The Georgia Svaneti Party
Our most exotic and toughest itinerary! Georgia is the link between Europe and Asia yet her culture is unique ancient and riveting. Come and walk with thousands of flowers and butterflies surrounded by snow-capped peaks! Dates 2026: 6th - 15th July
This is not a horse riding week but to get over the river Adishischala we do need to saddle up and cross over its rolling wake! For those uninitiated in horse riding this is just a case of being hoisted onto the horse and then holding on. It is very easy!!
Butterflies abound in the Caucasus. There have been no pesticides in these mountains for hundreds of years. Butterflies are like confetti here. Fritillaries, blues, whites of which the Apollo here is the King ... a stunningly beautiful butterfly which we do see quite often .. all abound in the multitude of flowers that cover the high pastures here.
These fortified towers are a feature of the Svaneti region. It was a fairly dangerous area being close to the Russian border. The Svans were a pretty lethal race. Now though they are a charming welcoming tribe of people and the towers rest as relics of its fascinating history.
The Chkhunderi Pass. This is the highest point we arrive at after a couple of hours walking up hill at a leisurely rate! Here we are at 2655 metres. A feeling of acheivement and a vista of magnificence.
The Orbeliani baths in the Abanotubani region of Tblisi, the capital of Georgia, are a fascinating part again of the Georgian culture. We stay in a well situated hotel very near the baths so a visit here to relax and be lathered up would seem an essential!
An example of the simplicity of mountain accommodation. There is a cultural difference here but we really are cut off from the chain of the modern world ... and that is the beauty of why you have come to Georgia!
This is a tougher walk than we normally offer but it is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Georgia has an immensely rich culture with unique characteristics. Dance, song, wine , gastronomy, orthodoxy, language, script ... Some of these cultures date back to the cradle of civilisation. Walking in the Caucasus is tough because of ascents and descents and, as we are at an altitude of around 1800 metres we go slowly and all is do-able. Accommodation is very simple and again do-able in the mountains! The bathroom loo situation is minimal but showers and sit-down loos are present! The accommodation is not the highlight of the trip. The 3000 to 5000 metre peaks all around you and the extraordinary plethora of flowers and butterflies and clear crisp air is what we are there for!
Gallery
Accommodation
The accommodation in Georgia ay there’s the rub! The Walking Party is known for its comfort and standards regarding accommodation. Georgia has not developed into a European hotel ideal yet. The larger modern hotels in the bigger cities are very simple, ample and without much character. A little Edward Hopperesque. The accommodation in the towns is more local built but still with bathrooms en suite. In the mountains we will be staying in accommodation that has only just woken up to tourism. The peasant farms have huge attraction but they can be slightly rough and dirty and may have one bathroom loo to be shared by us all. This happens for two nights in the mountains. We endeavour to make this a most pleasant experience … but there is no alternative. It is all part and parcel of the colour of this extraordinary trip.
Grade Of Walking
Well of course this is mountain walking but you do not necessarily need mountaineering boots! The paths are good but perhaps a little slippy if there is rain? Good walking boots I recommend. There are ups and downs. The ascents may take about two hours and the descents maybe the same. We are walking at a level of around 1500 to 2500 metres. At one point we cross the river on horse back. The river is shallow but a little fast. You do not need to know how to ride to cross this river! You are just put on the saddled horse and within five minutes you are at the other side.FOOD & WINE
Georgian food is one of the reasons for coming to Georgia! It has to be one of the least known cooking cultures of the world and yet it is fantastically rich and diverse and delicious! Illustrated here are very popular grilled aubergine slices filled with walnut paste and pomegranate seed and mint. Khachapuri breads are a culture unto themselves. Khinkali are like little ravioli twisted into pouch shapes ... and so it continues. Lots to enjoy, savour and talk about in this week!
Of course Georgian food is complemented by Georgian wines! The most ancient wine culture in the world. There are over 500 different grape varieties. Illustrated here is one of my favourites. It is an orange wine from Rkatsiteli grapes. It has character. Slightly oxidised taste. Absolutely fabulous wine. Orange wine comes about by leaving the wine on the grape skins for a longer period. Most wines in Georgia are made in Qvevri (massive terracotta amphorae) which are buried and where fermentation and maturation take place. You can find barrel matured wine in Georgia but Georgia really wants you to understand that Qvevri wine is the way they are going!
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DOWNLOAD NOWDURATION
10 days
DISTANCE
55 miles
PRICE
2390
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT
360
DATES
6 Jul - 15 Jul