Arrive in Tbilisi Airport. Meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. Free evening in Tbilisi. 

*Optional Tbilisi City Tour 

Tbilisi City Tour starts from the hotel. All main attractions are nearby: Metekhi Church of 13th c. located on the bank of Mtkvari River. Ride up to Narikala Fortress by the aerial cable car. Narikala fortress dates back to 4th century AD, it has a superb location with magnificent panoramic views over the Tbilisi city. Stroll down to Legvtakhevi (translated literally as “Fig Ravine”) – a beautiful place with waterfall, blooming plants and a small river. Take a walk in the park near Sulfur bathhouses, well-known for their healing powers, Shardeni street, its neighborhood and Meidan square with its outdoor cafes, galleries and souvenir shops. Cross the Bridge of Peace – a modern glass bridge in high-tech style. Visit Flea Market at Dry Bridge where you can buy the souvenirs and handicraft. Free time on Rustaveli Avenue. 

Overnight in Tbilisi.  

Driving: 267 km (6h 25 m)

After Breakfast at the hotel meeting with  car rental car and pick up. 

Firstday is a long way. Suggested time to start a day is 9:00. Drive 100 km to the South-West and if weather will be suitable  stop at Dashbashi Canyon- one of the most beautiful natural landmarks in the country. Its height is 1100-1500 meters and length is 8 km. On the way to Tsalka take another break at the lake Paravani and visit St. Nino monastery Foka. Here you can buy artisan cheese and chocolate made by nuns. 

Pass picturesque villages and turn to the North in Ninotsminda towards Ktsia-Tabatskuri Managed Reserve. Drive Tskhratskaro pass (2.471m) and before reaching Bakuriani, don’t slip to visit Tabatskuri alpine lake. 

Arrive in Bakuriani skiing resort (1650m) for dinner and overnight.  

 *Optional Dashbashi canyon, per person price 49$

Driving: 1 hr 37 min (75.0 km) 

Breakfast at the hotel.  This day is relaxing. Drive to the Spa city Borjomi, which served as Russian King’s Romanov family residence during the Tsarist rule over Georgia. It was designed by the architect Leon Benois for Grand Duke Nicholas in late 1800s.

Have a nice walk in Borjomi Central Park. At the entrance, nearby, there is mini-Georgia and main spring of Borjomi water. If you walk up to the end of the forested pass behind the park, you will be rewarded by opportunity to swim a sulfur outdoor pool in the middle of the nature.

Drive one more hour to Akhaltsikhe, the administrative town of Samtskhe-Javakheti region. The main attraction in the city is Rabati district and medieval Castle overlooking the area. Visit history museum located inside the fortress. Tour will take about 30 minutes.

Overnight in Akhaltsikhe 

6 hr 45 min (208 km) 

Breakfast at the hotel.  

In the morning visit the first alpine observatory in former Soviet Union  - Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory. Being distant from the air pollution and sky illumination, on the altitude 1770 m, there are unique atmospheric conditions for observations. 

Drive to the seaside resort Batumi via Goderdzi pass-a merging link of Adjara and Samtskhe-Javakheti. Follow the way towards Khulo and Keda municipalities and have a rest at Makhuntseti waterfall-one of the highest waterfalls in Adjara, surrounded by pristine and unaltered nature, particularly intriguing for eco tourists. While being at the waterfall it is also possible to visit nearby tourist attractions, including an ancient Makhuntseti stone Bridge, Adjarian wine house and private wine cellars scattered throughout Keda Municipality.

Three kilometers before entering Batumi, you can  make a stop and visit very interesting ethnographical museum (outdoor and indoor) displaying handmade wooden models of mountain villages of Adjara, the region you drive through today. The human size models show domestic life of locals in 19th c. Name of the place is Borjgalo.

Arrive in Batumi and check in to the hotel.  

*Optional: Abastumani Observatory- per person price 10GEL

5 hr 22 min (259 km)  

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Walking in Batumi, visit Europe Square, Alphabet tower, Batumi's Lighthouse, statues of mythological Medea, kinetic sculpture of Ali and Nino. Have a relaxing morning at Batumi Boulevard. 

Depart from Batumi at noon and make a trip to Svaneti, with a visit to the small town of Jvari on the way. Jvari is situated in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, about 40 kilometers away from Zugdidi, and is a well-known tourist spot due to its natural beauty and historical sites. Along the route to the Becho village, take a break to see the Enguri dam.

Drive to Svaneti and reach Becho.

Dinner and Overnight in Becho

41 min (21.9 km) 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Morning trek is available to the Shdugra waterfall (4 km one way). Beautiful pass! 

Start the mountain road journey to Mestia – an administrative center of Svaneti. Pass village Latali, containing churches decorated with medieval frescos and murals. Arrive in Mestia.

Visit Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, which houses old Georgian manuscripts, ethnographic and archaeological items, Georgian Orthodox icons painted in Svanetian style, etc. You can visit to the tower and house museum of Margiani as a optional acitivity. In this tower-museum visitors can take a look at local dwelling – “Machubi”, and get introduced to the traditional lifestyle of the Svans. 

Dinner and overnight in Mestia. 

45 km (1. 30 min) 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Explore Upper Svaneti and drive to Ushguli village – the highest continually inhabited places in Europe. The whole village with its four districts (Zhibiani, Chvibiani or Chubiani, Chazhashi or Chajashi &  Murqmeli) and 88 self-defensive towers are included in UNESCO World Heritage Site. The way to Ushguli is partly paved, but very narrow and picturesque. In winter the area is not in an accessible for 6-8 month as snow cover is high and it is blocking the way. 

During the day visit ancient villages: Mulakhi, Ipari and Kala and see the small churches beautifully painted by local masters in 9th 13th cc.  Stop by Lamaria church in Ushguli - a sacred place for locals. Walk to the glacier Shkhara (5 193 m) – the Caucasus Mountains are set as a background. Roaring river Enguri starts its streams from here.

Dinner and overnight in Ushguli.  

148 km (4h 50min)

Breakfast at the guesthouse

Check out and start driving to the most epic road through Zagaro pass (2.620m) toward Lower Svaneti town Lentekhi. The road (94 km) is totally unpaved, muddy, narrow and really tough. Periods of much rain makes the road undrivable. Experienced driver and 4x4WD is essential. About 5 hours and more is necessary to cover it.  

Arrive in Ambrolauri - a small town with a population of 2,000 people located 550 m above sea level. Locals here are known for winemaking traditions and dedication to hard work. You will see the monument of a wine bottle Khvanchkara (famous semi-sweet red wine, regarded as favourite drink of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin) standing in the center of  the town center. 

Dinner and overnight in Ambrolauri.

76,4 km (1h 40 min) 

Breakfast at the hotel.  In the morning make a tour around: visit Barakoni - an Orthodox Church of the Mother of God built in 1753, one of the last important monuments representing medieval Georgian architecture. The church is located near the town of Ambrolauri, in the Tsesi village on top of a steep cliff and overlooks Rioni River which joins the Lukhuni River just below the mountain. 

Visit Ambrolauri Museum of Fine Arts, which houses over 550 paintings of Georgian artists of early 20th c (Ucha Japaridze, Lado Gudiashvili, Elene Akhvlediani, Kakabadze, Varazi, and others).

Drive to Kutaisi. On the way make a short stop at Nikortsminda Cathedral (1010-1014), famous for beautiful stone caring ornaments and ancient frescoes. 

Next stop at Shaori Lake for pictures. 

Kutaisi city, former capital of Georgian kingdom Imereti -is famous for its hospitality, delicious cuisine and very popular cheese pie called as Imeretian Khachapuri. Visit farmer’s market and UNESCO world heritage site Bagrati Cathedral. 

The ruins of the residence of the royal dynasty of Bagrationi (11th c) have been preserved. Several archaeological layers are revived under the 3rd, 8th and 11th centuries. The complex is located in the city center on a hilltop and surrounded by a Roman citadel.

Overnight in Kutaisi.  

283 km (4h 47 min) 

Breakfast at the hotel.  Check out and departure for Tbilisi. 

First, visit a small miner’s town Chiatura. Chiatura was considered as a “heartland of Soviet industry” and became prominent for a network of ancient macabre rusty cable cars built to ferry the town’s manganese miners across its green valley.

Continue the tour to the village Katskhi and see a natural limestone Katskhi Pillar - approximately 40 metres high monolith is located on the way of Chiatura- Sachkhere. It overlooks the small river valley and belongs to the monastery complex. At the base of the pillar are the newly built church of Simeon Stylites and ruins of an old wall and belfry. 

Evening arrive in Tbilisi for overnight. 

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Airport.