Georgia Group Tour 2024-202510 Days | Tbilisi, Telavi, Tsinandali, Bodbe, Sighnaghi, Gori, Uplistsikhe, Kutaisi, Prometheus Cave, Mestia, Ushguli, Martvili Canyon

Arrival in Tbilisi. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in at noon. Overnight at the hotel.

Meet our driver in your hotel at 7:30 to start the tour to Kakheti. Join your guide and the group to visit the Tsinandali Estate, the residence of the dukes of Georgia. It has a beautiful English garden, a museum, and a wine cellar that belonged to Prince Chavchavadze, a public figure and poet of the 19th century. For lunch, we will be hosted by a local family, where we can enjoy a traditional feast and hear the best Georgian toasts. A truly local experience awaits you!
Having enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts, we will drive to the royal town of Sighnaghi, which is surrounded by defensive walls with 23 towers and was an important point on the Great Silk Road. We will also visit the Bodbe Convent – according to legend, this is the burial place of St. Nino, who converted Georgia to Christianity in the 4th century. We will arrive in the capital of Georgia at about 18:30–19:30. Overnight at the hotel.
Driving distance: 270 km
Meals: lunch

After breakfast, we will embark on Tbilisi sightseeing tour. Start at Metekhi Сhurch and the monument to Vakhtang Gorgasali, the legendary founder of Tbilisi. Visit Narikala Fortress to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Walk down to the district of sulphur bath houses and pass by the only mosque in Tbilisi. Stroll through the Sharden area, full of narrow streets with cozy cafés, wine tasting bars, and souvenir shops, and breathe in the history of Old Tbilisi. Also visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre’s clock tower, before crossing the Bridge of Peace to Rike Park. After a couple of hours at your leisure, join the group to proceed to welcome dinner (departing from the hotel by bus at 19:00). Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours
Driving distance: 5 km
Meals: dinner

Breakfast. Today we will explore the North of Georgia. The first stop will be at Jvari Monastery, a true architectural masterpiece of the Early Middle Ages, which is picturesquely perched above the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers.
Continue to Mtskheta, one of the oldest towns in Georgia and the country’s cultural and religious center. Mtskheta was the capital of the Eastern Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC. Visit Svetitskhoveli, the main cathedral of Mtskheta and a sacred place where the robe of Christ is kept. Next, drive over the Cross Pass and make a short stop at the Soviet-era “People’s Friendship” mountain view point, which overlooks a deep gorge of the Caucasus Mountains. In Kazbegi, switch to a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach Gergeti Holy Trinity Church (located at an altitude of 2,170 m) and enjoy breathtaking views of Mount Kazbegi. Reach Gudauri at about 19:00 for overnight at the hotel.
Driving distance: 210 km
Meals: lunch and dinner

Breakfast. Drive to the Ananuri Complex, a former residence of Argveti Dukes, which features churches and towers dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries and beautifully overlooks Jinvali Reservoir. Explore the cave town of Uplistsikhe, which dates back to the Hellenistic Period and is notable for its unique combination of various styles of rock-cut architecture, including both pagan and Christian. Continue to Stalin’s hometown of Gori. Visit the Stalin Museum, which includes more than 60,000 artifacts, the tiny house where Stalin was born, and an impressive bulletproof train that Stalin used to travel to Yalta and Potsdam. After visiting the museum, we will bid farewell to our group and guide. We will then meet a new guide and driver to embark on the second part of our journey, beginning with a drive to Kutaisi. Reach Kutaisi in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 11-12 hours
Driving distance: 320 km
Meals: lunch

After breakfast, visit the Prometheus Cave and see its numerous stalactites and stalagmites. We will then pay a quick visit to the grandiose Enguri Dam, one of Georgia's most distinguished cultural heritage sights and the world's second-highest concrete arch dam. Our way will continue through the Enguri Gorge to the mysterious Svaneti region. Svaneti is the home of a unique ethnic group – the heroic and courageous Svans – who are distinguished from other Georgians by their culture, traditions, and customs. The region is also famous for its original architecture and is called “the Country of a Thousand Towers”. These towers historically played both economic and defensive functions. Mestia still has dozens of medieval stone houses with the watchtowers and inhabited towers that were used to protect valleys and churches between the 10th and 14th centuries. Visit an original Svan house (“machubi”) and tower (“koshki”). Overnight at the hotel in Mestia.
Duration of the sightseeing: 8-9 hours
Driving distance: 280 km

After breakfast, take a scenic drive by 4x4 vehicle to Ushguli village, one of Europe’s highest continually-inhabited settlements (2,200m). In recognition of its outstanding cultural value to humanity, the Ushguli architectural complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll along Ushguli’s old, narrow, streets and visit the Lamaria Church complex with its impressive 12th century wall frescoes. Locals believe that Queen Tamara was buried under this church. Enjoy a picturesque view of Mount Shkhara before returning to Mestia. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Driving distance: 110 km

After breakfast we will check out of the hotel and visit Mestia Ethnographic Museum. The Museum hosts a beautiful collection of Svaneti culture items, including icons, jewelry, weaponry, houseware, etc. After saying goodbye to Svaneti we will head to Martvili Canyon. As we near our destination, we will pass local villages with charming yards which are unique to Georgia’s Samegrelo Region. Upon arrival, we will take a short boat ride through Martvili Canyon to one of nature's most marvelous creations, a steep and beautiful waterfall. Afterward we will enter the gorge from the other side on foot to admire the canyon waters from special viewing platforms and bridges, watching the water change color at every turn. This is the perfect place for selfies! Reach Kutaisi for overnight.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 7-8 hours
Driving distance: 225 km

Check out of the hotel to explore Kutaisi, capital of Imereti and one of the oldest cities in Georgia. Our tour will include visit to Bagrati Cathedral, a reconstructed monument of 11th century which is seated on top of a hill overlooking the entire town. We will walk through old and new streets of Kutaisi center stopping by shady Kutaisi Park with numerous sculptures, Colchis Fountain, Drama Theater, historical Green Bazaar where you can find dried and fresh fruits, nuts, spices, homemade jams and many more. We will stop by Okros Chardakhi, a residence of Imereti kings featured by a centuries old plane tree, Kutaisi Holy Annunciation temple, and by Synagogue, if you are interested.
We will then depart to Tbilisi (3 hours 30 min). Free evening in the city. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Driving distance: 220 km

Breakfast. Check-out of the hotel by noon. Free time until your transfer to Tbilisi International Airport. Departure. End of Extended Georgia Small Group Tour.

Marco Polo or similar

Best Western Kutaisi / Grand Opera / Newport

Lahili / Chalet Mestia / Sunset Terrace / Old House Mestia