Tour Overview
| Duration | 12 Days / 11 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Georgia — The Ultimate Grand Tour |
| Price From | $3,295 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Expedition / Off-the-Beaten-Path |
| Data Source | TourRadar — 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1-2: Tbilisi & Mtskheta
Arrival in Tbilisi, welcome dinner with folk show. Day 2: Mtskheta (Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral), Gori (Stalin Museum, Uplistsikhe Cave City). Evening wine tasting of qvevri wines. Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 3-4: Tusheti — Georgia’s Last Wilderness
Drive the infamous Abano Pass (2,850m) — one of Europe’s most dangerous roads, only open June-September. Arrive in Tusheti, Georgia’s most remote region — a pristine alpine wilderness with stone villages, fortified towers, and semi-nomadic shepherds. Day 4: Full day of hiking and village visits — meet Tushetian shepherds making guda cheese in mountain huts, taste Tusheti’s wild honey. Overnight in Omalo.
Day 5: Kakheti Wine Country
Return from Tusheti. Drive to Kakheti. Visit a qvevri winery, the Tsinandali Estate (19th-century noble palace and gardens), and Sighnaghi. Wine tasting paired with traditional Kakhetian dishes. Overnight in Telavi.
Day 6: David Gareja & Udabno Monastery
Visit the David Gareja Monastery complex — 6th-century cave monasteries carved into the cliffs of a semi-desert on the Azerbaijan border. Walk the narrow ridge path that IS the border — one step Azerbaijan, one step Georgia. Continue to Udabno (literally “desert”), a surreal landscape of rainbow-colored badlands. Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 7: Borjomi & Rabati Castle
Drive to Borjomi, a historic spa town. Taste the famous Borjomi mineral water straight from the source in the national park. Continue to Akhaltsikhe and the Rabati Castle — a magnificently restored 9th-century fortress that tells Georgia’s multicultural story with its Orthodox church, mosque, synagogue, and citadel all within the walls. Overnight in Akhaltsikhe.
Day 8: Vardzia — The Cave City
Full day at Vardzia, Georgia’s most extraordinary site. This is a 12th-century cave monastery city — 13 tiers, over 400 rooms, carved into the sheer cliff of the Erusheti Mountain. Queen Tamar (Georgia’s greatest monarch) commissioned it. Explore the Church of the Dormition with its remarkable 12th-century frescoes, the monk cells, refectories, and the secret tunnel system. Afternoon drive through the dramatic landscapes of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Overnight in Akhaltsikhe.
Day 9: Svaneti — Mestia
Long but spectacular drive to Mestia in Svaneti. Pass through the Enguri Dam, the world’s second-highest concrete arch dam. Arrive in Svaneti — medieval stone towers silhouetted against 5,000m peaks. Evening walk through Mestia’s tower-studded lanes. Overnight in Mestia.
Day 10: Ushguli & Svan Towers
4×4 to Ushguli (2,200m), Europe’s highest village and a UNESCO treasure. Walk among the medieval towers, meet Svan families, try kubdari bread. Afternoon hike to the Shkhara Glacier viewpoint. Svan supra with polyphonic singing. Overnight in Mestia.
Day 11: Batumi — The Black Sea
Drive from Svaneti to the Black Sea coast. Pass through Zugdidi and the lush subtropical lowlands of Samegrelo. Arrive in Batumi, Georgia’s glamorous seaside city. Afternoon walk along the Batumi Boulevard, see the Ali and Nino moving statue, and the futuristic Alphabet Tower. Sunset on the Black Sea. Farewell dinner with Adjarian khachapuri — the boat-shaped cheese bread with egg and butter. Overnight in Batumi.
Day 12: Depart Batumi
Morning at the Batumi Botanical Garden — one of the world’s largest, with plants from nine phyto-geographic zones. Transfer to Batumi International Airport. Mshvidobit — peace!
Inclusions
- 11 nights (boutique hotels, mountain guesthouses)
- Daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 6 dinners
- 4×4 transport to Tusheti & Ushguli
- English-speaking guide
- All wine tastings
- All monastery and site entrance fees
Why Hidden Georgia
- Tusheti — reached only by a road most drivers refuse: Georgia’s last true wilderness
- Vardzia — a 12th-century city carved INTO a cliff: 13 tiers, 400 rooms of Queen Tamar’s masterpiece
- David Gareja — walk the razor’s edge border with Azerbaijan atop a 6th-century cave monastery
- Batumi — where the Caucasus meets the sea: Georgia’s subtropical Black Sea coast
- Complete Georgia — this route covers every corner of the country, from desert to glacier to sea
