Immersive Georgia: Sixteen Days Across the Whole Country

You are met at Tbilisi airport and taken to your hotel. Check-in is from 3:00 p.m., and the rest of the day is free.

Day 2Tbilisi city tourNarikala, sulphur baths and a modern Georgian dinnerSee the day

You meet your guide and start from the Metekhi plateau, with your first view of the old town and its wooden balconies above the Kura. A cable car takes you to Narikala fortress, and a walk through the Betlemi quarter leads to the domed sulphur baths of Abanotubani. The tour goes on through the old streets, past historic churches, the Gabriadze Theatre and the modern Peace Bridge. The afternoon is free, and dinner is at a local restaurant with modern Georgian cooking.

Day 3Samshvilde and on to VardziaA German village, a ruined town, the southSee the day

First Asureti, a village founded in 1818 by German settlers who called it Elisabethtal. Then an easy hike of about 1.5 to 2 hours to the ruins of the ancient settlement of Samshvilde, with a picnic lunch on the way. In the afternoon you drive south into Samtskhe-Javakheti, a region of many lakes, and reach Vardzia in the evening.

Day 4Vardzia, Akhaltsikhe, Borjomi and KutaisiA cave city, a fortress, a spa townSee the day

Vardzia is a vast cave city cut into the rock under Queen Tamar in the 12th century, with tunnels, staircases and terraces that once joined the dwellings. On the way west you visit Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe and the spa town of Borjomi, with its mineral springs and park, before reaching Kutaisi, one of the oldest cities in Georgia, where Bagrati Cathedral stands. The programme visits the Motsameta monastery above the Tskaltsitela river. Gelati Monastery has been under restoration, so we confirm before you book whether it is open or whether you see Motsameta instead.

Day 5Kutaisi, Vani and BatumiA market, an archaeology museum, the seaSee the day

The morning starts at the farmers' market in Kutaisi, then the Archaeological Museum in nearby Vani. The road drops to the coast and the old port of Batumi. A short walk takes you through the vine-covered streets of the old town, across the piazza, past the Medea statue and along the beach promenade.

Day 6Kolkheti National Park and the road to MestiaA boat trip among the birds, then the mountainsSee the day

In Kolkheti National Park there is a boat trip across marshes and lakes, with birds and the local plants to look out for. Then the long drive to the mountains of Svaneti and to Mestia, the region's capital. Dinner is at a local restaurant. Two nights in Mestia.

Day 7Mestia and the Chalaadi GlacierA glacier hike and a cable carSee the day

A day without a long drive. A short transfer takes you to the start of the hike to the Chalaadi Glacier, about 3 to 3.5 hours on a rocky trail, 8 km, with 600 m up and down. Back in Mestia you take the cable car to the Zuruldi viewpoint, with the ice-capped peaks of Ushba and Tetnuldi in view. The rest of the afternoon is free.

This hike has a rocky trail and 600 m up and down. If you would rather skip it, tell us when you enquire and we will see what can be arranged for the day.

An off-road vehicle takes you to Ushguli, a village of medieval defensive towers under Mount Shkhara (5,201 m), part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Upper Svaneti. After a walk through the village you cross the Zagaro Pass and descend into Racha. In Ambrolauri there is time to rest, and dinner brings regional dishes, such as chicken in garlic sauce and a hearty bean soup.

Day 9Racha to MtskhetaJvari and SvetitskhoveliSee the day

You drive through the forested mountains of Racha to Mtskheta, the ancient capital. On the way, the 6th-century Jvari monastery stands on a rocky promontory above the meeting of the Aragvi and the Kura, a masterpiece of early Christian architecture. In Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was the coronation and burial place of Georgian kings and is still the main cathedral of the Georgian church.

Day 10Ananuri and StepantsmindaThe Military Road, Gergeti, a waterfallSee the day

Ananuri fortress sits on the shore of the Zhinvali reservoir. You follow the Georgian Military Road past the ski resort of Gudauri and over the Jvari Pass to Stepantsminda, at the foot of Mount Kazbek. You go up to Gergeti Trinity Church, at about 2,200 m, and then take an easy hike of 1.5 to 2 hours to the Gveleti waterfalls. Two nights in Stepantsminda.

Day 11The Truso ValleyTravertines, a mineral lake, a fortressSee the day

An off-road transfer takes you to the white travertine terraces of the Truso Valley, and then you hike to a mineral lake that bubbles with carbon dioxide and to bright sulphur springs. The trail goes on to Ketrisi fortress and the Abano nunnery. On the way back you can ride the cable car from Kobi to Gudauri and back (about 12 euros per person), and stop in the Sno Valley, where a local artist shows giant sculptures in the open air.

Day 12Akhmeta and TelaviAlaverdi, a cheese dairy, qvevri makersSee the day

You drive into Kakheti, the wine region with a winemaking tradition 8,000 years old. At Alaverdi Cathedral, the monks grow more than 120 local grape varieties in the monastery garden. A cheese dairy, a walk through Telavi, and a visit to a family workshop that has made qvevri, the clay wine jars, for six generations. Dinner is traditional, with house wine and chacha.

Day 13Tsinandali, Gremi, Nekresi, SighnaghiWine country, a citadel, a hill townSee the day

The Chavchavadze family house at Tsinandali, the citadel of Gremi, once the capital of the kingdom of Kakheti, and the monastery of Nekresi, whose oldest building goes back to the 4th century. Then a walk through Sighnaghi, with its city walls and cobbled streets above the Alazani valley. The night is in Dedoplistskaro.

Day 14A day in Vashlovani National ParkGorges, plains and wildlifeSee the day

A full day by 4x4 through one of the most unusual landscapes in Georgia: steep hills, wide plains and dramatic gorges. The park is home to the East Caucasian tur, wild boar and gazelles, and it is a good place for photographs. There is a picnic lunch on the way and dinner at the guesthouse.

After Eagle Gorge, you begin the drive back to Tbilisi, stopping at a winery for a tour of the vineyards and a tasting. Just outside the city you visit Sameba Cathedral, one of Tbilisi's best-known landmarks, and the Monument to the History of Georgia, above the Tbilisi reservoir. The evening is free.

Transfer to the airport according to your flight.