and downtown are blended with the narrower
streets of old Tbilisi district. Despite being
overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, Tbilisi is one of
the few places in the world where a synagogue and a
mosque are located next to each other in the ancient
Bath district, several hundred meters from the
Metekhi Church. A moderate combination of
sightseeing and walking tour of Tbilisi will start
by visiting an important historic part of the city-
Abanot-ubani, the place, where according to a legend
the King Vakhtang Gorgasali's pheasant fell, leading
to a discovery of the hot springs and, subsequently,
to founding of a new capital. Continue with
excursion in old Tbilisi, Botanical Gardens up to
Narikala Fortress; visit Sioni Cathedral,
Anchiskhati Basilica, Metekhi church and Sameba
Cathedral; after a short coffee-break at
café-streets of Shardeni and Erekle with their
fascinating atmosphere and souvenir shopping
possibility, a walk along the Rustaveli Avenue
(downtown) will give visitors the opportunity to
experience fully the rhythm and the beauty of the
capital of Georgia. |
The rest of the day is free. Overnight in Tbilisi
|
DAY 08
|
TBILISI - SIGNAGI - GREMI - TBILISI
Breakfast at the hotel. Kakheti tour.
| |
Proceed to Signagi - a rare example of historic city
and town-fortress which kept its style during the
centuries with open traditional balconies, unique
fortress with churches and towers built in it and
narrow beautiful streets to walk along. Signagi,
also known as "a city of love", overlooks the
Alazani valley and opens to visitors the magnificent
views of the Great Caucasus Range. The other
important site to visit here is the Monastery of
Bodbe-the final resting place of Saint Nino,
"Enlightener of Georgians". Drive to Gremi-a
16th-century architectural monument-the royal
citadel and the Church of the Archangels. The
complex is what has survived from the once
flourishing town of Gremi and is located east of the
present-day village of the same name in the Kvareli
district, 175 kilometers east of Tbilisi. Gremi was
the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti in the 16th
and 17th centuries. It functioned as a lively
trading town on the Silk Road and royal residence
until being razed to the ground by the armies of
Shah Abbas I in 1615. The town never regained its
past prosperity and the kings of Kakheti transferred
their capital to Telavi in the mid-17th century.
|
Drive to Tbilisi. Overnight.
|
DAY 09
|
TBILISI - UPLISTSIKHE - ZUGDIDI (Sanegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
Region)
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Zugdidi, en route excursion
to Uplistsikhe.
| |
Uplistsikhe cave town is one of the oldest places of
settlement in the Caucasus. It was founded in the
late Bronze Age, (around 900 BC), but developed
mainly from the 5th century to the 1st centuries BC.
The main caravan road from Asia to Europe used to
run just 2km northern of the city, which became a
very important trade centre. Built on a high rocky
left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains
different structures and is notable for the unique
combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures
from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence
of pagan and Christian architecture, as Uplistsikhe
was also a special site for pagan rituals before
Georgia became a Christian country. With the
Christianization of Kartli early in the 4th century,
Uplistsikhe declined in its importance and lost its
position to the new centers of Christian culture -
Mtskheta and, later Tbilisi.
Proceed to Zugdidi - Zugdidi is a city in the
Western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo
and serves as centre of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
region. The treasure of Zugdidi is a graceful
patrimonial palace of Dadiani princes with its
unique park. Dadiani were an ancient aristocratic
family known for their relationship with Napoleon
Bonaparte. The Palace now is a museum in which the
extraordinary historic collections are exhibited.
Visiting Dadiani Palace. |
Accommodation and overnight in Zugdidi
|
DAY 10
|
ZUGDIDI - MESTIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Mestia.
| |
The Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia is an exceptional
example of mountain scenery with medieval-type
villages and tower-houses. Its characteristic
landscape is formed by small settlements with a
natural environment of gorges and alpine valleys and
a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. During the
numerous raids of various invaders, the kings of
Georgia hid sacred treasure and valuable manuscripts
in Svaneti. Here embossed icons, relief crosses and
the oldest Georgian manuscripts of the Bible are
preserved. The most notable feature of the
settlements in this corner of Georgia is the
abundance of towers, especially in Mestia and the
frontier villages, such as Ushguli which is located
at the head of the Enguri gorge and is the highest
permanently inhabited village in Europe.
Accommodation in Mestia and sightseeing tour.
Excursion to the Svaneti Historical Ethnographic
Museum. |
Overnight in Mestia.
|
DAY 11
|
MESTIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Full day trekking to Mt. Ushba.
| |
Ushba is one of the most notable peaks of the
Caucasus Mountains. Although it does not rank in the
10 highest peaks of the range, Ushba is known as the
"Matterhorn of the Caucasus" for its picturesque,
spire-shaped double summit. Due to its steep profile
and unstable weather, Ushba is considered by many
climbers as the most difficult ascent in the
Caucasus.
This trekking route enables the visitors to see four
waterfalls, the height of which varies between 15 to
40 meters. They flow out from the glacier of Ushba
and one of them is so strong that its noise covers
even the sound of the river. At the end of this
route you will see the astonishing sight of three
mountain peaks of the Caucasus: Ushba, the mountain
peak of Mazeri and Shkhelda. The duration of the
route is approximately 9 hours. Lunch/picnic in the
nature. |
Return to Mestia. Overnight
|
|
DAY 12
|
MESTIA - KUTAISI
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to Kutaisi. Kutaisi short
city tour.
| |
Kutaisi is one of the most beautiful and ancient
Georgian cities situated in West Georgia on both
banks of the picturesque Rioni river. Unique
masterpieces of Georgian architecture are located in
and around
Kutaisi - Bagrati Cathedral
(the cross-domed, tri-conch Cathedral located on the
top of Ukimerioni Hill, built in the 11th century.
The cathedral is distinguished for its elegant
proportions, grand size, facade composition,
ornaments and relief carvings);
Gelati
Monastery Complex
(once a major centre of enlightenment in Georgia,
founded by King Davit Aghmashenebeli (David the
Builder) in 1106 that represents the flourishing
medieval architecture in Georgia); both of these
monuments are protected by UNESCO. |
Accommodation and overnight in Kutaisi.
|
DAY 13
|
KUTAISI - GORI - TBILISI
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to Tbilisi.
| |
Gori Fortress is a medieval citadel in Georgia,
standing above the city of Gori (also linked to
being the birthplace of Joseph Stalin where he lived
until the age of 15) on a rocky hill. The fortress
first appears in the 13th century records but
archaeological evidence shows that the area had
already been fortified in the last centuries BC. The
fortress controlled major strategic and economic
routes and accommodated a large garrison. The
citadel acquired the present-day form under the
Georgian kings Rostom of Kartli in the 1630s and
Erekle II in 1774. Gori Fortress was significantly
damaged by the earthquake in 1920. The best
preserved structure is Tskhra-kara ("the
Nine-gated"), which looks to the west, and is
adjoined by the supplementary walls on the south and
east. |
Accommodation in Tbilisi. Time for leisure. Overnight.
|
DAY 14 |
Departure from TBILISI
|
