Captivating Georgia

^from$ 1200

Duration	8 Days
Category	GASTRO
Season	May - October

Explore Georgia's stunning natural and cultural attractions

Explore Georgia's stunning natural and cultural attractions on a private tour

1 Day	TBILISI (distance: 20km) Arrival in Tbilisi where we’ll be welcomed by guide, transfer from the airport to hotel. Rest. Breakfast. Sightseeing to the beautiful capital city of Georgia: Tsminda Sameba (20th cent.), fortress of Narikala (6th - 8th cent.), Church Anchiskhati Basilica of St. Mary (5th - 6th cent.), Church Metekhi (13th cent.), Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral (11th -12th cent.), and the Tbilisi sulfur baths including the world famous Orbeliani Baths (19th cent.). Taking a gondola lift to see the monument of the Mother of a Georgian (20th cent.). Sightseeing the Tbilisi old town and monuments on Rustaveli Avenue: The Freedom Monument, the house of the former Parliament, theater, opera erected in oriental style, philharmonic hall, the Kashvetichurch (19th cent.), and old-time Palace of Caucasus Viceroy. Free time and dinner in restaurant with live music and dancing. Accommodation in Tbilisi hotel.
2 Day	TBILISI – ANANURI – GUDAURI – STEPANTSMINDA - TBILISI (distance: 306 km) Breakfast. We will go through the Georgian Military Road to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) to see an inactive volcano Mount Kazbek (5,033 m over the sea level). On the way to our destination we’ll admire a magnificent fortress of Ananuri(16th– 17thcent.) which is located on the large water reservoir Zhinvali and by off-road cars we’ll to go to the world famous Gergeti Trinity Church (2170 m above the sea level), from which the snow-capped peak of the Kazbek can be spotted. Return to Tbilisi. Dinner. Accommodation in Tbilisi hotel.
3 Day	TBILISI-MTSKHETA-GORI-UPLISTSIKHE-KUTAISI (distance: 230 km) Breakfast. We head to Mtskheta - the former capital of the Kingdom of Iberia, where we can admire monuments enlisted in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. We go up to the Jvarichurch (6th-7thcent.) with a breathtaking view on the city and two main rivers Mtkvari and Aragvi. The next place is the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11thcent.) famous for religious artifacts and impressive frescoes. Free time. Another destination is nunnery Samtavro (4thcent.) in which Georgian rulers who converted to Christianity in 337 on behalf of the whole country are buried. The plan is to visit a rocky city of Uplistsikhe (5th cent.) a former home for rulers and a center of pre-Christian cult. We’ll go to Gori a city famous for being a birthplace of Joseph Stalin. We go further through the Surami Pass in order to get to one of the oldest urban complexes in the world – Kutaisi (17th-15thcent. B.C.) to recognizable for legends about Jason and Prometheus. Dinner. Free time. Volunteers can take a walk to the city center to see theater and opera house and a fountain with reproduced sculptures which were found in Georgia 5,000 years ago. Accommodation in Kutaisi hotel.
4 Day	KUTAISI-GELATI-THE CAVE OF PROMETHEUS-BATUMI (distance: 179 km) Breakfast. Sightseeing a present-day headquarters of the Georgian Parliament (since 2012) and the Bagrati Cathedral (6thcent., reconstructed in the 20thcent.), the Gelati Monastery (12th – 13th cent.) with its three churches and Gelati Academy in which studied prolific Georgian and Greek philosophers. Moreover, the king David IV of Georgia (known as David the Builder) was buried in that place. The last attraction is the Cave of Prometheus. We’ll go to Batumi - a seaside city located on the Black Sea coast. We’ll go to the charming Botanical Garden (19th cent.). Dinner in restaurant. Free time. Evening concert with dancing fountains. Accommodation in Batumi hotel.
5 Day	BATUMI-SARPI-GONIO (distance: 20 km) After breakfast free time for sun baths and swimming, walks across the seaside boulevard where you can see harbor and the impressive Alphabetic Tower – an impressive sculpture depicting Georgian alphabet. Coffee break, free time. We go off to Sarpi, the westernmost point of Georgia located near the border with Turkey overlooking the mosque with minaret. On the way back, we can admire Gonio-Apsaros (2nd cent. B.C.), the Roman fortress. Dinner in Batumi. Accommodation in Batumi hotel.
6 Day	BATUMI-BORJOMI-AKHALTSIKHE (distance: 326 km) Breakfast. We head to Akhaltsikhe, which used to be headquarters for Russian army in tsarist times. Another attraction is the SPA resort town of Borjomi. Then, we take a walk across Borjomi Central Park (20thcent.) to taste this exquisite, sanative water directly from the spring. Dinner in restaurant. Accommodation in Akhaltsikhe hotel.
7 Day	AKHALTSIKHE-VARDZIA-TBILISI (distance: 327 km) Breakfast. The first destination is the medieval architectural phenomenon: the town of Vardzia (12th – 13th cent.) - a cave monastery excavated in mountains at the height of 1,300 m above the sea level. We’ll go sightseeing Khertvisi fortress (2nd – 12th cent.) which was said to be destroyed by Alexander the Great and a medieval slave market. A small coffee break and return to Tbilisi. Dinner in restaurant. Accommodation in Tbilisi hotel.
8 Day	DEPARTURE Preparation for departure. Dry provisions for breakfast. Transfer to airport.

Accommodation: 7 nights at the hotel on twin/double sharing basis
Board: two meals a day – hotel breakfasts and substantial dinners in restaurants serving Georgian and European cuisine
Transfer to / from hotel to airport
wine and Chacha tasting, entrance to each and every chargeable places
culinary workshops and visiting places tourists usually don’t go to.
International flights
Tips and gratuities
Any personal expenses
Any services not included in the above itinerary

Cancellation policy

Payments & Cancellations

When you book a reservation for a Product through the Website, Steppe and Sky collects your payment information and processes your payment as described below under "Payment Processing". Steppe and Sky accepts the following credit cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Express. Also Steppe and Sky travel can issue invoices to your name. Full payment by credit or debit card is required to make a reservation.

No refunds are available once a tour or service has commenced, or in respect of any package, accommodation, meals or any other services utilized.

If you wish to cancel a reservation made via the Website, the supplier's cancellation policy contained in the applicable product listing will apply to, and govern the terms of, your cancellation and any refunds. When canceling a booking, you will be notified via email the total refund amount you will receive, if any.

The standard cancellation policy for Customers is:

a 90 % refund for cancellations made at least 15 days in advance of the start date of the experience. (Except for the tours to Baikonur Cosmodrome, see point 1)
a 60% refund for cancellations made later than at least 15 days in advance of the start date of experience. Unless the Customer could not inform the Steppe and Sky travel due to the force-majeure reasons.
Cancellations made within 48 hours of the start date of the experience will receive no refund.
In case of no-show the Customer will receive no refund.
For the tours to Baikonur Cosmodrome the following penalties apply:

1 a 90% refund for cancellations made after the payment is made before the permission from Roscosmos State Corporation is received.

2. a 80% refund in case of cancellation of the tour after receiving permission to visit the Cosmodrome Baikonur by Roscosmos , regardless of the time.

3. a 0% refund for cancellations made 14 days prior to the tour start.

4. a 80% refund in case when Roscosmos refuses the Customer in permission to visit the spaceport (Cosmodrome Baikonur),

5. a 80% refund is applicable when Roscosmos either transfers or cancels the launch of the spacecraft, unless the Customer chooses to use the tour package of ‘between launches’ period, in this case the cost of the tour is recalculated and the difference is transferred to the account of the Customer.

The value of the transaction may be subject to taxes, duties, foreign transaction, currency exchange or other fees. Your bank or credit or debit card company may convert the payment into the local currency and charge fees, resulting in differences between the amount displayed on Steppe and Sky Travel and the final amount charged to your bank account or credit or debit card statement. Please contact your bank or card company if you have any questions concerning any applicable conversion or fees.