"IN SEARCHING OF LOVE"

Advantageous period:

May – October

Duration:

6 days / 5 nights

Tour route to Kakheti

Tour route to Kazbegi

 “Love is nothing akin to lust; true love partakes of the divine.
 Love is one thing, desire another - between them, there runs a line”
“The Knight in the Panther’s Skin”
by Shota Rustaveli

One can love in great many dimensions: one can love life in general, love wine, love motherland… Thus, this tour offers you to seek and find your love in all its dimensions. We will seek for it everywhere, in ancient legends, people, history, houses, buildings, literature, art, nature…

This is an active journey with adventurous tour-quest “Seeking for Love” on a land of generous people and glorious eclecticism.

DAY 1

Arrival to Tbilisi.

Airport transfer and driving off to sunny Kakheti region of infinite vineyards.

Kakhetian wine reveals secret talents and all positive feelings in people. That’s why great many artists and talented people are originated from this region.

“Kakhetian lunch” at tavern and introduction to rules of the game “Seeking for Love” during the journey.

Monastery Complex Old Shuamta, a wonder place giving blessing to love. You can feel divine mercy there. You have a chance to light a candle and ask for wonder.

Arriving to styled castle “Château-Mere” with wine cellar.

Accommodation and dinner.

DAY 2

Morning market and the Georgian merchant traditions on local markets. 

Tsinandali Mansion built and owned by Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, god-son of Catherine II the Great Empress of Russia. Prince Alexander was a well-known Georgian poet and romantic and public figure. The Mansion used to be a center of intellectual life of Georgia in 19^th century. The Mansion was a beloved place of meeting for those being interested in culture, art, and literature, dozens of prominent people stayed there, and Alexander Dumas (Father) was one of them.

Meeting a lovely family managing the Mansion and offering excellent Georgian hospitality; getting acquainted with Georgian wine, tour to the Chavchavadzes vineyards revealing unbelievable stories… Lunch with a glass of premium class bio wine by “Zegaani”.

Tour to Signagi, a small beautiful town of eternal love, surrounded with a thick fence and 23 towers dated back to Middle Ages overlooking the Alazani Valley; great Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani lived in Signagi in early 20^th century. He sold all his paintings and his house and bought million scarlet rouses to his beloved French actress Marguerite de Sevres.  

Pit-stop: a cup of aroma coffee and home-made dessert “pelamushi” (grape juice porridge).

Bodbe Monastery, where St. Nino Righteous to the Apostle preaching and Christening Iberia (Georgia) is buried; Looking for a fresco of Adam’s first wife “Lilith” by monk Sabinin; Lilith – freedom-loving, willful, and unruly woman! Her striking character turned into her trouble… How? The legend origins and the choice between two women… Why does a man love one but gets married to another? And million years have passed but nothing has changed!... You can try to find answers to these philosophic questions there…

Returning back to Tbilisi and dinner accompanied with a glass of delicious wine and urban folk love serenades “Qalaquri”; you will get familiar with Georgian way of composing and singing romances and serenades; why do yard-keepers began morning with opera arias in the streets of Tbilisi in 19^th century? You will know all about singing culture of city romantic serenades.

DAY 3

Authorized private tour through the capital of Georgia “Two Worlds in One Dimension” from ancient Tiflis full of legends to modern city Tbilisi.

The Pushkin Garden, and central avenue called after Shota Rustaveli, the author of the encyclopedia of the Georgian literature and poetry “Knight in the Panther’s Skin”.

Beauty cannot be destroyed by time! Jewelries exhibited at the National Museum of Georgia have over 5000-year old history. You can enjoy the alluring beautiful jewelry collections called the Georgian Treasure.

Attending rehearsal by the Erisioni or the Sukhishvilis (upon luck) dance company! Inspired intrigue and unique opportunity to see creation of incredible Georgian dance performed by the best national dancers!  

Moving to German borough, and revealing mystery of the Oldenburg Palace hiding a love-story under its train.

“Tiflisian lunch” and dishes prepared according to special recipes by Georgian publicist Princess Barbare Jorjadze.

The Dry Bridge, “an open-air vernissage”, and the entrance to the former “Hotel de Londres”, where used to live Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun.

Lacy decorated balconies overlooking the River Mtkvari, and sulfur baths.

Fig tree alley under unassailable military fortress Narikala and old small streets of Tiflis.

A cup of aroma coffee and first impression of Tiflis by French traveler Jean Chardin’s eyes.

“Flying” director and his muse actress Sofiko Chiaureli.

Sioni Cathedral, named after Holy Mount Zion in Jerusalem. One of the most important Georgian Christian relics St Nino’s Cross is kept there;.

French fountain in the garden, a gift by a Georgian emigrant to eternal city Tiflis.

Dinner at a star restaurant on the top of Holy Mount Mtatsminda overlooking the night city; Once John Steinbeck, a prominent American classical author of the 20^th century, tried to dance a Georgian national dance together with a beautiful woman and ever great Georgian dancer.

After dinner coming down by a cable car.

DAY 4

Jvari – it is a masterpiece of the Byzantine period classical architecture, and the most “labeled” landmark offering fascinating landscape view.

The Pompeii Stone Bridge lot dated back to 65 BC.

Visiting ancient town Mtskheta - Chronicles of Iberia, and the very heart of Georgia is situated at the junction of the main Georgian rivers Aragvi and Mtkvari.

Five sacral relics of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral of 12 Apostles; according to the holy script a cedar raised in the royal garden turned into a sacral tree in the 4^th century AD.

Ilya Chavchavadze’s Mansion; no words about trades, but only love! How did he love, and being loved! You will hear a heartbreaking love story of Olga Guramishvili, Ilya Chavchavadze’s wife and cousin of last queen of Kakheti and Kartli Kingdom of Georgia.

A cellar with fascinating history and tasting special sparkling-wine.

“Royal lunch” with a glass of premium wine from the cellar.

Travelling to Kazbegi

Zhinvali water reservoir and Ananuri Fortress with fascinating landscape view. 

Love story of the White and Black Aragvi and damnation of Goddess of Love and Fortress Darejan, total sinking into the Georgian mythology.

Jvari Pass and unique mineral springs.

Dinner in Dariali Valley, enjoying fresh trout from stormy rivers of White and Black Aragvi.

Arriving to village Stepantsminda, named after Father Stephan, who once saved the village dwellers from death.

Accommodation at the hotel.

DAY 5

Magnificent Mount Kazbegi (5047m), and shepherds “speaking French”.

Kazbegi – name of a village as well as Georgian noble family.

A Georgian writer Alexander Kazbegi (Chopikashvili) Mansion, and ethnography of Dariali Valley.

A jeep or a horse? Climbing the mount and visiting Gergeti Trinity Cathedral on the top of the mount (14^thc). According to British newspaper “The Telegraph”, Gergeti Trinity Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches all over the world.

Lunch in the village Stepantsminda.

Returning back to the hotel and free time in the evening.

Farewell dinner with a million cost view.  

DAY 6

Leaving for Tbilisi.

Lunch on the way back to Tbilisi in the original place of khinkali (Georgian dumplings) and farewell toast.

Transfer to the airport.

Flying-off.

Epilogue, “Georgia – the country in the Caucasus and around the Black Sea as a kind of second heaven; It turns into a dream as soon as you leave it. And, the people here are magicians. It is one of the richest and most beautiful places all over the world, and the Georgians deserve to live here”, said John Steinbeck while leaving Tbilisi during his trip in the 20^th century.

First of all, we want to draw your attention to the fact that one of our main advantages is personalized service.

Therefore, the format of our work consists of the constructor principle. Talking to you, according to your preferences for accommodation and air travel, we will promptly send you the full cost of this tour, and the base cost, excluding accommodation and air flight. 

What includes in the basic cost of this tour for 6 days/5 nights?                

                                                
Also:
• All tour excursions including museum entrance fees: The Simon Janashia National Museum of Georgia; The National Museum of Cinema and Theatre; The Alexandre Kazbegi National Ethnography Museum; The Ilya Chavchavadze’s Mansion; The Alexander Chachavadze’s Mansion in Tsinandali; The Niko Pirosmani Museum;
• Cable car tickets;
• 6 lunches and 5 dinners at top-branded restaurants, also pit-shop, a cup of aroma coffee;
3 glasses of wine (white or red upon choice) at lunch and 5 glasses of wine (white or red upon choice) at dinner per person;
3 shots of “right chacha” (home-made grape vodka) per person;
• Tasting delicious wine at Mansion’s wine cellar;
• Testing local made bio wine;
• Testing special rare wine and sparkling-wine from princely wine cellar;
• Attending rehearsal of the Sukhishvili or the Erisioni national dance companies (45 minutes);
• Renting jeeps to drive to Stepantsimnda;

Children under 4-year are free.
Additional fee for:
4 – 12 years old children – 70% of full tour price
Infant chair rent upto 12kg – 20$, and upto 36kg – 35$