Cycling in Georgia

Arrive in Tbilisi and transfer to the hotel. There are no planned activities for today, as most flights from London are scheduled to arrive in the very early hours of tomorrow morning. Please note that we cannot guarantee that your hotel room will be ready for immediate check in if arriving on an early morning flight this morning.

If you would like an airport transfer today, you will need to arrive into Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), which is a half hour drive from the hotel. Stay: Hotel KMM (Comfortable)

Our Leader plans to meet you after breakfast in the hotel reception at 8:30am for the welcome meeting followed by an exploration of Georgia's cosmopolitan capital city on foot. We start our visit in the old quarter at the Church of Metekhi, before continuing through narrow lanes past cafes and restaurants to the Synagogue, Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Church. We continue, now in the newer part of town taking a stroll along Rustaveli Avenue, where we can admire the architecture of many grand buildings that line Tbilisi's main street. We take the cable car to Narikala Fortress overlooking the city, from there we walk down to the brick-domed Sulphur baths. This afternoon we drive for about an hour to Mtskheta, the spiritual capital of Georgia. Here we visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, founded on the site chosen by St. Nino as the place for the first church in Georgia, and Jvari Monastery (6th century) - both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Later we return to Tbilisi for the evening.

No cycling today. Stay: Hotel KMM (Comfortable) (B)

Leaving the capital this morning, we drive for about an hour back to Mtskheta. Before we start our first cycle ride there will be some time for fitting to ensure all are happy with our bikes and to make any minor adjustments. Our cycle route follows the Mtkvari river and the valley opens up the more we ride. There is passing traffic near the villages and towns we pass through, especially for the first part of the route and the traffic thins out in the second half of the ride. We plan to stop along the way for a picnic lunch before we reach our destination in the cave town of Uplistsikhe. Here an entire town of streets, churches, palaces and residential buildings has been carved into the mountainside. Dating from the first millennium BC, it gradually grew to be an important city on the Silk Road trade route. After exploring what remains of this unusual place we drive on for about 30 minutes on to Gori where we spend the night. Gori is the birthplace of Stalin and it is possible to visit his family home, train and statue.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 61 kilometres/9.9 mile (total 640 metres/2100 feet accumulated ascent and 520 metres/1706 feet descent). Stay: Georgia Gold Hotel (Comfortable) (B/L)

After breakfast we drive a short distance out of town where today's ride begins. The cycle route follows Mtkvari Gorge until Kareli town, after which we continue to Dzama Gorge. Along the way we will pass villages and small settlements. There is relatively light traffic on the route. At around the halfway point we detour to cycle up into the hills covered in forest to visit Kintsvisi Monastery - a Georgian cultural heritage site famous for it's beautiful frescos. The route until this point is mainly undulating or flat but as we approach the monastery the route becomes increasing uphill and the majority of today's total ascent is on this climb. After visiting the site and enjoying a break we continue our route with a lovely long descent before some more undulations and flat, through villages and across the valley, to the main highway where we finish the ride in Osiauri village. Finally we drive for about an 1.5 hours to Akhaltsikhe where we stay in our first family run Georgian guesthouse. Georgian cuisine is famously good with influences from Asia, Europe and the Middle East. There are a variety of vegetarian dishes but many dishes are meat based. Food and wine are central to Georgian culture and feasts can last for hours where the role of the toastmaster is important.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 65 kilometres/40.4 mile (total 790 metres/2592 feet accumulated ascent and 735 metres/2412 feet descent). Stay: Marinas Guesthouse (Comfortable) (B/L/D)

The ride today tackles a few more hills and takes us through beautiful landscape to one of Georgia's most significant sites, the cave town of Vardzia. Our route follows the Mtkvari River upstream for the entire day. The first 48 kilometer/29.8 mile of today's ride, until we reach Khertvisi fort, is along the road that leads to Turkey and Armenia and there are some trucks and articulated lorries in the passing traffic. The start of the ride has gentle ascents and descents until after the dam when these become more pronounced. We will stop to view Khertvisi fort from the outside before carrying on the final 17 kilometer/10.6 mile on a quieter, undulating road with some steeper and longer ascents to finally reach Vardzia. We will check into our family run guesthouse and have a very late lunch on arrival before exploring this remarkable site later in the afternoon. Bigger and more dramatic than Uplistsikhe, Vardzia was cut into a cliff face by King Giorgi III in the 12th century as a stronghold against the Turkish Sultanate (the Turkish border is only 10 kilometer/6.2 mile away). Vardzia was subsequently developed by his daughter Queen Tamar, who created a cave monastery that became a centre of Georgian culture. This network of caves once numbered 3000, with up to 19 tiers in some places. Much of it was destroyed after a huge earthquake in 1456 and only about 600 chambers survive. There are numerous churches, meeting halls, refectories and wine cellars, all interconnected by tunnels and stairways.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 65 kilometres/40.4 mile (total 870 metres2854 feet accumulated ascent and 560 metres/1837 feet descent). Stay: Valodias Cottage (Comfortable) (B/L/D)

We start the day with a drive of about 2.5 hours to Lake Paravani where we get on the bikes. Georgia's largest lake is located on the treeless plains of the Javakheti Plateau, known locally for their harsh winters where temperatures can reach 30 degrees below zero. In summer this area of lakes and nature attracts many birds and you can see crane nests in the villages. Our first 5 kilometer/3.1 mile are spent riding across this impressive landscape before a sweeping descent on smooth tarmac leads us towards Tsalka, and the route flattens out with small ups and downs and some sections of road with potholes and broken tarmac. After a break to visit the small local market in Tsalka our route ascends out of town and we plan to stop for a picnic lunch with views. The roads are quieter in the morning for the first 30 kilometer/18.6 mile and then become a bit busier after Tsalka. There is a short and steep descent after lunch, into more forested hills, then flat before a long descent to the end point of the ride. Although we climb a few hills the general tendency today is downhill. At the end of the ride we drive for about 1.5 hours back to Tbilisi.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 74 kilometres/46 mile (total 520 metres/1706 feet accumulated ascent and 1700 metres/5578 feet descent). Stay: Hotel KMM (Comfortable) (B/L)

Travelling east from the capital this morning we drive for about 1.5 hours through forested countryside into the central mountains. Back on our bikes we start our ascent of the Gombori Pass, the most challenging part of the holiday. The first few kilometres/mile are gentling ascending through the trees and the final 10 kilometer/6.2 mile of the ascent is steep with some very pronounced sections. It isn't a race and the support vehicle is available today (and every day) in case anybody wants to opt out of the uphill. There will be passing traffic throughout the ride today. Our efforts are rewarded with fine views from the Gombori Pass (1620 meter/5315 feet) and there is a short trail leading to a viewpoint above the café. We plan to have our picnic lunch here before starting a long descent through the woodland into Kakheti, Georgia's wine region, with the Caucuses looming beautifully ahead of us. We drive the steep final 3 kilometer/1.9 mile (optional cycle) to our guesthouse overlooking Telavi, a small town in the foothills of the Tsiv-Gombori mountain range. Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, has been producing wine for over 8000 years and the traditions of wine are inseparable from the national identity. We spend the next few days discovering more about Georgian wine. This afternoon we visit a local master craftsman who will show us how Qvevri are made. Large earthenware vessels, Qvevri are buried underground as part of the traditional Georgian wine making method. This traditional method has largely been replaced by modern ways. We will also get the chance to try Chacha (Georgian grappa).

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 39 kilometres (total 1020 metres accumulated ascent and 1110 metres descent). Stay: Hillside Resort Telavi (Simple) (B/L/D)

After breakfast and before leaving Telavi we visit the local food market where stalls are loaded with local produce. Today's cycle ride starts out of town and leads us on largely straight, flat roads with passing local traffic, past vineyards to the small town of Kvareli. Our first stop is at Gremi Fortress - once the capital of Kakheti province in the 16th and 17th centuries, Gremi served as a trading town on the Silk Road. We then stop for lunch with a local family. Here we will once more sample traditional Georgian food made with vegetables and fruit grown in the family's garden. There will be time to relax in the quiet green yard before heading to Sagaredjo for a bio wine tasting and learn about the whole process from vineyard, to Kveri to glass! Later in the afternoon we drive back to Tbilisi for our final night in the Georgian capital.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 45 kilometres/28 mile (total 280 metres/919 feet accumulated ascent and 600 metres/1969 feet descent). Stay: Hotel KMM (Comfortable) (B/L)

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Tbilisi.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Tbilisi at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you need to depart from Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), which is a half hour drive from the hotel.

If you wish to spend one or more nights ine the beautiful Georgian capital after the tour ends, please contact us to book additional accommodation. (B)