Penguin Travel

Georgia is a distant, mysterious and romantic country full of legends. This is the land where Yazon found the Golden Fleece, where Prometei was nailed to the Kazbek rocks having stolen the fire from the gods and where the childless tribe of the Amazon has lived near Terek River. On the tour we visit the capital Tbilisi. In the narrow streets of the old town you will find a unique mixture of different cultures: churches built next to mosques, east-orthodox priests walking next to Armenian Jews and more. Further on we continue via the old capital Mtskheta on the old cut in the mountain road to the town of Gudauri, situated in the foot of the high peaks of Caucasus. We visit the cultural center of Georgia – Kutaisi. We stop to visit the unique cave city Uplistsikhe carved in the rocks in the early Christianity.
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Tour Highlights
The charming capital Tbilisi that has preserved its small-town tranquility; the numerous churches situated in picturesque spots throughout the country; Stalin’s birthplace, Gori; the awe-inspiring mountain views of the Caucasus Mountains.
 

Departure dates:
01 October 2010

Price without flight ticket:    920 EUR

Trip plan:
 

Day 1: Tbilisi
Arrival to Tbilisi, Transfer to your hotel for accommodation. Dinner in the traditional Georgian restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.
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Day 2: Tbilisi Sightseeing
Tbilisi sightseeing program – visit the Old and New Towns. The city offers a great variety of sights, most of them very ancient. All the places of interest in the Old Town are very close to each other, within a few minutes’ walk. We start our visit to Old Tbilisi from Metekhi Church (13th century), then walk to the Synagogue, Sioni Cathedral (6th-7th centuries) and Anchiskhati Church (6th century). Afterwards we drive up to Mother Georgia statue and walk down to Narikala Fortress (4th century) en route enjoying beautiful views of Old Town. Then we visit Sulphur Baths. This marks the end of the Old Town. In the afternoon visit the treasury of Georgian Art Museum before taking a stroll along Rustaveli Avenue – the main street in Tbilisi. Overnight at the hotel.
(B/-/D)

Day 3: Tbilisi – Mtskheta – Kutaissi
Today we visit the ancient capital and religious center of Georgia – Mtskheta and see its historical places: Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) where the Robe of Christ is buried. Both Jvari and Svetitskhoveli are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Afterwards continue to the land of the Golden Fleece – Imereti province in West Georgia. Imereti is an area of cool springs, green fields and beautiful gardens and its main town Kutaisi is the second largest in the country. The sights in and around Kutaisi are certainly worth visiting. The splendid Bagrati Cathedral ruins (11th century) and Gelati Monastery and Academy (12th century) are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Overnight and dinner in Kutaisi in a guesthouse with shared facilities.
(B/-/D)

Day 4: Kutaisi – Gori – Gudauri
From Kutaisi we drive along the Great Silk Road to the town of Gori. Photo stop at Stalin’s house and statue, then visit Uplistsikhe Cave Town (1st millennium BC) – one of the main points on the great east-west trade route. Once a flourishing city now offers a walk among the ancient streets, rock-carved theatre, royal halls and pharmacy, while the remains of granaries and large clay wine vessels give us some clue as to the daily life of the inhabitants. Then drive up the famous Georgian Military Highway in the Great Caucasus Mountains. On the way visit Ananuri architectural complex (17th century). The two churches and the fortress overlooks the Zhinvali reservoir. The drive is very scenic through high Caucasus Mountains. Dinner and overnight in a small hotel in Gudauri (2200m, ski resort).
(B/-/D)

Day 5: Gudauri – Kazbegi – Gudauri
Drive from Gudauri to Kazbegi – the main town in the region. We walk up for about 2 hours through beautiful valleys and forests to the Gergeti Trinity church (14th century) located on top of the mountain (2170m). Weather permitting we will also have a chance to enjoy the view of one of the highest glaciers of the Caucasus – Kazbegi (5047m). In the evening return in Gudauri.
(B/-/D)

Day 6: Gudauri – Bodbe – Signagi – Telavi
We travel to Kakheti – the famous wine-growing region. We visit Ninotsminda church in Bodbe (4th century.) and the fortified town of Signagi (18th century). The town preserved its original image and now offers visitors stunning views of the surrounding Caucasus Mountains. Continue to the farmer’s house to see a unique 300 year-old wine-cellar. We get acquainted with the Georgian way of wine-making, quite different from the European one and drink typical Georgian wine straight from the clay jars.
Accommodation in Telavi in a private guesthouse with shared facilities. Dinner at the guesthouse.
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Day 7: Telavi – Tbilisi
In the morning we will have an opportunity to visit a typical Georgian market in Telavi. Then we’ll drive to visit Alaverdi cathedral (11th century) and make foto-stop at Gremi fortification (16th century). Lunch with a Kakhetian family with home made dishes and wine. Drive to Tbilisi. Dinner in the traditional Georgian restaurant. Overnight in at the hotel.
(B/L/D)

Day 8: Departure
Transfer to the airport.
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Accommodation and food:
3* hotels, and guesthouses, as per programme above. Meals as per programme above: B=breakfast / L=lunch / D= dinner / "-" means no meal.
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Price of extra services
Single room supplement: EUR 125
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Things included in the price
Transport from Tbilisi airport to the hotel and back, accommodation and meals as mentioned above, transport and entrance fees mentioned in the program, English-speaking guide.
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Things excluded in the price
Flight tickets, meals not mentioned in the program, drinks and personal expenses, tips.
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Practical information
Most days include anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of riding in the bus. On day 5, a 2 hours' hike. The walk is not demanding and most people can handle it, but for those who would rather ride a car up, this is possible to arrange on spot (against an additional payment).
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Links to possible product continuation
This roundtrip in Georgia can be combined with a one-week roundtrip in Armenia. For this combined program tourists fly to/from the Armenian capital Yerevan. Please contact us for more information and a detailed itinerary for the Armenia + Georgia program.
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Group size
Our group departure usually includes 6-12 people, but if you are a min. of 2 people travelling together and wish to visit Georgia on an individual date, this is also possible (the price is a little higher than the price of the group tour). Please contact us for more information.
 

Rcommended travel period of the year:   September- October

Tour difficulty:   A 

No special experience is needed; everyone who is in condition to cope with long Saturday walks in the forest can also cope with these tours. As a rule, the trips are short and at a low altitude. Often, it is your choice to join or skip a day-tour. The routes follow a hilly terrain without steep ascents and descents. Normally we walk 3/5h a day.

Group Size:   6-12 pers.

Vacation Extensions:
Noah's Ark: A Tour of Armenia

Reservation System Code: GRG

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