Georgia behind Folk
(11 days)
Day 1: TBILISI – Arrive in Tbilisi. Transfer in hotel. Overnight in Tbilisi hotel.
Day 2: TBILISI – City tour in Tbilisi. Visit Sameba (Holy Trinity Cathedral) – the largest religious building in Georgia and South Caucasus. Called as “Millennium Building”. Visit Metekhi church of Holy Virgin, located on the left bank of the river Mtkvari. On the cliff plateau (5th – 13th c). Abanotubani – the Sulphur Baths Tbilisi was named after the natural sulphur springs in this area. Narikala Castle, an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi. The fortress was established in the 4th century. Royal palace was resided here. Visit of the Art Museum of Georgia. Dinner in Georgian Restaurant. Visit Anchiskhati Basilica and Sioni Cathedral,the oldest surviving Georgian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi. Built in the 5th-6th centuries. Walk on the street Rustaveli. Dinner and overnight in Tbilisi hotel.
Day 3: TBILISI / SIGHNAGHI / TELAVI– Depart to the region Kakheti. Visit Bodbe Monastery nestled among tall Cypress trees on a steep hillside overlooking the Alazani Valley, where it commands views of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. St. Nino grave, the 4th-century female evangelist of Georgians, whose relics are buried there. Lunch in Sighnaghi, town of Kakheti. Visit Sighnaghi Museum – exhibits paintings by the famous painter Niko Pirosmani. Continuation of visit Tsinandali – a village in Kakheti, noted for the estate and its historic winery which once belonged to the 19th-century aristocratic poet Alexander Chavchavadze. Visit of the Museum of Alexander Chavchavadze. Dinner and overnight in Telavi hotel.
Day 4: TELAVI/TBILISI – In the morning visit the city of Telavi and the small palace Ereklé II then tasting lunch in the vineyard where can have the class master prepare the Georgian bread Shoti. Back to Tbilisi. On the road visit Chuamta convent of XVI century. Arrival, dinner and overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 5: TBILISI / MTSKHETA / KAZBEGUI – Departure to Mtskheta- the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC – 5th century AD. Visit of Svetitskhoveli, Georgian Orthodox cathedral, known as the burial site of Christ’s mantle. Built in the 11 th century. It is the second largest church building in the country and is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit of Jvari Monastery Georgian Orthodox monastery of the 6th century (UNESCO World Heritage site). It stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. The rout continues to Stepantsminda which is known for its scenic location in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, and is a canter for trekkers and mountain climbing. Discover folk local of the region Khevi. Dinner and overnight in Kazbegui
Jour 6 : KAZBEGUI / TBILISSI – In the morning visit of Gergeti Trinity Church, situated on the right bank of the river Chkheri (the left tributary of the river Terek), at an elevation of 2170 meters, under Mount Kazbegi. The Church was built in the 14th century, and is the only cross-cupola church in Khevi province. Lunch in Kazbegi. Return to Tbilisi and stop in Ananuri, a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Georgia. Built in the 17 th century. It comprises a tower, small church, big temple and a bell-tower. It overlooks the artificial reservoir of Zhinvali. Possibility see folk performence.Dinner and overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 7: TBILISI / GORI / KUTAISI –Depart to Imerethi, region situated on the west of Georgia. Stop in Gori and visit of rock-town of Uplistsikhe, identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia (possibility visit museum of Stalin in Gori). Departure to Kutaisi. Visit of Bagrati cathedral in Kutaisi. Dinner and overnight in Kutaisi
Day 8 : KUTAISI / GELATI / MESTIA – Visit of Monastery of Gelati. It contains the Church of the Virgin founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder in 1106, and the 13th-century churches of St George and St Nicholas. Depart to Mestia, located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. It`s a highland town let in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of 1.500 meters in the Caucasus Mountains. Dinner and overnight in Mestia
Day 9 : MESTIA / USHGULI/MESTIA – Visiting Svaneti History-Ethnography Museum (Mestia, Svaneti) The Museum situates in the regional center of Svaneti Mestia and was established in 1936 as a Local Museum. Collections of the Svaneti Museum are: archaeological collections, engraved and painted icons, manuscripts, armor, metalwork, wooden ethnographical objects. Trip to Ushguli. A community of villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Upper Svaneti. Altitude claims for Ushguli villages vary from 2086 to 2200 metre and it is sometimes referred to as the highest village in Europe. The Ushguli Chapel located on a hilltop near the village dates back to the twelfth century. Return in Mestia. Possibility see folk performence. Dinner and overnight in Mestia.
Day 10 : MESTIA / ZUGDIDI / BATOUMI – Departure to Zugdidi and visit of Dadiani Palace Museum (Zugdidi, Samegrelo region). Dadiani was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo. Today the museum exhibits to 41000 rare specimens of Georgian national culture. Also here is exhibited one of the three death masks of Napoleon. Lunch in restaurant local. Departure to Batumi and visit of Botanical Garden. Batumi Botanical Garden, located at the place called Mtsvane Kontskhi (“The Green Cape”) on the Black Sea shore; it is one of the largest botanical gardens in the former Soviet Union. Currently, the garden consists of nine floristic sectors, those of Caucasian humid subtropics, East Asia, New Zealand, South America, the Himalayas, Mexico, Australia, and of the Mediterranean. The garden collection comprises 2037 units of ligneous plants, including 104 of Caucasian origin. Dinner and overnight in Batumi
Day 11: BATOUMI / TBILISI – Morning departure to Tbilisi. On the road visit Monastery of Ubissa, dedicated to St. George and built X s. Lunch on the road. Arrival in Tbilisi late afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 12: TBILISI – Transfer to airport and departure from Tbilisi.
