Vardzia Khertvisi Rabati

we will drive via to Vardzia in Samtskhe Javakheti, an area which is now mainly inhabited by Armenians and historically even Germans. The landscape along the road is very different from what we have seen so far. Lunch is taken on the road. We will visit Vardzia, the 12th century cave town, as well as some hidden spots nearby. Accomodation will be near Vardzia Driving distance about 250 km

Today we drive to Khertvisi, a fortress nearby, where the historians say that Alexander the Great himself stopped on his way back from India. From the fortress we will hike to Kvarsha above Khertvisi, with some big ancient monoliths. We then continue to a guesthouse in . Samtskhe-Javakheti is a region with a lot of history, but yes I could say same about all areas of . I’ve been living for six years in Georgia, and have still not seen even half of the country. Driving distance is about 60 km

After breakfast we will be on our way to visit Akhalstsikhe with its famed fortress of Rabati, before we drive to Abastumani, The Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory is located here, with some luck we can visit it in the evening. Accomodation in Abastumani. Driving distance is about 100 km.

From Abastumani we will drive to the Green Monastery, before we drive to up to Bakuriani. The monastery is located in the middle of a forest near Borjomi. Lunch break in Borjomi. Borjomi is famous for its mineral waters with their renowned healing properties. The region around Bakuriani is covered by coniferous forests. The resort lies 30 km from Borjomi and is located within the so-called Bakuriani Depression. The resort is connected with Borjomi by an electrified narrow-gauge railway. The present-day area of the town was built up by lava flows from the Mukheri volcano. The highest mountain in the ski area is called Mount Kohta at around 2,200 meters. Accomodation in Bakuriani Driving distance about 120 km

After breakfast we will drive to Borjomi, Borjomi (Georgian: ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia with a population of 10,546. It is one of the districts of the Samtskhe- Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern part of the region in the picturesque on the eastern edge of the Borjomi- National Park. The town is famous for its mineral water industry (which is the number one export of Georgia), the Romanov summer palace in , and the World Wide Fund for Nature-site Borjomi- Kharagauli National Park. After exploring Borjomi and having lunch we will drive back to , driving distance 200 km.

I hope you enjoyed reading the tour description, I tried long to find the perfect design, but please don’t judge so hard on me, English is not my native language, friends helped me proofreading. Same goes for the design, I am not professional designer either, just did it in a way I thought I would enjoy to read. I added mostly my own photos which are mostly unedited. Due to the fact I havent taken photos everywhere, I used photos of friends as well, not downloaded ones.