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Complete 11-Day Georgia Tour: From Caucasus Peaks to Ancient Caves

Price for one tour per person

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tour features

Tour Duration: 11 Days

Tour Location:Imereti, Svaneti, Tbilisi, Samtskhe-Javakheti

Tour highlights:

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 Most visitors to Georgia choose between regions, either Tbilisi and Kakheti, or Svaneti and the mountains, or the cave cities of the south. This tour refuses that compromise. Eleven days allow you to experience Georgia’s full dramatic range: medieval towers guarding Europe’s highest villages, cave monasteries carved into cliff faces, the chaotic energy of Tbilisi, UNESCO World Heritage sites that span millennia, and mountain passes where the Caucasus rises white and massive against blue sky.

This isn’t a sprint through highlights for photos and departure. It’s a proper journey through Georgia’s geography and history, moving from the humid west through the high mountains of Svaneti, down to the volcanic plateau of Javakheti, across to Tbilisi’s urban energy, and back through monastery-rich valleys. You’ll stay in authentic Svan villages where medieval towers still stand guard, eat meals prepared by families who’ve cooked the same recipes for generations, and visit archaeological sites that predate classical Greece.

Starting and ending in Kutaisi keeps logistics simple while maximizing time in regions that matter. Small group size, never more than ten people, means flexibility when something interesting appears, conversations with your guide that go deeper than basic facts, and the ability to adjust pace when needed. This is Georgia for travelers who want a comprehensive understanding, not just iconic photos.

Why This Tour Covers Georgia Completely

Georgia compresses extraordinary diversity into a space smaller than Ireland. Drive three hours and you’ll move from subtropical valleys where tea and citrus grow to alpine peaks permanently white with snow. The country’s history layers civilizations like geological strata: Bronze Age sites beneath Greek influence beneath Persian beneath Arab beneath Mongol beneath Russian beneath Soviet beneath whatever comes next.

Understanding Georgia requires experiencing its regional differences. Svaneti’s mountain isolation created a culture distinct from lowland Georgia different architecture, different bread, and even different polyphonic singing styles. The volcanic Javakheti plateau, populated largely by ethnic Armenians, feels like a different country entirely. Tbilisi’s cosmopolitan chaos contrasts sharply with quiet monastery valleys where monks maintain routines unchanged for centuries.

This itinerary connects these pieces into a coherent narrative. You’ll see how Georgia’s position between empires shaped its fortress architecture, understand why wine permeates every social ritual, recognize Byzantine influence in church design, and grasp why Georgians view their country as Europe’s eastern edge rather than Asia’s western border.

The tour also balances famous sites with places that remain genuinely undiscovered. You’ll visit Vardzia and Uplistsikhe cave complexes that belong on any Georgia itinerary. But you’ll also explore Lakhushdi village in Svaneti, where tourism hasn’t yet transformed daily life, and Saro village with its megalithic fortress, where you might be the only visitors that week.

Georgia Tour Highlights

  • UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Five separate UNESCO properties, including Mtskheta’s Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Gelati Monastery (David the Builder’s 12th-century masterpiece), Bagrati Cathedral, Upper Svaneti’s tower villages, and Vardzia cave monastery complex. (Strictly speaking, Vardzia is not a UNESCO-listed site, but just a candidate.)

  • Svaneti Mountain Region: Three full days in Europe’s highest permanently inhabited communities, including overnight in Mestia, day trip to Ushguli (2,200m elevation), and authentic village experience in Lakhushdi with traditional cooking class

  • Cave Monuments: Uplistsikhe (6th century BC rock-hewn city), Vardzia (12th-century cave monastery with 600+ rooms), and Prometheus Cave’s underground chambers

  • Capital City: Full day exploring Tbilisi’s old town, from Narikala Fortress to the sulfur bath district, Metekhi Plateau to the Bridge of Peace

  • Natural Wonders: Okatse Canyon suspended walkway, Kinchkha waterfall (70m cascade), Lomina falls, Paravani Lake (2,073m altitude), Enguri Dam, Balda canyon, natural sulphur springs

  • Cultural Immersion: Cooking class with Svan family in Lakhushdi village, wine tasting in Imereti region, visits to local markets including Akhalkalaki’s Armenian bazaar, farewell dinner with Imeretian specialties

  • Architectural Journey: From Bronze Age at Vani to medieval fortresses (Khertvisi, Rabati), from Byzantine-influenced churches to Soviet-era engineering (Stalin museum, Enguri dam)

  • Off-Beaten-Path: Saro village’s megalithic fortress, authentic Lakhushdi community, Javakheti Armenian plateau, Tskaltubo spa town, Obcha wine village

  • Small Groups: Maximum 10 participants ensures personal attention, flexibility, and access to places that can’t accommodate buses

Detailed 11-Day Itinerary

Your Georgian journey begins at Kutaisi International Airport, where your guide meets you for transfer into the country’s ancient western capital. Lunch at a traditional restaurant provides your first taste of Georgian cuisine, perhaps khachapuri (cheese bread), shkmeruli (chicken in garlic sauce), or badrijani (eggplant with walnut paste), alongside an introduction to Georgian wine culture and toasting traditions.

The afternoon takes you underground to Prometheus Cave, one of Georgia’s natural marvels. Walkways wind through six chambers spanning 1.4 kilometers, where millennia of water flow have created limestone formations in an extraordinary variety. Cathedral-like halls open to reveal stalactites, stalagmites, and curtain formations lit to emphasize their sculptural quality. The underground river still flows, its sound echoing through chambers that feel both ancient and alien.

Evening brings you to Tskaltubo, once a prestigious Soviet spa resort where Stalin and Beria took healing waters. The town’s faded grandeur tells stories about Soviet hierarchy and belief in mineral spring therapy. Your accommodation includes access to modern spa facilities where you can soak in the same waters that once attracted the Communist elite, genuinely therapeutic mineral springs at 33-35°C that ease travel fatigue. Dinner and overnight in Tskaltubo.

Morning in Kutaisi rewards early rising. The city center’s architecture spans from classical colonnades to Soviet monumentalism, while the morning market displays regional produce, churchkhela (candle-shaped grape candy with walnuts), fresh herbs, spices, and seasonal vegetables. Bagrati Cathedral crowns the hill above the city, its 11th-century construction under King Bagrat III symbolizing Georgia’s unification. The recent controversial restoration sparked UNESCO debate, but the views over the Rioni River valley remain spectacular.

Departing Kutaisi, the journey crosses Rikoti Pass, the traditional boundary between western and eastern Georgia. The landscape shifts, more continental, less humid, broader valleys. Lunch stop introduces you to eastern Georgian food variations (slightly different khachapuri styles, more meat-focused dishes).

Gori appears in the valley, notorious as Stalin’s birthplace. Your interest lies just outside town at Uplistsikhe, one of Georgia’s oldest settlements. This rock-hewn city dates to the 6th century BC, though it reached prominence in the early medieval period. Walking through carved chambers, you’ll see a theater, pharmacy, throne room, pagan temple later converted to a Christian basilica, wine storage rooms, and residential caves where families lived, carved into soft sandstone. The site demonstrates how geology shaped Georgian architecture. When you can’t build with stone or wood, you carve directly into living rock.

Evening approaches as you reach Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital and spiritual heart. Jvari Monastery perches on a hilltop where pagan temples once stood, its 6th-century form representing early Georgian Christian architecture at its most harmonious. The views encompass the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, a location Georgians have considered sacred for millennia.

Below in Mtskheta proper, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral contains, according to tradition, Christ’s robe brought from Jerusalem. Whether you believe that or not, the cathedral’s importance to Georgian identity is undeniable. Kings are crowned here, many lie buried beneath its floor, and the building represents Georgian architectural and artistic achievement across centuries of modification and decoration.

Arrival in Tbilisi, dinner, and check-in to your hotel completes a long but rewarding day that has moved you from Georgia’s humid west to its continental center, from natural wonders to human achievement spanning three thousand years.

Tbilisi reveals itself slowly, requiring time to understand its layers. Your morning walking tour covers the old town’s essential geography and history, starting from Metekhi Plateau, where Queen Tamara’s statue overlooks the city, down through neighborhoods that cascade toward the Mtkvari River.

Narikala Fortress, originally constructed in the 4th century, expanded by successive occupiers, dominates the southern ridge. A cable car ride (or steep walk if you prefer) brings you to the ramparts where the city spreads below, a visual lesson in how Tbilisi grew along the river valley and up surrounding slopes.

The sulfur bath district dates to Tbilisi’s founding mythology. King Vakhtang Gorgasali supposedly founded the city here after his falcon, pursuing prey, fell into hot springs. The Persian-influenced domed bathhouses with their glazed tile exteriors remain operational; your guide can arrange a bath if you’re interested (additional cost). Even if you don’t bathe, the district’s architecture and the sulfuric smell rising from underground springs create a unique atmosphere.

Meidan (old market square), Sharden Street’s cafes and wine bars, Betlemi district’s steep lanes, and the contrast between renovated areas and neighborhoods that remain authentically worn, your guide tailors the walk to group interest, whether that’s architecture, food, history, or contemporary Georgian culture.

Afternoon free time allows independent exploration. Recommendations might include: Dry Bridge flea market for Soviet memorabilia, the National Museum for a comprehensive historical context, Fabrika for contemporary creative culture, Rustaveli Avenue for grand architecture, or simply sitting at a cafe watching Tbilisi life flow past. Your guide provides suggestions based on your interests.

Today’s journey takes you south into Georgia’s least-known major region. Javakheti Plateau rises to over 2,000 meters, a volcanic highland of crater lakes, basalt formations, and sparse beauty. The climate here contradicts Georgia’s general reputation, with continental, harsh winters, cool summers, and almost treeless expanses that feel more like the Central Asian steppe than the Caucasus foothills.

Paravani Lake, Georgia’s largest, sits at 2,073 meters. On clear days, the water reflects surrounding peaks in mirror stillness. The lake freezes solid in winter, and even in summer, water temperature rarely exceeds 15°C. Armenian villages dot the shoreline; this region’s population is predominantly ethnic Armenian, creating cultural distinctions visible in church architecture, language heard in markets, and even bread styles.

Sagamo Lake provides another stop as you cross the plateau. Lunch break at a local restaurant introduces Armenian-Georgian fusion, lavash flatbread alongside Georgian dishes, slightly different spice profiles, and fresh local trout.

Akhalkalaki’s market demonstrates the region’s ethnic character. Armenian is the primary language, Orthodox churches follow Armenian rather than Georgian tradition, and the town’s connection to Armenia (the border is close) feels stronger than ties to Tbilisi. It’s a reminder that Georgia contains multitudes.

The landscape changes dramatically as you descend from the plateau toward Vardzia. The Mtkvari River cuts through volcanic rock, creating gorges and dramatic scenery. Khertvisi Fortress appears on a ridge, its strategic position commanding the valley, obvious even now.

Vardzia represents medieval Georgia’s engineering ambition and desperate military necessity. In the 12th century, under Queen Tamar’s reign, workers carved a monastery complex directly into the cliff face, over 600 rooms, multiple levels, connected by tunnels and stairs carved into rock, with a water supply system still functioning. The complex housed 2,000 monks and served as both a spiritual center and a fortress refuge when Mongol invasions threatened.

Walking through Vardzia’s caves, churches with frescoes still visible after 800 years, monk cells, wine cellars, bakery, library chambers, you understand both the achievement and the desperation that motivated such construction. An earthquake in the 13th century collapsed the cliff’s outer layer, exposing rooms meant to remain hidden, which helps modern visitors appreciate the complex’s original scale.

Overnight near Vardzia, dinner featuring local trout from the mountain streams that feed the Mtkvari. The night sky here, far from city lights, offers stars in extraordinary clarity.

This shorter drive day allows deeper exploration of southern Georgia’s mountain villages and fortresses. Saro village requires a detour onto rough roads that tour buses can’t manage, precisely why it remains authentic. The village sits beneath a megalithic fortress (actual construction period debated, possibly Bronze Age, possibly medieval using Bronze Age foundation) and contains traditional houses built in centuries-old styles. Your guide explains Saro’s architectural vernacular and the practical reasons for building techniques that date back millennia.

The views from Saro’s ridge reward the rough drive, valleys stretching toward Turkey, Lesser Caucasus peaks in multiple ranges, a sense of isolation that explains how such villages maintained traditional culture even under Soviet homogenization efforts.

Returning to main roads, Akhaltsikhe provides the day’s cultural and architectural variety. Sapara Monastery, hidden in forests outside town, contains exceptional medieval frescoes, less famous than other Georgian church art but aesthetically significant. The monastery’s setting in steep forested ravines creates atmosphere that enhances the spiritual context.

Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe itself demonstrates Georgia’s complicated history in architectural layers. Originally a medieval Georgian construction, it was expanded under Ottoman occupation (Akhaltsikhe means “new castle” in Georgian, but the Turks held it for centuries), rebuilt again after Russian conquest, and recently underwent controversial renovation. The fortress complex includes a mosque, Georgian Orthodox church, Catholic church, and synagogue, physical evidence of the region’s multicultural history.

Atskuri village, your overnight destination, offers family guesthouse hospitality. Dinner prepared by your hosts, likely including lobiani (bean-filled bread traditional to this region), grilled meats, fresh salads with herbs from the garden, and local wine, demonstrates Georgian hospitality at its most genuine. A conversation with hosts (your guide translates) provides insights into rural Georgian life impossible to gain from hotels.

The return journey to western Georgia follows different routes from your initial crossing, revealing new landscapes. Before Kutaisi, you turn to Gelati Monastery, arguably Georgia’s most historically significant religious site.

David the Builder, Georgia’s greatest medieval king (reigned 1089-1125), founded Gelati as both monastery and academy. The complex became the intellectual center of medieval Georgia, teaching philosophy, theology, astronomy, and other sciences when European universities were just emerging. David requested burial in the monastery gateway so every monk would walk over his grave, an act of humility from a king who expanded Georgia to its greatest historical extent and is still revered almost like a saint.
The monastery’s mosaics and frescoes represent Georgian medieval art at its peak. The architectural proportions demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of space and light. UNESCO recognition acknowledges both the artistic achievement and historical significance. Your guide explains the iconography, the historical context, and why Georgians still consider Gelati special nine centuries after David’s death.

Nature provides the afternoon’s focus. Okatse Canyon offers a suspended walkway walking above a limestone gorge, the Okatse River rushing over 30 meters below, moss and ferns covering vertical walls, and small waterfalls appearing around bends. The engineering allows safe access to views that were previously impossible.

Kinchkha and Lomina waterfalls demonstrate western Georgia’s water abundance. Kinchkha drops 70 meters in multiple cascades through forest, the sound audible from hundreds of meters away. Lomina offers different character, wider, more powerful, accessible enough for closer approach. Both reward the short walks required to reach them.
Evening brings you to a chateau-style winery accommodation where dinner and wine tasting provide relaxation after a full day. Western Georgian wines differ from Kakheti’s bold reds, expect more delicate whites, some amber qvevri wines, and the region’s characteristic hospitality.

Today begins your Svaneti immersion, three days in Georgia’s most distinctive region. The drive north takes you through Samegrelo (Mingrelia), another of Georgia’s ethnographic regions with its own language, cuisine, and traditions.

Balda Canyon provides a first stop, a narrow limestone gorge where the river has carved through rock, creating walls so close that sunlight barely penetrates at midday. The suspended walkway allows safe passage through a canyon that would otherwise be impassable.

Zugdidi, Samegrelo’s capital, serves as lunch stop and introduction to Mingrelian cuisine. Mingrelian khachapuri includes more cheese and more heat (both temperature and spice) than other versions. The town’s former palace and botanical garden hint at the 19th-century principality that ruled here before Russian absorption.

Enguri Dam appears as you approach Svaneti, a massive concrete arch 271.5 meters high, one of the world’s tallest. Built in Soviet times with forced labor (officially “voluntary”), the dam generates significant hydroelectric power but also symbolizes the environmental and human cost of Soviet development ideology. The reservoir behind it has drowned villages and altered the river ecosystem, though the dam’s operation remains essential to Georgia’s electrical grid.

The landscape transforms as you enter Svaneti proper. The valley narrows, peaks rise higher, traditional tower houses appear in villages, and you enter a region that maintained semi-independence through centuries when lowland Georgia suffered successive invasions. Svaneti’s mountain barriers protected it, what armies couldn’t reach, they couldn’t conquer.

Mestia, Svaneti’s administrative center, sits at 1,500 meters surrounded by peaks that exceed 5,000 meters. The town blends traditional tower houses with modern development (ski resort, airport, hotels) in sometimes awkward juxtaposition. Traditional Svan towers, four-story stone defensive structures that families built to protect against blood feuds and invasions, remain Mestia’s defining architectural feature.

Check-in to your hotel, dinner, and evening walk around town. The atmosphere differs markedly from any other Georgian region, cooler physically, different cultural feel, a sense of place that maintained its identity when others were absorbed or transformed.

While Mestia increasingly caters to tourists, nearby villages maintain more authentic traditional life. Lakhushdi, in the Latali community about 20 kilometers from Mestia, remains genuinely un-touristed; you might be the only visitors that week.

The morning hike to Tangili Church rewards moderate effort with exceptional payoff. The church sits on a ridge with 360-degree mountain panoramas, peaks in every direction, some snow-covered even in summer. The church’s frescoes follow Svan style, distinct from lowland Georgian traditions. Svan frescoes often include secular elements alongside religious imagery, warriors, hunters, and daily life, creating folk art that feels more accessible than formal Byzantine traditions.

Return to the village brings you to a family home where your hostess prepares a cooking class. You’ll learn to make kubdari (Svan meat pie with spices), perhaps tashmijabi (mashed potatoes with Svan cheese), and other regional specialties. The cooking happens in a traditional Svan house, thick stone walls, small windows for heat retention, carved wood details, the house itself demonstrating how architecture adapts to mountain climate.

Those less interested in cooking can explore the village, talk with locals (guide translates), visit the tower houses, understand agricultural methods in this high-altitude environment, and photograph extensively. The village’s authenticity provides insights into Svan culture that museums can’t match.

Lunch at the family table embodies Georgian hospitality: abundant food prepared from local ingredients, wine or beer, toasting traditions, and genuine warmth that transcends language barriers. These are the moments that transform tourism into a human connection.

Afternoon return to Mestia allows museum visits. The Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography contains artifacts spanning centuries, including unique Svan icons (metalwork rather than painted wood), manuscripts, traditional clothing, and weapons. The collection helps contextualize what you’ve seen in villages.

Free evening time lets you explore Mestia independently, cafes, local restaurants, conversations with other travelers, or simply absorbing the mountain atmosphere as evening light illuminates the surrounding peaks.

The drive to Ushguli follows the Enguri River valley deeper into the mountains. The road deteriorates as you climb, rough surface, occasional stream crossings, spectacular views at every turn. This is adventure travel territory, the rough access explaining why Ushguli remains so well-preserved.

Ushguli sits at approximately 2,200 meters (the exact elevation depends which of the four villages you measure from). “Europe’s highest permanently inhabited settlement” is disputed (a few other places make similar claims), but Ushguli certainly ranks among them. UNESCO recognition came for the tower houses and the settlement’s extraordinary preservation of medieval architecture and culture.

The community comprises four villages with dozens of towers rising above stone houses. Most towers date to the 12th-14th centuries, built by powerful families during periods when blood feuds threatened daily life. A family under attack would retreat into their tower, four stories of stone with narrow windows and food stores capable of sustaining them through siege. The towers also served as lookouts for avalanches, raids, or approaching strangers.

Behind Ushguli, Mount Shkhara rises to 5,193 meters, Georgia’s highest peak and the third-highest in the Caucasus. The mountain’s mass dominates the valley, glaciers flowing down its flanks even in summer. The scale is genuinely humbling.

You’ll have free time to explore the villages on foot. Visit the small museum, climb to the Lamaria Church for views, talk with locals, watch children playing among centuries-old towers, imagine winters here when snow closes the road for months. Photography opportunities are exceptional; the towers against a mountain backdrop create iconic images.
Ugviri Pass on the drive provides a small alpine lake stop, cold, clear water at altitude with reflections of surrounding peaks. Tsvirmi village offers views of Tetnuldi peak (4,858m), another of Svaneti’s dramatic summits.

Return to Mestia completes your Svaneti exploration. This evening, you might reflect on how this region’s geography created culture so distinct from lowland Georgia, how isolation preserved traditions, how mountains shaped architecture, how harsh climate forged resilient communities.

The journey back to western Georgia retraces some familiar roads but includes new stops that round out your Georgian understanding. Vani, between Svaneti and Kutaisi, was a major Bronze Age settlement, possibly Colchis, though that identification remains debated. The archaeological site and museum display gold jewelry, bronze artifacts, pottery, and other finds demonstrating sophisticated culture in Georgia three thousand years ago.

The museum contextualizes Georgia’s claim as one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited regions. Artifacts here predate classical Greece, showing that when Athens was emerging from its dark ages, Georgian territory already supported complex societies with advanced metallurgy, trade networks, and artistic traditions.

After Bronze Age immersion, natural hot springs provide contrast. These aren’t developed spa facilities but rather wild sulphur springs emerging from the ground where you can soak in naturally hot water (around 40°C) with minimal infrastructure. The experience feels more authentic than polished spa resorts, just hot water, natural setting, and therapeutic properties that Georgians have enjoyed for centuries.

The day’s final stop brings you to Obcha village for wine tasting and your farewell dinner. Obcha specializes in Imeretian wines, western Georgian styles that differ from both Kakheti and Racha. You’ll taste local varieties, learn about Imeretian qvevri traditions, and enjoy a spread of dishes representing the region’s cuisine.

The farewell dinner celebrates your journey’s completion, the regions you’ve crossed, the mountains you’ve seen, the people you’ve met, and the understanding you’ve gained about this complex, beautiful, dramatic country. Georgian toasting traditions mean numerous toasts, to friendship, to Georgia, to travels, to health, to peace. Each toast requires emptying your glass, though wine can replace harder alcohol if you prefer.

Overnight in Kutaisi prepares you for departure the following morning.

After breakfast, transfer to Kutaisi International Airport. Your guide ensures you reach the airport with appropriate time before flight departure. Georgia has shared its history, landscapes, cuisine, wine, and hospitality. Safe travels, and may you return, as Georgians say, everyone becomes Georgian eventually; some just realize it later than others.

What’s Included

✓ Professional English-speaking guide throughout the entire tour (Russian, German available on request)
✓ Private comfortable transportation suitable for mountain roads (modern vehicle, air conditioning)
✓ 10 nights accommodation in 3-star hotels, guesthouses, and family-run establishments (double/twin rooms with private bathrooms)
✓ All breakfasts (10 breakfasts)
✓ Multiple lunches and dinners as specified in itinerary (approximately 8 lunches, 8 dinners)
✓ Entrance fees to all listed cultural sites and monuments
✓ Wine tastings in Imereti region (Day 10)
✓ Cooking class with Svan family in Lakhushdi (Day 8)
✓ Tskaltubo spa access (Day 1)
✓ All activities mentioned in itinerary

What’s Not Included

✗ International flights to/from Kutaisi
✗ Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
✗ Meals not specified in itinerary (approximately 2-3 lunches, 2 dinners)
✗ Alcoholic beverages beyond included wine tastings
✗ Optional activities (Tbilisi sulfur baths, cable cars, etc.)
✗ Personal expenses and souvenirs
✗ Tips for guide and driver (optional but appreciated—customary 10-15% of tour cost split between them)

Duration: 11 days, 10 nights
Start/End: Kutaisi International Airport
Group Size: Small groups (2-10 people maximum)
Difficulty: Moderate—involves some walking on uneven terrain, high altitude (up to 2,200m in Ushguli), long driving days
Best Season: May through October (July-September optimal for weather and road conditions)
Language: English (Russian, German on request)
Accommodation: Mix of 3-star hotels, guesthouses, and family-run establishments—comfortable, clean, with private bathrooms but not luxury

Physical Requirements:

  • Comfortable with mountain driving on winding, sometimes rough roads
  • Able to walk moderate distances on uneven terrain (trails to viewpoints, village streets)
  • Comfortable with high altitude (Ushguli at 2,200m—allow time to adjust)
  • No severe mobility issues (some sites involve stairs, uneven ground)

What to Pack:

  • Comfortable walking shoes (hiking boots recommended)
  • Layers for varying temperatures (mountains are cooler)
  • Light rain jacket (weather can change quickly)
  • Sun protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses)
  • Modest clothing for church visits (shoulders and knees covered)
  • Camera and extra batteries
  • Personal medications
  • Power adapter (Type C/F European plugs)
  • Small daypack for excursions

Convenient for Baltic Travelers: This tour timing accommodates Wizz Air and other low-cost carrier flights between Kutaisi and Baltic states (Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn), making it particularly convenient for Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian travelers seeking comprehensive Georgia exploration at affordable flight prices.

Why This Tour Is Special

Most Georgia tours focus on single regions or rush through highlights in seven days. This itinerary provides time to understand the country comprehensively—not just seeing sites, but grasping how Georgia’s regions differ, how history shaped culture, why wine matters beyond just being a beverage.

Small group size means flexibility when interesting opportunities arise, conversations that go beyond basic facts, and the ability to adjust pace when needed. Your guide becomes a cultural interpreter, not just an information source.

The mix of famous UNESCO sites with off-beaten-path villages creates balance between must-see monuments and authentic cultural experiences. You’ll visit Vardzia and Uplistsikhe because they’re genuinely remarkable, but also spend time in Lakhushdi and Saro where tourism hasn’t transformed daily life.

Three days in Svaneti—rather than the typical rushed single day—allows proper exploration of this unique region. The cooking class in Lakhushdi, overnight in Mestia, and full day to Ushguli create opportunities to understand Svan culture beyond just photographing towers.

This tour also demonstrates Georgia’s geographic drama: from sea-level valleys to 2,200-meter villages, from humid subtropical west to continental volcanic plateaus, from cave systems to alpine peaks. The landscape variety matches cultural diversity, and eleven days allows both to reveal themselves properly.

Is this tour too physically demanding? What fitness level do I need?

This tour is rated moderate difficulty, suitable for anyone in reasonable health who can walk comfortably for 30-60 minutes at a time. You’re not hiking long distances—most walking involves exploring town centers, visiting monasteries, and short trails to viewpoints. The main physical considerations are: (1) mountain driving on winding roads (not suitable if you have severe motion sickness), (2) high altitude in Svaneti, particularly Ushguli at 2,200m (allow time to adjust, stay hydrated), and (3) some sites involve stairs or uneven ground. If you can handle a normal city walking tour, you can handle this tour. We maintain flexible pace and take breaks as needed.

This comprehensive tour covers significant distances—some days involve 240-270km of driving. However, Georgian roads are scenic, and we break up drives with stops at viewpoints, lunch, and sites along the way. Typical driving time is 4-6 hours per day, but never continuous—you’ll stop frequently. Days 4 and 6 involve the longest drives, but they’re necessary to connect Georgia’s diverse regions. The vehicle is comfortable with air conditioning, and small group size means more legroom than tour buses. If you get motion sick easily on mountain roads, bring medication—routes to Svaneti involve winding passes.

Accommodation is comfortable but not luxury—think clean 3-star hotels and well-maintained family guesthouses with private bathrooms, hot water, heating/cooling as needed, and Wi-Fi in most locations. In Svaneti and rural areas, you’ll stay in guesthouses that are simple but charming, often family-run with genuine hospitality. You’re not roughing it, but you’re also not in five-star resorts. Rooms are based on double/twin occupancy. Solo travelers can request single rooms (supplement applies) or share with another same-gender traveler. The trade-off for staying in authentic guesthouses is experiencing genuine Georgian hospitality—meals prepared by hosts, conversations about local life, and atmosphere that hotels can’t replicate.

May-June: Spring landscapes, wildflowers in mountains, mild temperatures, fewer tourists, occasional rain in Svaneti

July-August: Warmest weather, best for high-altitude Ushguli visit, peak season means more tourists at popular sites, all mountain roads reliably open

September-October: Ideal timing—harvest season, autumn colors in mountains, comfortable temperatures, wine-making activities visible, stable weather

November-April: Winter conditions close or make difficult the road to Ushguli, cold in Svaneti, less predictable weather, some guesthouses closed—not recommended for this itinerary

September is often considered optimal—perfect weather, harvest activities, autumn mountain colors, and fewer crowds than summer.

Absolutely! Solo travelers are welcome and typically comprise 30-40% of participants. You’ll share experiences with other travelers in the small group while having your own space in accommodations. For room arrangements, you have two options: (1) share a twin room with another same-gender solo traveler at no extra cost, or (2) pay single supplement for private room throughout the tour. Many solo travelers appreciate the social aspect of small group touring—you have built-in companions for meals and sightseeing but aren’t responsible for all planning and logistics. Our guides are skilled at ensuring every

Ready to experience Georgia comprehensively? Contact us to check availability and reserve your place on this complete 11-day Georgian journey.

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