Journey through Ancient Colchis

Cultural and study trips duration

11 Days

3-20

from 1380€

Day 1 - Arrival in Batumi

Welcome by the local guide, accommodation at the hotel.

Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight stay. (D)

Day 2 - Batumi, Black Sea

Batumi, a white port city on the Black Sea, surrounded by the green slopes of the Lesser Caucasus, is the second most important city in Georgia due to its economic and cultural role.

Batumi is a combination of a classic Art Nouveau old town, a Soviet part, and modern buildings with abstract designs. Very colorful and interesting!

After breakfast, a guided tour through the old town and a walk along the 19th-century promenade.

Cable car ride to the highest mountain in Batumi (about 260m) with a panoramic view of the city and the sea.

After lunch, drive to the Roman Gonio Fortress, where Romans built a fortress for their legions in the 2nd-1st century BC. Since then, this fortress has alternately served various "masters" and still proudly stands at the foot of the Adjara Mountains as a witness to long history.

Dinner and overnight stay in Batumi. (B/D)

Day 3 - Batumi - Vani - Kutaisi

After breakfast, drive to the tea-growing region of Osurgeti in Guria. This small corner of western Georgia thrives on tea and citrus cultivation.

We will see tea plantations and a tea factory, where the entire production process will be explained and demonstrated to us. Afterwards, we will taste some local teas with a small snack. A very pleasant experience!

On the way to Kutaisi, visit the Colchian city ruins of Vani. During the Soviet era, numerous gold and silver treasures were found here, which are now exhibited as the "Colchian Treasure" in the National Museum in Tbilisi.

Visit the city ruins and the very modern and interestingly designed museum.

Dinner and wine tasting at a local winery.

Overnight in Kutaisi. (B/Tea tasting/Wine tasting/D)

Day 4 - Kutaisi and surroundings

The city of Kutaisi has a long and moving history. The roots of this oldest Georgian city date back to the Colchian civilization and overlap with the myth of the Argonauts and Medea.

Walk through the city center and visit the local farmers' market.

Visit the Gelati Monastery (12th century, UNESCO site), a spiritual and educational center in the Middle Ages. Here lies King David IV, the builder (11th century), who started the golden era in Georgian history. The most valuable mosaics and paintings from the 12th century are preserved in the Mother of God Church.

Drive to the Prometheus Cave with six fascinating chambers containing stalactites and stalagmites.

Walk through Zkaltubo, a once-thriving Soviet-era resort with several abandoned sanatoriums. Perhaps you will also visit Stalin's bathhouse?

Dinner and overnight in Kutaisi. (B/D)

Day 5 - Ratscha

After breakfast, drive over the Naqerala Pass (1570 m), passing the Schaori Lake into the region of Racha.

Racha is one of the most forested mountain regions of Georgia, located in the Greater Caucasus. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it is mild in the summer and snowy in the winter.

Our first destination is the jewel of Georgian ecclesiastical architecture, the St. Nicholas Church (11th century) in the village of Nikorzminda (1180m). No other church in Georgia is as richly and beautifully adorned. Inside, some of the most valuable frescoes have been preserved.

From Nikorzminda, we reach the small town of Ambrolauri (550 m), the center of Lower Racha. Every year, tons of Nordmann fir seeds are collected from the local coniferous forests and sent to nurseries in Denmark. The Nordmann firs grown here are sold as Christmas trees in Europe. The seed collection center is in Ambrolauri.

The area around Ambrolauri is also a famous and valued wine-growing region in Georgia with some endemic grape varieties such as Khvantskhara, Alexandrouli, Usachelouri, etc. We visit a local winery, taste local wines, and enjoy a late lunch.

Overnight in Kutaisi. (B/late lunch/wine tasting)

Day 6 - Kutaisi – Martvili – Mestya

After breakfast, drive to Martvili in the Samegrelo region, take a walk and enjoy a boat ride in the local canyon with beautiful waterfalls.

On the way, enjoy lunch with wine at a local family's house, featuring Megrelian dishes. Samegrelo is famous for its spicy cuisine.

Continue the journey along a winding road through the Enguri Gorge to Mestia, the regional capital of Svaneti.

Svaneti is the highest and most beautiful part of Georgia, located in the Greater Caucasus. Green, steep slopes, clean, fast rivers, and high white peaks accompany travelers along the entire journey. In the upper part, Svanetian villages appear with very typical local architecture, featuring defensive houses and watchtowers. The entire region is a sight to behold.

Overnight in Mestia. (B/L)

Day 7 - Mestia, Svaneti

After breakfast, explore Mestia.

Take a walk through the town center and visit the Ethnographic Museum "Svanetian House and Tower" to learn more about the local way of life.

Take a cable car ride to the viewpoint mountain Suruldi (2340m) to admire the fantastic mountain panorama, including Ushba, Tetnuldi, Layla, Banguriani (Svaneti peaks) when the weather is clear!

In the afternoon, enjoy free time in Mestia. You can go hiking or, if the weather is nice, visit or hike to the Koruldi Lakes.

Overnight in Mestia. (B)

Day 8 - Mestia – Uschguli- Mestia

After breakfast, early departure by off-road vehicle to Ushguli (2200m), the last village on the northern border. Behind the village rises the white giant Shkhara (5193m), Georgia's highest mountain. Opportunity to hike through the beautiful valley towards Shkhara (4 hours, suitable for everyone).

Lunch in Ushguli.

Evening free and overnight in Mestia. (B/L)

Day 9 - Mestia-Batumi

After breakfast, drive back to Zugdidi.

Visit the Prince Dadiani Palace from the 19th century.

The son-in-law of the Dadianis was Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew, Prince Charles Louis Napoléon Achille Murat (1847–1895). He spent the last years of his life in the homeland of his Georgian wife and oversaw the construction of this palace. During the visit, one immerses in the aristocratic atmosphere of the 19th century.

Overnight in Batumi. (B)