Ten days, six regions, one country that never repeats itself. Begin in Tbilisi — cross the Bridge of Peace, breathe sulphur in the ancient bath district, stand above the old town at Narikala, then step outside the city to Jvari Monastery where two rivers meet below a cliff that has held a cross since the 6th century. Follow the Georgian Military Highway north to Mt. Kazbek and the Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 m. Head west across the plains — Stalin's birthplace in Gori, a 3,000-year-old cave city at Uplistsikhe — and descend into Imereti. Next comes the Samegrelo leg: an emerald boat ride through Martvili Canyon and the winding road along the Enguri reservoir into the mountains of Svaneti. Two nights in Mestia with its medieval Koshki tower-houses and a full day up to Ushguli, the highest permanently inhabited settlement in Europe, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The western chapter ends on the Black Sea: Batumi's subtropical botanical garden at Green Cape, the Makhuntseti waterfall and a Queen Tamar medieval bridge in the Adjara hills. Return to Tbilisi through Prometheus Cave, one of the longest illuminated cave systems in the world. Every stop is chosen to show you a different face of Georgia.
Day 1: Day 1 — Arrival in Tbilisi
Welcome to Georgia. Your driver meets you at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) with a name sign and transfers you to your boutique hotel in the historic centre. Depending on your arrival time, the evening is free for rest or we take you on a gentle orientation walk through the old town — the cobbled lanes of Fabrika quarter, the neon-lit terrace bars of Vera, and your first taste of a Georgian …
Day 2: Day 2 — Tbilisi City Tour + Mtskheta & Jvari Monastery
A full day discovering two UNESCO-listed sites within 30 km of each other. We begin in old Tbilisi: Narikala fortress rising above the rooftops, the Abanotubani sulphur bath domes steaming in the morning air, the Gabriadze Clock Tower whose hourly theatre has been charming locals for decades, and the Bridge of Peace — a glass-and-steel canopy spanning the Kura where old and new Tbilisi face each …
Day 3: Day 3 — Kazbegi Day Trip: Military Highway, Ananuri & Gergeti Trinity
One of the great mountain drives in the world. We leave Tbilisi early and follow the Georgian Military Highway — the ancient trade route to Russia — north along the Aragvi River valley. First stop: the turquoise Jinvali Reservoir framed by forested ridges. Ten minutes on brings us to Ananuri, a 17th-century riverside fortress with a pair of churches, a watchtower and stone relief carvings that gl…
Day 4: Day 4 — Tbilisi to Kutaisi: Stalin Museum, Uplistsikhe Cave City
We check out and drive west across Georgia's broad central plain. First stop Gori — the Stalin Museum is one of those places that defies easy description: the childhood home (preserved in a marble pavilion), the personal train wagon, the death mask, the propaganda posters. Controversial, fascinating, unmissable for anyone interested in 20th-century history. Ten minutes west we reach Uplistsikhe —…
Day 5: Day 5 — Kutaisi to Mestia: Martvili Canyon, Enguri Dam & Svaneti
The journey into Svaneti begins with a detour through Samegrelo that few visitors take time for. Martvili Canyon — a 2 km emerald gorge cut by the Abasha River through limestone — is explored on a flat-bottomed wooden boat that drifts past hanging vines and waterfalls in cool shadow. This is one of Georgia's most beautiful and still relatively uncrowded places. We continue north through Zugdidi t…
Day 6: Day 6 — Mestia to Ushguli & Back: Europe's Highest Village
Today belongs entirely to Upper Svaneti, one of the most isolated and unspoiled mountain communities on earth. We drive the unpaved track (4x4 required, roughly 45 km each way) through the Inguri River gorge, passing the hamlet of Adishi and its blue-painted church, to reach Ushguli — a cluster of four villages at 2,200 m, permanently inhabited since at least the 9th century, surrounded by mediev…
Day 7: Day 7 — Mestia to Batumi: Dendrology Park & Botanical Garden
A dramatic descent from the high Caucasus to the Black Sea coast — in a single day the landscape shifts from glacial peaks to subtropical palm groves. We leave Mestia in the morning and drive south through the Enguri gorge, passing the dam once more, then follow the Rioni lowlands to Zugdidi and the coast road. On the way into Batumi we stop at the Batumi Dendrology Park — one of the finest colle…
Day 8: Day 8 — Batumi City Tour, Makhuntseti Waterfall & Queen Tamar Bridge
Morning in Batumi: a stroll along Europe Square with its astronomical clock, the Art Nouveau arcades of Old Batumi, the kinetic Ali and Nino statue that slowly merges and separates every ten minutes, the Alphabetic Tower (a triple-helix of the Georgian script) and the Chacha Tower fountain — a working street fountain that dispenses chacha on certain holidays. After lunch we drive into the Adjara …
Day 9: Day 9 — Batumi to Tbilisi via Prometheus Cave
The final cross-country drive. We leave Batumi and head northeast through Imereti, stopping at Prometheus Cave near Tskhaltubo — a 1.4 km labyrinth of illuminated stalactite halls named for the Greek titan said to have been chained to a Caucasus peak. Six colour-lit chambers unfold in sequence: organ pipes of calcite, cascading flowstone curtains, rimstone pools and an underground river you can c…
Day 10: Day 10 — Departure from Tbilisi
After breakfast your driver collects you from the hotel and transfers you to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) in good time for your flight home. Saqartvelo gemshvidobit — farewell from Georgia. Ten days, six regions, one country that never stopped surprising you. We hope the Svaneti towers, the Gergeti silhouette and the smell of sulphur and wine will bring you back.
