A quick escape to the birthplace of wine, fantastic mountain scenery and cobblestoned old town.
Being an expatriate in the Middle East, one of the advantage of having two days off at work is to visit a neighboring regions. Georgia is 3-hours away from Qatar by plane.
As they said, unplanned trip is always the best and this trip is one of them. In just a week to prepare and plan for the itinerary, with the last minute of tour guide recommendation, it is a relief to our transportation as our plan to rent a car is a bit out of budget.
I highly recommend this local tour guide named Irakli which I contacted only by fb messenger. You check his facebook page ITravel Georgia Weddings & Tours for tour rates and other inquiry. When is share with him my itinerary, he share some of his recommendation which i agreed as I liked it without any second thought though there are some places that I will not be able to visit because the two days tour in Gudauri, Kakheti Region and Tbilisi is quite impossible. But to our surprise and with his effort it became possible. Whenever you look for a tour guide, make sure you wether you like a relaxed tour or extreme. For us it’s extreme, we are able to do almost everything in the North of Georgia for a day.
GETTING THERE
Georgia is incredibly welcoming of international tourists and have one of the most generous visa free programs I’ve seen. They have a long list of countries whose nationals can visit without a visa for a year on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. That list includes the EU, Australia and the USA among many more. Travellers who are residents of certain countries or even only hold a valid visa for those countries, are able to visit Georgia for 90 days without getting a Georgian visa. That list can be found here. Otherwise, you’ll need to apply for an e-Visa or ordinary visa through the Georgian MFA.
THE TOUR
Day 1 in the North:
- Jinvali Dam - sightseeing, free entrance
- Ananuri Castle - free entrance, castle view of Aragvi River
- Pasanauri River – this is where we did the Water Rafting, 250$ for 3 persons and free for our tour guide
- Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument - sightseeing, free of charge
- Mineral Spring
- Gudauri - for paragliding 250$/person
Day 2 Wine Tour:
- Wine tour in Kakheti modern wine factory
- Vineyards - we just stopped in one of the wineyards on our way to Signaghi.
- Sighnaghi Fortress
- Sighnaghi Great Wall
- Bodbe Monastery
*All of the above tour is free entrance.
Day 2 extras (which is not in the itinerary but Irakli still wants us to go to the places we planned to visit):
- The Bridge of Peace
- Rike Park
- Cable Car to Narikala Fortress
- Leghvtakhevi Waterfall
- Walk to Erekle St.
FOOD
After a long day of tour, our guide took us to one of the best restaurants and tried their traditional food. The Salobie restaurant located in old capital of Mtshketa is where we ate the delicious Khinkali and Khachapuri. Great food with low prices. And oh! We tried their locally made brandy, the Chacha. It I was strong to the point that my friend got drunk in two shots 😊
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is cheap, we rented an apartment for $72 for 3 nights for 3 persons and the location is next to Rustaveli Metro where you can have a morning walk in Shota Rustaveli Avenue down to the Bridge of Peace. I suggest that you find a hotel or apartment that has a full room and a separate living room so you can prepare your morning stuff without disturbing your friends while they are still sleeping.
Overall expenses for 3 persons excluding the Air Ticket is 850$.
Is it worth the money and time? YES!