Day 1:

After gearing up at our HQ in Tbilisi we head towards the curvy roads West of the Capital. Through some historically German influenced towns we ride towards the Trialeti national park. A gorgeous forest with some mixed easy gravel and broken asphalt roads. Lots of fun riding with gorgeous colors all around. Towards the northern tip of the national park we encounter a Soviet era dam where time seems to have been stuck. With a serpentine we head back to higher grounds and we have a overnight in the surroundings of Tsalka. We stay at Maia guesthouse with lots of amazing hospitality and our first Georgian Supra.
Distance Covered: 200 KM
Riding hours: 4
Average speed: 50 KM/H
Highest point: 1400 M

Day 2:

Today is full quiet roads, Georgia’s biggest lakes and nothing else than windy asphalt crossing the mountains and open plains. Sceneries change almost every turn, from lush green scenes to views over open plains only broken up by local shepherds herding their flocks. We get closer to our destination Vardzia. Vardzia is monestary ”city” build inside a huge rock. It was used as a secret hide out in case of wars. In the 11th century the front wall collapsed after an earthquake. Nowadays, you can see the hundreds of cave houses where the monks used to live. After visiting this special piece of history we head for our Vardzia Resort. A luxurious hotel with a charming garden, a pool overlooking the cave city and amazing local cuisine.
Distance Covered: 170 KM
Riding hours: 3
Average speed: 55 KM/H
Highest point: 1700 M

Day 3:

Today we ride from Vardzia to Kutaisi. The latter being a laid back town filled with history. The surrounding region that offers totally different natura from anything we have seen so far. We ride towards the Tsarist town or Borjomi paved roads via Borjomi where the Romanov family left an impressive mark. Thereafter we ride through fun packed secondary gravel roads through the forest West, ending up in Kutaisi. Here we have a dinner in the city’s finest restaurant.
Distance covered: 250
Riding hours: 5.5
Average speed: 45 KM/H
Highest point: 1600 M

Day 4:

We head for the peaks of the lower Caucasus. Through the woods of the resort town Sairme we ride through the biggest national park of Europe with a 35 KM gravel track towards the historic town of Abastumani. Truly gorgeous riding with spectacular views all around. We spent the night in Akhaltsikhe, literally New Castle. We use the spa hotel situated right on the historic grounds of the renovated Castle.
Distance Covered: 140 KM
Riding hours: 4
Average speed: 35 KM/H
Highest point: 2100 M

Day 5:

The Black Sea: Here we come. The drier lands around Akhaltsikhe soon make place for green lush almost Jungle-like. The alpine zones on Goderdzi offer views over snowy tops as well as the Sea on a clear day. The alpine zone being this close to the Sea makes for an astonishing mix. Afterwards we descent towards the shores of the Black Sea. The main town Batumi is a weird mix of everything. However, its always buzzing and full of people in its cozy old town.
Distance Covered: 180 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 35 KM/H
Highest point: 2200 M

Day 6:

A day of rest. Explore Batumi, relax on the beach. Plenty of options!

Day 7:

We ride towards Svaneti. A region known for its distinct culture and independence throughout history. Even the Soviets could never fully exert their influence out here. The regions remoteness and moreover the local aversion to authority contributed a lot to that. Svaneti still feels like a different world altogether with many local customs and pagan traditions still intact. One characteristic of the regions cultural distinctness is very visible from the twisty mountain road up here: The traditional Svan watchtowers. These towers were built from the 10th – 12th century and used as defense towers. Up until the 1990’s they were also used to settle local disputes.
Distance Covered: 250 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 50 KM/H
Highest point: 2000 M

Day 8:

Optional: We discover the wider Svaneti area by motorcycle and climb one of the mediaeval towers. This place is simply gorgeous.
Distance Covered: 0-100 KM
Riding hours: 3
Average speed: 35 KM/H
Highest point: 2500 M

Day 9:

We take the mountain roads of Svaneti down to Kutaisi. We do this ‘’the long way around’’. We will pass Georgia’s highest mountains with glaciers right next to us. After Ushghuli (UNESCO) we travel down over the windy roads towards Lentekhi, in Racha. Racha is a mystical region that often is left undiscovered by many foreign tourists. Racha has been compared to Switzerland cause of its serene calmness, abundant lakes and the impressive mountains surrounding the area. We spent the night at Temuri’s guesthouse. He builds and makes almost everything you see at his guesthouse himself, this includes the skinned bear and wolf skins. His wife will prepare the most delicious specialties from Racha for us. In the garden local ham is freshly smoked, chacha is distilled and bread is being baked in the stone over. On most nights there is also live traditional Georgian music being played in the gorgeous garden. This is Georgian hospitality at its best.
Distance Covered: 200 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 40 KM/H
Highest point: 2750 M

Day 10:

Today we ride from Kutaisi towards Vardzia. Another region that offers nature totally different from anything we have seen so far. You might feel you travelled between continents today. We ride the paved roads via Borjomi and end up in Samtskhe-Javakheti. This region is not only famous for its cliffs and natural beauty, it is famed for its numerous cultural and historical treasures as well. The region can be seen as the cultural birthplace of current day Georgia. One of these cultural sights is the Vardzia cave complex. A monastery secretly build in the 12th century behind a rock that offered protection from invaders. After an earthquake the rock and thereby the complex’s cover tumbled down.
Distance Covered: 220 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 40 KM/H
Highest point: 2800 M

Day 11:

Today we descend again to lower lands. We do this by riding a brand new road that has connected the higher lands of Racha with the lower lands of Imereti. Many experienced riders visiting us have called this road the best one they ever rode on. On top of the pass we pass Shkmeri, a isolated mountain village at 2300 meters altitude. Further on South we stay in Gori, this is a city which was drenched in a thick Soviet sauce. Nothing mentionable happens in Gori were it not for the fact that one of the most infamous Georgian was born here: Joseph Stalin. For those interested we will pay a visit to the museum that gives an unusual account of his life as the leader of the Soviet Union. We spent the night in the fabulous Gori Inn. Take a soak in the Sauna or a dive in the pool!
Distance Covered: 180 KM
Riding hours: 3.5
Average speed: 60 KM/H
Highest point: 2300 M

Day 12:

From Gori we head towards the Zhinvali reservoir and take the mysterious roads on the lesser known side of the reservoir. Today we make our first move into Khevshureti. One of Georgia’s less travelled regions. It is as remote as its get, the nature around is spectacular. One road in, the same road out. We follow the 80 KM dirt track passing the Medieval Shatili settlement towards Ardoti. Our guesthouse here is as ‘’Middle of Nowhere’’ as it gets. Three families live here during summer, only two people remain during the harsh winter in order to take care of the cattle. The cattle we will notice from the godly alpine dairy product that the mother cooks. The last 5 KM up to the guesthouse are tough. For those not feeling up for the challenge (or even more so the way back down tomorrow) we offer parking and a lift to get up.
Distance Covered: 220 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 40 KM/H
Highest point: 2700 M

Day 13:

From Khevshureti we take the gorgeous track back down South. Views are like new and the riding even better this way. Once back at the reservoir we ride through the windy paved roads in the Sabaduri forest, famous for its amazing colors. From here it’s a small jump towards Tbilisi.
Distance Covered: 200 KM
Riding hours: 5
Average speed: 40 KM/H
Highest point: 2700 M