Welcome to Georgia! 

Arrival Day!

After a comfortable 45-minute drive from the airport to Guest House Dream View you will check into your room, meet your hosts Koni and Dali Brandle and have a light breakfast.

Our first hike

There will be time to relax before lunch and our first hike through the nearby Zedazeni Forest.

Travel time to start of hike:20 minutes

Duration of hike: 2 hours

Visit to Ateni Valley

We will start with an early breakfast before setting off for the Ateni Valley and the city of Gori*.

Our hike takes us through the valleys and forests of Shida Kartli. We’ll take a packed lunch to eat during the hike. We’ll have a relaxing finish to the hike with a wine tasting at Nika Vachneishvili’s Winery.

Travel time to start of hike: 1 hour

Duration of Hike: 4.5 hours

* Ateni Valley is close to the city of Gori which was the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. If the group is interested, we can also visit the Stalin Museum and Gori Castle.

Tbilisi Tour

No trip to Georgia is complete without a visit to Georgia’s historic capital city Tbilisi. 

With our knowledgeable guide we’ll visit the old town and hear stories of Tbilisi’s illustrious past. Parts of Tbilisi date back to its founding by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in  the 5th Century. Visit an ancient caravanserai which now houses a photo exhibition of old Tbilisi and a wine museum.

We’ll have lunch in a local restaurant and taste some of Georgia’s most well-known dishes.

After lunch we’ll take the Funicular railway to get a panoramic view of Tbilisi and then take a leisurely hike along the mountain ridge to the famous Mother of Georgia statue and the Tbilisi Botanical Gardens. 

Total hiking time approximately 2 hours.

 We’ll have dinner in a local restaurant overlooking the River Mtkvari and enjoy Georgian singing and dancing as the restaurant has its own evening entertainment programme.

Travel time from Saguramo to city centre: 1 hour

Visit to Stepantsminda

We’ll make an early start to visit Georgia’s second highest mountain Mount Kazbeg in the village of Stepantsminda. The journey will take about 3 hours and we’ll stop for photos along the way as the drive takes us through some of Georgia’s most stunning scenery.

When we arrive in Stepantsminda we’ll hike up to Gergeti Church and enjoy spectacular views of Mount Kazbeg and the imperious Caucasus mountain range.

The hike is approximately 10km in total and quite steep. For those who don’t want to hike up it is also possible to drive.

We’ll have lunch at the best khinkali restaurant in town before making our way back to Saguramo.

Travel time to start of hike: 3 hours

Duration of Hike: 3 hours

Visit to Birtvisi Canyon

Today’s trip takes us to Birtvisi Canyon, a two- hour drive east of Tbilisi. The hike is quite challenging and involves a scramble up to Birtvisi Fortress- famous for holding out against the advancing Mongols in the 13 century.

We’ll take a packed lunch with us as the location is quite remote.

Travel time to Birtvisi: 2 hours

Duration of Hike: 4 hours

In the evening we’ll enjoy some live Georgian music.

Bazaleti Lake Hike

Located approximately 45 minutes from Saguramo is Bazaleti Lake. We’ll enjoy a hike near Bazaleti Lake and the surrounding forest area and have lunch with a local family in a homely setting.

Afterwards we’ll return to Saguramo and relax by the pool before visiting Saguramo’s local winery, Marani Sevsamora, for wine tasting followed by a light dinner at the guest house.

Travel time to start of hike: 45 minutes

Duration of hike: 3 hours

Visit to Rkoni

During our hike we’ll visit the Rkoni Monastery and King Tamar’s Bridge.

When we return to Saguramo we will learn the secrets of Georgian cooking with our hostess Dali.

Dali will show you how to make some of Georgia’s most famous dishes and the best part- we get to eat them afterwards!

Travel time to Rkoni:1 hour 40 minutes

Duration of Hike: 3 hours

Zedazeni Monastery to Mamkoda

Today’s hike is a bit closer to home in the Tbilisi National Park so we can have a relaxed breakfast before heading off for a hike in the national park and a visit to the beautiful Zedazeni Monastery. We’ll take a packed lunch but be back in time for a swim in the pool.

This is our longest hike (14km) so we will make an early start. This is not an A to A hike, we will be dropped off at Zedazeni Monastery and picked up in Mamkoda.

Travel time to start of hike: 20 minutes

Duration of Hike: 6 hours

Algeti National Park

The picturesque village of Manglisi is situated in Algeti National Park about 1.75 hours from Saguramo. We’ll have a hike through some stunning countryside and a chance to see wildflowers and some interesting birdlife.

On the return journey we will visit the old capital of Georgia, Mskheta and Jvari Monastery.

On our return to the guest house, we can relax by the pool before dinner.

Travel time to start of hike: 1 hour 50 minutes

Duration of Hike: 3 hours

Teddy Bear’s Picnic!

Our tour is closer to home as it’s our last day. We’ll visit the Bear Sanctuary which is home to approximately 20 Caucasian bears who have been rescued from zoos and enclosures across Georgia. Originally from the mountainous region of Racha these impressive animals were often forced to live in small cages at restaurants or zoos. The sanctuary is also home to a small pack of wolves.

We’ll have a hike in Buriani Zaqaro and then a BBQ in the countryside.

We’re not far from home so after the BBQ we’ll return to Saguramo to relax by the pool and enjoy our last sunset.

We’ll have a light dinner later in the evening.

Travel time to start of hike: 20 minutes

Duration of Hike: 1 hour

Farewell! ნახვამდის!

Our tour has come to a close but we hope to see you again! We’ll have an early morning transfer to Tbilisi Airport to catch the British Airways flight.

Until next time!