CONCRETE GIANTS
LOST MOSAICS
MOUNTAIN DREAMS
MAY 08 ⇾ MAY 15
October 09 ⇾ October 16
In addition to our regular group departures to Georgia, we also offer bespoke tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Georgia!
DAY 1 to DAY 2 – SOVIET Tbilisi
Meet-and-greet at Tbilisi International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Tbilisi.
We’ll devote two full days to the unseen side of Tbilisi: crumbling buildings, brutalist concrete shapes, socialist modernist gems, Soviet mosaics, bustling bazaars, improvised street stalls, hidden bakeries and not a single tourist around!
Architectural Highlights: Bank of Georgia, National Radio Building, Industrial College, Chronicles of Georgia Monument, Archeology Museum, Nutzubidze, Gldani, Dezerter Bazaar, Georgia Expo, State Circus, Vake Park, Wedding Palace, National Library.
If time allows, we’ll also take a short half-day excursion to Rustavi, a grey-blocks-and-wide-alleys Soviet satellite town, completely forgotten by all tour operators bar us.
Overnights in Tbilisi.
DAY 3 – Georgian Military Road
After an early breakfast, we’ll head for the astounding mountains of the mighty Caucasus, the impervious range that marks the border between Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam, the former USSR and the Middle East.
Stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian shores, the Caucasus is home to both Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe at 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) above sea level, and Mount Kazbek, a dormant stratovolcano located on the tense frontier separating post-Soviet Georgia from Russia.
Driving along the legendary Georgian Military Road, a strategic route connecting Tbilisi with the border town of Stepantsminda and further to Vladikavkaz (the elegant capital of North Ossetia), we will travel through a majestic landscape of high peaks, intimidating ravines and idyllic mountain pastures while slowly approaching the Kazbek.
Major Soviet-themed stops along the route will include the sleepy socialist-classicist town of Dusheti, a spaceship-like monument in Zhinvali dedicated to the 300 Aragvian Highlanders, and the politically controversial memorial to the Treaty of Georgievsk, also known as the Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument.
Once in Stepantsminda, we’ll also allow ourselves a more touristy detour to visit the postcard-like Gergeti Trinity Church, which offers spectacular views over the city and the surrounding mountainscapes.
Overnight in Stepantsminda.
DAY 4 – Gori AND CHIATURA
We will leave Stepantsminda early in the morning and head westwards to Chiatura, a steampunk city famous for his extensive network of rickety but still functioning cable cars from the Soviet 50s.
En route to Chiatura we’ll call at the pretty Soviet-classicist town of Gori, the birthplace of Stalin and the last Georgian-controlled outpost before the contested border with the internationally unrecognised but de facto suzerain Republic of South Ossetia.
After having enjoyed a comprehensive Soviet tour of Chiatura and its many socialist-era wonders, we’ll conclude the day with a visit to the isolated Orthodox monastery of Katskhi, famous for being scenically and precariously built on top of a natural rock pillar.
Overnight near Chiatura.
DAY 5 – RACHA-LEChKHUMI
On the fifth day of our [post] Soviet Georgia Tour we will focus on the little-travelled mountain region of Racha-Lechkhumi, a superbly Caucasian concoction of breath-taking natural gorgeousness and charming anthropic quaintness that also happens to be the birthplace of Prokofy Alyosha Japaridze, a prominent Bolshevik revolutionary and Red Army commissar.
From Chiatura we’ll transfer to the main town of Oni, said to have been founded by King Parnajom of Caucasian Iberia in the 2nd century BC, and then further north towards the far-off hamlets of Shovi and Gebi.
Overnight in Racha-Lechkhumi.
Bespoke Experiences • Full Soviet immersion in an archetypical USSR-era House of Culture in rural Georgia and a traditional Mingrelian meal with a local family near Zugdidi.
DAY 6 – KUTAISI AND Tskaltubo
Today we’ll descend towards lovely Kutaisi, the third-largest city in Georgia, driving through the southwestern Caucasian foothills past lush sceneries and remote mining settlements, such as Orpiri and Tkibuli.
We’ll then spend the rest of the day exploring Kutaisi and the nearby Soviet resort town of Tskaltubo, home to a vast plethora of grandiose USSR-era Sanatoriums and partially inhabited by the internally displaced refugees (IDPs) who escaped the secessionist territory of Abkhazia during the dark days of blood and war that followed the tragic disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Overnight in Tskaltubo.
DAY 7 – MINGRELIA
From Kutaisi we’ll transfer to Zugdidi touring the mosaic-rich town of Khobi and other little-known Soviet gems along the way.
In the late afternoon we will eventually arrive in Zugdidi, capital of the ethnically-diverse region of Mingrelia, where we’ll spend the final hours of our journey searching for what we love most: Soviet architecture and mosaics, colourful food stalls, and mouthwatering local delicacies.
Overnight in Zugdidi.
DAY 8 – FAREWELL TO GEORGIA OR Abkhazia ADD-ON
After sharing a last Georgian meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to either Tbilisi International Airport or Kutaisi International Airport.
For those interested in visiting the internationally unrecognised self-styled republic of Abkhazia (Apkhazeti): transfer to the de facto Georgian-Abkhaz inner border at Inguri (the sole legal crossing into Abkhazia according to the Law of Georgia) for a 5-day tour to the region.
End of the tour.
1990 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Georgia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
