Day 1 - Arrival in Tbilisi
Riding: No riding.
You will be met on arrival at Tbilisi airport and transferred to your hotel. Flights usually arrive late/midnight so you may wish to add an extra day/night to recover. We can book additional nights for you at the same hotel (please just ask).
Please note that transfers are only included if you arrive after midday on Day One or into the early hours of Day Two. If you arrive before midday (or very early in the morning on Day One) then you are advised to book a hotel night for the previous night so that you have somewhere to go on arrival. We can book the hotel for you, but you will need to organise a taxi to get yourself there on arrival. This can be done easily via the "Bolt" app (similar to Uber).
Day 2 - Tbilisi - Kakheti - Laliskhuri
Riding: No riding.
You will be collected from your hotel at 10:30am and driven to the Kakheti region. This historical region contains some interesting sites which you can stop and view en-route. Firstly you visit Shumta - there is Old Shumta (three churches from the 6th and 7th century) and New Shumta (a church and nunnery from the 16th century with well preserved frescoes). You visit New Shumta only and then continue by road to Telavi which is the main city within the Kakheti region. Here you have c. 1 hour to walk around the colourful market or perhaps visit the fortress of King Erekle II.
After a picnic lunch you are transferred to Tsinandali where you visit a historic winery which once belonged to the 19th century aristocratic poet, linguist and wine-maker Alexander Chavchavadze (1786-1846). You visit both the beautiful house and the gardens.
Your next stop is Gremi - once the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti in the 16th and 17th centuries and a lively trading town on the Silk Road, it was destroyed by Persian armies in 1615. The town never regained its prosperity and the kings transferred their capital to Telavi in the mid 17th century.
Eventually you reach Laliskhuri, a small village at the foot of the Caucasus mountains. Here you are welcomed by a Tush family and spend the night in their home. Before/after dinner you will re-pack your belongings into waterproof sacks which can be carried by the pack horses - your remaining luggage will stay here for safe-keeping until you return from your riding trail.
Day 3 - Laliskhuri - Tusheti
Riding: 2 - 3 hours
After breakfast you set off in a 4WD vehicle into the Tusheti region but ascending the path which was carved into the rocks after the second world war. You drive over Abano Pass at 2,926m which marks the border between the Kakheti and Tusheti regions and offers spectacular views across both. Eventually you reach Omalo, the main village with the Tusheti national park at 2,000m. Continue by road to Dotchu.
Your destination, Gogrulta, cannot be reached by car and so you meet the horses at Dotchu and unload the vehicles. After loading the pack horse, your back-up guide takes them steeply uphill to Gogrulta, whilst you ride for c. 2 hours on a longer route to get to know your horses. The view from the top is spectacular. Your accommodation for the night is a typical village house which has few comforts but is very authentic.
Day 4 - Gogrulta
Riding: 6 hours
Depending on the weather conditions, you either ride to the mountain village of Illiurta or to the lost villages, or up to a beautiful pass. If conditions are favourable, then you start by descending for 40 mins before climbing uphill to a beautiful crest from where you will get your first outstanding panoramic view of the region. Continue on foot for c. 1 hour downhill to cross the river and then ride back uphill through the lost villages of Tusheti until returning to Gogrulta for a second night.
Day 5 - Gogrulta - Gometsari
Riding: 6 hours
Leave Gogrulta behind and ride up another crest from where you have great views. You spend the whole day riding on the roof of the Caucasian range at 3,000m (highest point being 3,200m). Your camp location is decided on the day, depending on local weather conditions but will be at an elevation of c. 2,500m.
Day 6 - Gometsari - Zovata
Riding: 6 hours
You start the day on foot, descending for c. 30 minutes. Continue riding through Gometsari valley and then cross another pass into Zovata valley. Today you will need to mount and dismount many times for some technical sections.
Day 7 - Zovata - AZ Valley
Riding: 6 - 7 hours
Ride uphill more than 900m elevation to a pass which leads to the beautiful AZ valley. Ride alongside the river through some very wild landscapes. You may have to dismount a few times before reaching camp which is beside the river.
Day 8 - AZ Valley - Saidumlo
Riding: 6 hours
Ride up a third pass, ascending 800m. Once at the top you walk down through some beautiful gorges before riding down into the valley and setting up camp near Saidumlo.
Day 9 - Saidumlo - Pirikiti Valley
Riding: 6 - 7 hours
Ride to the Pirikiti valley which contains several Tush villages. The first inhabited one is Girevi. Visit Parsma and ride through Tchecho and set up camp between Parsma and Dartlo near the river. There are some difficult passages today, with some pathways carved into the rock alongside the ravine. You should have some previous mountain experience to complete this itinerary.
Day 10 - Pirikiti Valley - Omalo
Riding: 6 - 7 hours
Visit the village of Dartlo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and ride up the Mirgvella pass to Omalo, arriving late in the day. You can visit the fortress and some other places of interest. Spend the night in a traditional Tush house in Omalo. NB. Depending on weather conditions you may overnight in Omala, Shenako or Gogrulta.
Day 11 - Omalo - Laliskhuri
Riding: No riding.
Say your farewells before being transferred back downhill to Laliskhuri. You will welcome the shower and being reunited with your luggage and clean clothes!
If time allows you can visit the complex of Alaverdi - built on the site of Pagan worship, this cathedral was built in the 6th century and then re-built in the 11th century. It was the highest cathedral during the Soviet Union period and the architecture is typical of the region.
Dinner and overnight with the family in Laliskhuri again.
Day 12 - Laliskhuri - Tbilisi
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast you are driven back to Tbilisi, aiming to arrive in the early afternoon. You are then free to explore the city, which is surprisingly chic and interesting. Dinner is in a local restaurant where your guide will choose specialities for you to try. You can choose your own wine this evening from some wonderful Georgian vineyards. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 13 - Departure
Riding: 1 hours
You will be transferred to the airport for your flight home, which is likely to depart in the early hours. Transfers are included provided your flight departs before 8 pm. Many flights depart in the early hours (c. 3 am) and this is fine on Day 13, but you'd have to organise a taxi for the transfer if your flight departed in the early hours of Day 14.
NB. The itinerary may have to alter depending on mountain and weather conditions but always with your best interests at heart.
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
