Trip report - Georgia

As promised in this NG sometime last year, here is a brief summary of an
8-day trip I recently made to Georgia - my first ever visit to the Land of
the Golden Fleece.

Flew UK-Riga with Ryanair for £40 return. Arrived Riga mid-morning and
spent about 10 hours wandering round town before boarding an AIr Baltic
flight to Tbilisi (£52 return - booked 9 months in advance!). Arived Tbilisi
03.15am. Side-note: BA fly LHR-Tbilisi direct (at very convenient times) for
ca. £430 return (!!). You pays your money, you takes your choice! Taxi to
city centre 25 Lari (£7.50). At least 3 ATM's in airport.

Original intention on arrival was to pick up a hire car but in the end
decided to hire a local driver (recommended) instead. A wise decision as it
turned out. Main roads are fine but secondary roads are a disaster and
tertiary roads are only driveable in a 4x4. Signposting is virtually
non-existent but petrol stations are everywhere. A driver can be hired for
100 Lari per day (£30) plus fuel (£0.45 per litre).

Word of warning: Outside of Tbilisi, English isn't widely spoken. Neither is
German. Without a smattering of Russian, independent travellers will
struggle to get by. Having said that, it is a wonderful country with some of
the friendliest, most hospitable people I've ever come across in over 40
years of travelling.

Places visited:
Tbilisi, capital, 2 days. Easily walkable but the Metro helps. Many places
of interest, Old Town, Vake Park, Botanical Gardens, markets, baths.
Mtskheta, a Unesco WH site with churches dating from the 5th century.
Kazbegi, 3 hour drive up the Military Highway from Tbilisi, heart of the
Caucasus and home to 5,000 metre peaks. Stunning scenery.
Gori, Stalin's birthplace and museum. Historically fascinating.
Uplistsikhe, 5th century BC cave city. Amazing rock formations.
Borjomi National Park, 2 days. Europe's largest NP and it's most
bio-diverse. Well marked walking trails. Eco-tourism starting to take off.
Vardzia, 12th century monastery cave city. Stunning canyon location.
Kutaisi, Unesco WH site (Bagrati & Gelati churches). Georgia's 2nd city.
David Gareja, desert monastery complex on the Azerbaijan border.

Recommendations: Hotel Charm in Tbilisi http://www.hotelcharm.ge/
Single room £20, double £25 with excellent breakfast. Best location in town.
More home-stay than hotel. You will be spoiled rotten. Great place.
English-speaking driver who has both saloon car and a jeep: Georgi
Baratashvili, mobile 899 933120. Outstanding driver/guide who will take you
anywhere in Georgia (including the mountain provinces of Svaneti, Khevsureti
& Tusheti) at the above mentioned rates.

Overall impressions: Fabulous place packed with everything a traveller could
wish for. History, sights, scenery, superb food and wine, the most friendly
of people, even a few Tourist Information Centres! Incredible diversity for
such a small country. Go and enjoy - no visa required for EU nationals!!

Further reading: Bradt & Lonely Planet guidebooks.
Internet resources: http://www.tourism.gov.ge/geo/index.php
http://www.info-tbilisi.com/index.php
http://www.borjomi-kharagauli-np.ge/index.php
Photo gallery: http://www.exploregeorgia.com/en/index.html

Regards
Gerry






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