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GEORGIA AND THE CAUCASUS

Hike to ancient churches, sip local wines and whip up a traditional feast.

Destination
Starts at

Tbilisi

Destination
Ends at

Tbilisi

Destination
Duration

9 days

Destination
Group Size

Maximum 16

Destination
Physical Rating

moderate Information

Destination
Style

discovery Information

About your trip

Whether hiking in the Caucasus Mountains or whipping up a feast from a farmer’s market, this nine-day journey yields an immersive Georgian experience. You'll begin in the Old Quarter of Tbilisi and visit Unesco World Heritage sites at nearby Mtskheta. See the ancient wine-making – and drinking – traditions of the region before exploring Lagodekhi National Park. The spectacular Truso Gorge, a hike up to Gergeti Church and a ramble beyond remote Juta village showcase the best of the High Caucasus. Return to Tbilisi refreshed, where you can relax with a sulphur bath before returning home. All of our trips are flightless in destination, with 100% of all carbon emissions offset. It's just part of how we see the world while being good to it.

Trip Highlights

  • Explore the Caucasus Mountains and trek to a remote church
  • Visit Mtskheta, a Unesco World Heritage site
  • Taste Georgian wine and learn to cook traditional dishes
  • Hike the lush hilly forests of Lagodekhi National Park
  • Experience warm Georgian hospitality

Your Itinerary

Touch down at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) and make your way to your central hotel, where you’ll meet our Local Insider who will accompany the group throughout the trip. At 6pm, they will introduce you to your fellow travellers over an informal welcome drink. Get to know each other during dinner before turning in for an early night; tomorrow will be a jam-packed day.

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

Activities Included
  • Welcome dinner

Old Tbilisi's tangle of narrow streets and pretty houses huddle beneath a cliff, topped with the walls of a fourth-century fortress. After strolling the lanes, catch a cable car up to the fortress for panoramic views across the city before heading down to a cluster of medieval bathhouses. Adjourn for a well-deserved lunch of Kubdari, a beloved pie-like bread dish filled with either pork, lamb or goat and a hearty mixture of onions and Georgian spices. In the afternoon you’ll have the option to visit the Museum of Georgia, where you can look out for gold artifacts; many believe this is the mythical Land of the Golden Fleece – something to mull over with evening drinks in a local pub.

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

Activities Included
  • Guided Tbilisi walking tour
  • Traditional Georgian lunch
  • Museum of Georgia Visit

Tbilisi hosts a range of incredible markets, each a colourful cornucopia of fresh produce, spices and pickles, usually selling home-brewed wine and spirits too. It's at a local farmer’s market where you'll meet your host, chef Teona, to buy ingredients, before decamping to her home for a convivial masterclass in hearty Georgian cooking. Enjoy your creations for lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll head to nearby Mtskheta, a former fortified capital, to tour an atmospheric clutch of Unesco World Heritage monuments, including the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

Activities Included
  • Guided farmer’s market tour
  • Cooking lesson
  • Guided Mtskheta tour

Georgia is referred to as the cradle of wine, as it’s where the first-known wine was fermented in 6,000BCE. Today you'll see these traditions in the Kakheti region, east of Tbilisi. Wine here is still made in qvevri, large clay egg-shaped vessels, usually buried in the ground, and you'll watch a master craftsman showcase the process. Following a pause at the 16th-century citadel of Gremi, join a local family for home-baked bread and churchkhela, a sausage-shaped sweet made from nuts and thickened grape juice. Like most Georgian feasts, lunch is conducted by a traditional tamada, or toastmaster.

Accommodation

Royal Palace Hotel

Activities Included
  • Qvevri wine workshop
  • Bread baking and churchkhela experience
  • Lunch with wine and a traditional toastmaster

Step outside your hotel and you're at the gates of Lagodekhi National Park, a small protected reserve in the Caucasian foothills that border Russia and Azerbaijan. You'll enjoy a five-hour (9km) hike in the tranquil forests, which are veined with rivers and twitching with birds – an ideal prelude to the higher Caucasus in the coming days. Returning to Tbilisi, you’ll stop by a local winery to sample some of the country's incredible array of distinctive wines, many of which are made in limited quantities by small-scale producers.

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

Activities Included
  • Lagodekhi National Park hike
  • Picnic lunch
  • Traditional Georgian wine tasting

Belt up for the drive north into the Caucasus Mountains on the Georgian Military Highway. This ancient trading route between Georgia and Russia wriggles across the Jvari Pass before joining the Terek River valley, all the way to the town of Stepantsminda. En route you'll pause at Ananuri Castle and the Gudauri View Point before reaching the 2,438m (8,000ft) high pass and spectacular Caucasus landscapes beyond. Stepantsminda is hemmed in by rugged mountains, including the snow-clad Mount Kazbegi. You'll need to boot up for the superb three-hour (6km) hike to the medieval Gergeti Trinity Church, which sits on top of a grassy ridge.

Accommodation

Intourist Kazbegi

Activities Included
  • Ananuri fortress visit
  • Guided hike to Gergeti Church

It's another day of exhilarating scenery. Backtracking down the Terek valley, you'll follow the Terek River as it veers west into ever wilder country before arcing through the Truso Gorge to time-forgotten hamlets and their lonely chapels. Heading back towards Stepantsminda, take a detour to Juta, one of the highest villages in the region. A short optional walk up the valley brings you to meadows with awesome views of the Chaukhi Massif, a jagged mountain with more than a passing resemblance to the Dolomites in Italy. Head back to Stepantsminda for dinner and a well-deserved sleep.

Accommodation

Intourist Kazbegi

Activities Included
  • 4WD Truso Gorge tour
  • Juta village visit

Returning along the Military Highway, you'll have time to snap those photos you may have missed on the way in. Back in Tbilisi, you can opt for some optional pampering time in the celebrated sulphur baths which, together with hot springs, anchor the legend of the city's foundation in the fifth century. If all that steam and soaking make you drowsy, a kisa massage with exfoliation is sure to revitalise the senses in time for a farewell dinner.

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

Activities Included
  • Farewell dinner
  • Sulphur Bath Experience
  • Traditional Kisa Massage

Accommodation

Activities Included
  • -

What's Included

  • 5 nights boutique hotel accommodation
  • 3 nights mountainside hotel accommodation
  • Private and local transport
  • 8 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
  • Local Insider
  • Guided Tbilisi walking tour
  • Guided farmer’s market tour and cooking lesson
  • Guided Mtskheta tour
  • Wine workshop
  • Wine-tasting
  • Bread baking and churchkhela lunch with traditional toastmaster
  • Guided Lagodekhi National Park and Gergeti Church hikes
  • Ananuri fortress visit
  • 4WD Truso Gorge tour
  • Juta village visit

What's Not Included

  • Visas
  • Travel insurance
  • Flights to and from the destination

Customer Reviews

Accommodation

Folk Boutique Hotel

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In the heart of Old Tbilisi, this modern four-star property stands on the site of a celebrated 18th-century battle. The museum-like displays in the lobby of traditional 18th-century garments are echoed in the room decor and lend a quirky folk atmosphere.

Royal Palace Hotel

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The Royal Palace stands just where the Georgian plains give way to the lushly forested Caucasian foothills of Lagodekhi National Park. Resembling a country villa, the property has extensive gardens and a large pool offering a restful stay.

Intourist Kazbegi

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In a rugged valley at the foot of Mount Kazbegi, the Intourist is a delightful boutique hotel with spectacular vistas across the Caucasus Mountains. Views of epic snow-capped peaks can be enjoyed from the outdoor terrace, stylish indoor lounge bar or from the comfort of your light and airy modern-design room.

COVID Safety

Your safety and wellbeing are our top priority, so we’ve put the following measures in place on all our TRIPS:

  • Our average group size is 10 people (max 18), which gives you all the security of being in a group whilst avoiding a crowd.
  • Where possible, we use small/ boutique accommodation – this means fewer guests and reduced exposure to other travellers.
  • We require all accommodation providers to share protocols around the extra health and hygiene measures they are taking.
  • Included activities are exclusive to our group wherever possible, to minimise contact with others.
  • Covid-19 negative test results or vaccine certificates may be required. Please check the entry requirements for the destination you are travelling to. Our travel experts can assist you in finding this information.
  • We recommend you confirm all guidance on official government sites and check that you are able to travel with your travel insurance issuer. Your travel insurance may be invalidated if you travel against government advice. Our travel experts can assist you in finding this information.

Important Info

  • You must be aged 25 years or over to join this trip.
  • Please be sure to check whether or not you need a visa to enter the country you're travelling to. Please refer to our Booking Terms & Conditions for further information.
  • If you have any pre-existing medical conditions or accessibility requirements, please notify our Customer Support team as soon as possible.
  • We won't charge you extra if you travel alone – you'll be allocated a twin room with another traveller of the same gender.
  • To upgrade to a private room, share a room with a friend, or book pre- and post-trip accommodation and/or airport transfers, please contact our Customer Support team.
  • Please be aware that travel insurance is compulsory for all travellers.
  • Please be aware that the itinerary, activities and hotels are subject to change. While unlikely, these changes can happen due to circumstances beyond our control. We will always do our best to ensure minimal impact on your experience.
  • Please be aware images on this page are for illustrative purposes and may not reflect your itinerary exactly.
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