The first independent trip to Georgia through Baku. Traveling to Georgia on your own without a car

Organizing a holiday in Georgia on your own is not at all difficult. Even a novice traveler can easily create a route and travel plan; you just need to take into account some nuances to make your vacation as comfortable as possible. We will talk about them in this article...

Prices in Georgia, how much money to take

A trip to Georgia can be either economical or incredibly expensive. It all depends on your financial capabilities! Naming a specific number and saying: “This is definitely enough for you” or “You need to take no less than ...” is not entirely correct. Therefore, I will tell you what costs you will have to face, and you can calculate the total amount yourself, okay?

Search for flights

For myself and my family I look for tickets to Aviasales, he always finds flights at the best price.

How to look for housing

Accommodation costs eat up the lion's share of the vacation budget, so you should approach your search carefully. First, it is important to decide where you want to live: in a hotel, guesthouse or rent a private apartment.

It is better to look for the first two options on booking.com. Its advantages:

But unlike booking, airbnb offers private housing from the owners: a room in a house or an entire apartment. That is, you will not find a hotel room or hostel here.

To calculate travel costs, you first need to plan your route. Made up? The next step is to decide on the type of transport you plan to travel by: taxi, hitchhiking, as part of an excursion group or by bus/train.

1. With hitchhiking, everything is extremely simple - they pick up fellow travelers without problems and, as a rule, do not take money from them. We ourselves have hitchhiked more than once, so I can confidently recommend this method to those who are limited in finances.
2. Excursions also seem to be easy. You can pay for your trip at one of the travel agencies countries or . In a previous article, I already talked about how best. It describes the pros and cons of each method.
3. Find a personal transfer (taxi) upon arrival or on the website
4. Buses and trains

• Regular buses (also known as minibuses) travel to both large and small cities. This type of transport is not comfortable, but it is inexpensive. For a short trip (up to 2 hours on the road) you will pay no more than 4 $, if you travel across the whole country, the maximum I have seen is 8 $.

The schedule of these buses changes frequently. In most cases, you will have to go to the bus station and find out the details on the spot.

• Private transport company. Differences from regular buses: travel is more expensive, new buses, they travel only between major cities: Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and. You can find out the schedule, prices and pay for travel online.
• Well, the train... Official site railways It’s terribly inconvenient, so I look at the schedule and cost here. You can buy a ticket both online and at the ticket office at the station.

Food costs

Most cafes and restaurants offer menus at affordable prices. Our average bill was $14-17 for two people for 2-4 dishes + wine. You can eat both more expensive and more budget-friendly. I repeat - it all depends on your desire and capabilities. This is probably the beauty of a trip to Georgia - a tourist with any budget will not go hungry.

Based on our costs, this is what comes out:

1. Breakfast ≈ 5-10 $
2. Lunch ≈ 15 $
3. Dinner ≈ 20 $

In total, on average we made ≈ $40-45 per day. In my opinion, this is a comfortable amount for two. If the goal is to save, the daily budget can be reduced by ≈ 30-40%.

I wrote in more detail about prices in In it I talked about the cost of popular dishes and how much we usually spend on vacation.

Buying souvenirs

In Georgia, it’s hard to resist buying souvenirs; you’ll definitely take something with you. A huge advantage of this kind of shopping is that many of the purchases can be eaten or drunk. As a rule, people bring from here: spices, sauces, wine, churchkhela, magnets and pottery. What to buy is an individual matter! My shopping list will not suit everyone, but if you are interested, you can check it out.

So how much will a vacation in Georgia cost?

To find out how much your trip will cost, you need to calculate each item.

? — the cost of airfare/bus tickets from your city.

Living expenses. Find the desired hotel/guesthouse and multiply the cost per night by the number of days.

? — Based on what sights you want to visit, create a route around the country. All prices for transport/excursions can be viewed online. How and where to look, I wrote in the paragraph above.

? - Calculate how much food will cost. In Georgia it’s simple: if you have money, spend a lot, if you don’t have money, spend less.

? - souvenirs for yourself and your family.

? - insurance. This is not necessary, but I advise you not to skimp on it. After all, it’s a foreign country, even a small cold can cost you a pretty penny.

Unexpected expenses. I usually set aside $50-100 for emergencies. As a rule, this money is spent on an unplanned excursion, MK or souvenirs.

The cost of your trip. It's simple, right?

What currency should you take with you?

The national currency of Georgia is the lari, and all payments are made in it. You can easily exchange rubles, dollars or euros for lari at any bank or exchange office. It’s more difficult with hryvnias; Ukrainian currency is not accepted everywhere.

On our last trip we took euros with us. At that time, this was the most profitable way to save money. But the Georgian currency is unstable, the situation changes from day to day, so I recommend doing the calculation immediately before leaving. How to calculate, I wrote.

Georgian cuisine, what to try

For those who are on a diet, it is better to choose a different vacation destination or take a time out from your planned weight loss. In Georgia it is very difficult to resist temptations, but they will find you, believe me!

Khinkali, khachapuri, famous cheeses, chkmeruli, ojakhuri and others mysterious names call to indulge in gluttony instantly. And so that your expectations are more than met, I recommend reading about it in advance.

Do you need health insurance?

Border guards do not impose strict requirements for the availability of insurance, so theoretically the trip is possible without “extra” expenses. However, no one is protected from troubles that can not only ruin your vacation, but also hit your pocket.

When deciding to travel to Georgia without insurance, consider the risks and consequences - calling an ambulance will cost ≈ $20, and a daily hospital stay will cost ≈ 100-150 $. If danger is your middle name, I recommend taking out a policy. I buy mine at

Is it safe to travel to Georgia?

Do people steal on the street? No, they don't steal. Are they deceiving or are they openly trying to make money? We have never encountered such cases. Do Georgians harass girls? They are more likely to flirt if they see reciprocity on your part. If you are not in the mood for communication, things will not go further than smiles. Are you forced to do something against your will? And again no!

Neither we nor our friends have ever found ourselves in an unpleasant situation. The locals are very friendly, they try to do everything in their power to make your vacation memorable for many years. It’s not for nothing that the country is famous for its hospitality!

In my opinion, Georgia is perfect for traveling with children and for those who are just starting to travel on their own.

Do they understand Russian?

The fact that many Georgians speak Russian is a significant plus when traveling on your own. The older generation (40+) will understand you without any problems, but with young people it is more difficult, not everyone knows Russian.

In any case, there should not be any difficulties with communication. If a person sees that you need help, but does not speak Russian, he will immediately call someone who can help you. After all, Georgian kindness and responsiveness knows no bounds. And this is not a figure of speech, you should definitely come here to understand what I’m talking about!

Find out everything you need to know about organizing an independent trip to Georgia! How to go? What documents are needed? What to see in Georgia? Tips, prices in 2020, ways to get there, vacation reviews for 2019.

Until recently, Georgia was considered an almost exotic destination - few people went there or even planned to go there. Now the Internet is full of reviews from tourists, guides to the country and beautiful photos. Georgia has become one of the most visited countries in Russian tourists! This is both good and bad: on the one hand, the infrastructure is developing, there are many flights, on the other hand, you will have to put up with a huge number of other tourists, especially in the summer.

Our experience. We had been planning an independent trip to Georgia for a long time, but from year to year our attention was drawn by this handsome man, this, that. In February 2019, we finally got to Georgia - we flew to Tbilisi for a few days. We liked! Now we're making plans great trip around Georgia in your own car. In this review we will share with you our experience, tips and plans.

Exchange rate: 1 Georgian lari (GEL) ≈ 27 RUB.

Documents for travel to Georgia

What documents are needed to travel to Georgia? Everything is very simple here: Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians do not need a visa if their stay in the country does not exceed 1 year. A foreign passport, of course, is needed for a trip to Georgia; it must be valid for the entire duration of the trip and should not contain Abkhaz stamps (otherwise there will be problems, so enter using an internal passport).

Insurance- this is not a mandatory item at all, but for your peace of mind we advise you to arrange it on the websites or. They compare prices from all major insurance companies. You can choose a policy according to the parameters you need and the best price. We always take out insurance.

Trip to Georgia: how to get there on your own

By plane

An airplane is the easiest way to come on vacation to Georgia. Tickets are very cheap - many airlines fly to Georgia, competition is good, so prices are low. Pobeda also flies - usually with it the best prices. Flights to Tbilisi from Moscow, as well as from many other Russian cities, are direct. Tickets from Moscow, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don cost 5-10 thousand rubles in both directions without luggage.

An idea for lovers of interesting independent travel and challenging routes: fly to Georgia on flights of the classy Azal airline with a long layover in Baku and see the beautiful Old city Baku.

Azal is the largest airline in Azerbaijan. Provides air transportation to European countries, CIS countries, North America, Middle East and Asia. (Photo: wikimedia.org / Dmitry Terekhov)

By car

An independent trip to Georgia by car is a completely different format of travel. In some cases, it is not as comfortable as a flight, and, undoubtedly, longer and more tiring, but how many impressions you will get, how many secluded corners you can visit! The Georgian Military Road alone is worth it. We want to go there by car. We generally love traveling in our car, especially around the Caucasus.

Can't come by your own car? Rent a car! It's simple and inexpensive. - reliable and convenient service. Choose a car to suit your taste and budget - there is a wide choice. Car rental costs from $23 per day. Do you have any questions? The Russian-speaking support service will help you with everything.

A car ride around Tusheti. Photo: © etnobofin / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
As an avid lover of road trips, I guarantee you that you will get a lot of pleasure from traveling around Georgia by car!

Housing prices in Georgia

Finding accommodation to suit every taste and budget in Georgia is very easy! There are a lot of options. We advise you not to choose simply ordinary hotel, and accommodation in a national style - believe me, you will especially enjoy your trip to Georgia. This is exactly what we did for our holiday.

Type	Price per day (RUB)	Example
Budget guesthouse in the center of Tbilisi	from 1200 ₽	Guest House Kato
3* hotel with breakfast in Old Tbilisi	from 3000 ₽	7 Baits Hotel
Hotel 3* by the sea in Batumi	from 1700 ₽	Cozy Corner Hotel
Apartment with a courtyard in the center of Tbilisi (2 bedrooms)	from 3000 ₽	Central Tbilisi - Patio Apartment
Apartment in Batumi by the sea	from 2600 ₽	IOANE HOME

Our cozy apartment in Tbilisi in national style and with high ceilings!

Book in advance. If your trip to Georgia is planned for the summer or holidays ( New Year, May), be sure to book accommodation in advance, preferably a couple of months in advance. First of all, this concerns the Black Sea resorts and Tbilisi itself. So you can get the best option in the price/quality ratio, and not be content with what is left free. We remind you: A LOT of tourists come to Georgia.

Look for hotels with discounts on the Rumguru service. This way you won’t wander around the city with your luggage looking for the best option, and you’ll save time and money. However, if you are ready to bargain and like to take risks, you can try to find options the old fashioned way - on the spot. But, to be honest, I don’t understand who else does this and why.

Live in an apartment. The best way Make your trip to Georgia pleasant and memorable - rent a cozy apartment in national style. Highly recommended! By the way, for a family or group of friends it will be both cheaper and more convenient than staying in a hotel. Look for cool apartments and rooms on Airbnb.ru - there is a huge selection of housing for every taste and budget.

Do you want to experience the famous Caucasian hospitality? Stay in guest houses - as a rule, this name hides either rooms in the owner's house or in a separate one next door. The bathroom is often shared. A warm welcome, homemade wine and a lot of communication are guaranteed.

Want to save money? It is better to refrain from vacationing in Georgia during the high season (July and August), as prices rise significantly. We flew to Georgia at the end of February: prices were the lowest, there were few tourists, and the weather was already spring.

with a view of Tbilisi (Photo: Airbnb.ru)

Food prices in Georgia - 2020

Delicious Georgian cuisine is one of the main reasons why tourists love this country. Many people come here just for all these khinkali, khachapuri and kebabs! According to reviews from all tourists who vacationed in Georgia, food prices are quite reasonable, and cooking on your own while on vacation is not always cheaper than eating in a cafe.

Portions are often very large(with some exceptions), you can order half portions - check this if you are not ready for a large meal. Sometimes the waiters even warned us that the portion would be large and asked if we would like to order a smaller one.

Our average bill in a cafe in Tbilisi - 25-35 GEL for two. These are two or three main courses, tea or lemonade, and dessert. In most cafes and restaurants, a service charge of 10-15% is added to the order amount.

Huge khachapuri in Adjarian style.

Prices in cafes in Georgia in 2020:

• Adjarian khachapuri - from 6 GEL;
• khinkali, 1 pc. - 0.5-0.7 GEL;
• eggplants with nuts - 5-7 GEL;
• lobiani and kubdari - 4-7 GEL;
• kebab, skewer - 6-10 GEL;
• coffee and hot chocolate - 2-3.5 GEL;
• tea - 1.5 GEL;
• water "Borjomi" - 1 GEL.

Portions in Georgia are large! In the photo: rich Georgian khashi soup.
Delicious Georgian khinkali. There are different fillings: meat, cheese, mushrooms and others. 5-8 pieces are enough to fill you up.

Product selection in supermarkets major cities about the same as in Russia, you can find anything (which cannot be said about small villages). Vegetables and fruits are usually cheaper to buy either at markets or in supermarkets. Prices in single stalls on the streets are usually overpriced. Many products are brought to Georgia from Russia, even labels with information are in Russian, so in the store you will feel like you are in your own Pyaterochka.

Approximate food prices in stores in 2020:

• milk (1 l) - up to $1.5;
• bread (500 g) - from 0.2 to 0.4 $;
• local cheese (kg) - $2-4;
• eggs (12 pcs) - $1.2-1.6;
• bottle of wine - $3-6;
• water (1.5 l) - $0.3-0.5;
• bananas (kg) - $1.2-2;
• apples (kg) - $0.6-1.2;
• figs (kg) - from $0.8;
• grapes (kg) - about $3;
• oranges (kg) - $0.6-1.7.

If you're not afraid baking, then one meal, for example, when sightseeing, can be replaced by eating khachapuri (or something else tasty) on the go - tasty, cheap, fast, satisfying. Georgians themselves willingly buy baked goods from local bakeries.

Wine shelves in a Tbilisi store (Photo: unsplash.com / @anastsiia_voiten)

What to see on your own in Georgia

Georgia seems like a small country only on the map. There's actually a lot here interesting places. In addition, the country is mountainous, so moving around it takes a lot of time.

It’s difficult to advise what to see in Georgia on your own, especially in just a few days or a week. We will list the places that we have taken note of for ourselves, and based on the list, you can create routes that suit your interests and timing.

Mestia, Svaneti (Photo: Unsplash / pixabay.com)

Places worth seeing on an independent trip to Georgia:

1. First of all this Georgian Military Road- they say it is one of the most picturesque in the world. We are big fans of mountain roads, so this is the most interesting attraction for us. If you go on a trip to Georgia in your own car, then your route will run along this road.
2. Tbilisi. We've already been here. We advise you not only to look, but to visit cozy courtyards and magnificent ceremonial cities - this was a real discovery for us, it was for them that we fell in love with Tbilisi.
3. Batumi- main Black Sea resort Georgia. Read more about.
4. Kutaisi and Imereti in general.
5. Vardzia Monastery.
6. Kakheti- wine-growing region. The cities of Sighnaghi and Telavi, Gremi castle, numerous monasteries.
7. - it’s better to go here by SUV for a few days (only in summer).
8. Svaneti.
9. And much more.

Don’t try to see all of Georgia at once in one trip - you won’t be able to do it anyway, and constant travel will simply exhaust you. It’s better to carefully work out several routes and come to the country several times.

Temple in Racha, Georgia. Photo: © vampa_ / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Our budget: how much does a trip to Georgia cost?

We spent three full days in the Georgian capital. We lived in the Old Town. The program for our first visit to Georgia was simple and uncomplicated - we walked around the city all day, looked for and studied its wonderful front doors and courtyards, ate plenty of national food, went out of town only once - to Mtskheta for half a day.

In Tbilisi you can pay by card almost everywhere, so you hardly need cash. I only exchanged $15 to pay for transportation. In general, exchangers are everywhere here.

Budget for our trip for two for three days:

• Air tickets Perm-Tbilisi for a direct Pobeda flight with luggage one way - 9,400 rubles.
• Apartment - 5150 rubles.
• Bus from the airport and back - 2 lari (50 rubles).
• Metro - 2 lari (50 rubles).
• Minibus to Mtskheta and back - 4 lari (100 rubles).
• Food in a cafe - 4400 rubles.
• Groceries in supermarkets - 450 rubles.
• A bottle of Kindzmarauli wine - 900 rubles.

In total, we spent three days in Tbilisi 11000 rubles excluding tickets. The budget for one day for two is 3,700 rubles.

We explore the amazing front doors of Tbilisi. Pictured is the London Hotel.

Traveling to Georgia on your own is no more difficult than traveling to Sochi. The only significant difference is that you need a passport. The post is general information about the nuances of holidays in Georgia. Comprehensive answers to all the most popular questions that arise when preparing for a trip.

Why go to Georgia?

The majority of people here are hospitable and peaceful with their beauty. The official language of Georgia is Georgian. Nevertheless, Russian is still understood here, and Russians are loved. No matter what anyone says.

If you suffer from the so-called "excellent student complex", then Georgia is an ideal place to learn healthy not giving a fuck. To better assimilate the material, I recommend combining this with tastings of Georgian wine.

Prices for holidays in Georgia

What to see in Georgia in a week

Tbilisi (2-3 days), Kazbegi and the Georgian Military Road (1 day), Kakheti (1-2 days), Mtskheta and Jvari (1 day).

What to see in Georgia in 2 weeks

Tbilisi (1-2 days), Kazbegi and the Georgian Military Road (1 day), Kakheti (2 days), Gori and Uplistsikhe (1 day), Borjomi (1-2 days), Vardzia (1 day), Batumi and surroundings (2-3 days), Svaneti (2-3 days).

Transport in Georgia

Prices for food in supermarkets in Georgia

The only thing worth warning about is the carelessness of local drivers. In Georgia they drive as if they imagine themselves to be cats with seven lives. Dashing, careless and insanely dangerous. When crossing the road, you should look first to the left, then to the right and, just in case, up.

Accidents happen here with enviable regularity. Here is one of the last ones that was written about in the media.

You can get to Georgia either by your own car or rent it on the spot.Which is better? I made approximatecalculations per person

The introductory information is as follows: a trip around Georgia will take 7 days, there are 3 people in the car who share the costs.

* in total for the round trip it will cost about 2400 rubles per car. The transponder will cost 1000 rubles, but it will respond immediately. But it can be used on all toll roads in Russia.
** Compulsory car insurance was introduced in Georgia in 2018. Costs from 50 GEL per car
*** You will have to spend the night in Rostov. I included about 1000 rubles for an overnight stay and 1000 rubles for food per person.

Expenses for housing, food and wine in Georgia will be common in both columns - on a budget you can keep it at 40 GEL per day per person for everything (guesthouses, homemade wine), comfortably - from 50 to 100 GEL (wineries, good guesthouses/hotels. On average, it is very difficult to spend more than 100 GEL - there are few hotels of the level of Radisson Tsinandali and Rooms Kazbegi in Georgia, food is cheap everywhere, and expensive wine is not always better than cheap: wine 100 GEL per bottle in Chateau Zegaani is not a fact that it is better than Khvanchkara for 30 GEL in Aleksandrauli winery.

In total, if you consider only transportation costs, then traveling by car from Moscow will cost on average $90-140 cheaper. The difference depends on what kind of air tickets you can buy if you decide to rent a car on the spot.

The main disadvantage of driving your own car is the time wasted. 2 days on the way there, crossing the border twice (from 3 to 18 hours) and 2 days back. This is if you don’t stop along the way for sightseeing in Russia (although from along the Moscow-Rostov-Vladikavkaz highway it’s not that much). Actually driving your own car adds 5 days on the road to your vacation. If you have the time and a sincere love to drive, it might be worth it.

Another disadvantage is that you will always enter Georgia along the Georgian Military Road. She is very beautiful, but already during your second trip to Georgia you will get bored with her.

And there are still big ones risks if the cross pass is suddenly closed. The condition of the pass can be found on this website. In 2019, the pass was closed on May 4/5 due to mudflows. And even without closure at this time (May), the average time to cross the border was 10 hours.

Rental on site

For car rental, I recommend the MyRentacar service (I rented a car through them in 2019 - expect a guide update soon), which works with 40+ car rental companies in the country. Rentals are carefully selected, and the aggregator has a very good support service.

Prices start at $18 per day if booked long term. You can check the availability of cars for the duration of your trip using this search form:

Route travel around Georgia

So, you decided to go on your own. Just like I did the first time this time (the next three times I already rented on the spot - it’s a pity for the time to travel).

From Moscow to Tbilisi you will travel by toll road M4-Don. Every 20-40 km there are payment terminals that charge from 35 to 150 rubles. Travel at night is cheaper, and with a contactless transponder it is 20% cheaper, and you won’t have to wait to pay. The terminals accept both cash and cards. There were no more than three cars to pay for at any window. The terminals cost approximately up to 500 kilometers, then the road is free. For the entire time, moving during the day, we paid 655 rubles one way (upd. in 2019 this is a little more than 1,200 rubles).

The road to Rostov is densely clogged with cars, traveling to Sochi. But the road is very good and wide, so it’s easy to maintain an average speed of 100 km/h. Rostov is an ideal place for your first overnight stay.

After turning towards Sochi, there are significantly fewer cars. With the exception of short sections with repairs, the track is very good.

Before we had time to arrive in Vladikavkaz, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a schedule for the opening of the checkpoint “ Upper Lars”, reporting that the average wait time is 8 hours.

View of the hotel in front of the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint, from the Russian side.

The toilet here is very clean and costs 20 rubles, but the shower is very dirty and they want 150 rubles for it. There for 150 rubles. you can wash things.

We arrived at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint at 18:30, literally right after closing. We were about the twentieth car in the queue. Don’t be confused by the many kilometers long line of trucks: there is a different line for passenger cars.

Chronology of checkpoint passage:

• 3:17 – we were woken up by a knock on the glass
• 3:20-3:28 we passed Russian customs very quickly
• 4.15 arrived at Georgian customs
• 4:58 Passengers walked through Georgian customs with their feet. There is no queue to walk through, there is a toilet both before and after passport control.
• 5:09 The car with the driver passed control - we are officially in Georgia.

Kazbegi – Mtskheta

The first couple of kilometers after the border the roads are very broken, but then there will be normal asphalt. Sometimes the police stop oncoming traffic.

Insurance. From March 1, 2018, when entering Georgia, you will need to purchase insurance if you intend to stay in the country for at least 15 days. Read more.

Russians do not need a visa. You can stay in Georgia for up to a year. If you want more, you need to either get a visa or leave for a couple of days and return. The easiest way to apply for a visa run is to Turkey.

In Georgia, everything is generally easy: buy real estate, open a bank account.

We didn't stop once along the way. There are a lot of radars, literally on every bridge.

The first is almost the largest cave in Europe. According to the guidebook, it is the most diverse and there are many places where you can walk. The temperature inside is constant at +14, like in most other caves, so don't go there in a T-shirt and shorts. This time I didn’t go there, I left it for the next visit.

Sataplia has dinosaur tracks and a good viewpoint overlooking the mountains.

Further on there are two canyons: Okatse Canyon and Martvili.

We went to the first one, using the instructions from Maps.me, since this region is poorly represented on Google maps. On the one hand, it was a big mistake, on the other hand, I haven’t spent such a fun day in a long time.

In a nutshell, the normal road to both canyons passes through the city of Khoni and nothing else.
And although the short road from Prometheus Cave actually exists, it looks very radical and I’m not sure that in the rain it’s even possible to travel by car. When there is no rain, you can use a Nissan Note class car to scrape the suspension. You need to be able to drive well, there is no asphalt. It takes an hour or even two to drive 10 kilometers. But you can take a lot of photos. For example, how do you like the bridge over the river?

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With the help of a couple of locals who were miraculously passing by, we folded our mirrors and crossed the bridge, marked on the maps.me map as a normal bridge across the river. We parked and went for a swim in the river. Apart from us, there were only a couple of locals from a neighboring village, sunbathing in the shadow of the bridge.
The water is cool, but very pleasant. Incredibly pure - you can drink it.

Next we had several climbs along a steep gravel road, pigs running across the road, and then a ford of the river. Not deep, but a little scary. Frankly, cars rarely pass there, and the river is quite fast.

Do you see the stripe to the left of the tree? This is the beginning of this beautiful road.
If you are confident in yourself and want adventure and beautiful views– you can go if it’s dry.
It’s better to cut at least through Gelaveri, there’s a little less tin there.

So, next stop, Okatse Canyon.

I didn't like it there. Yes, there beautiful park with trees covered with moss. It’s cool, but the attraction itself is a long iron staircase down, then a long iron corridor at a great height above the canyon (there is no descent to the water), then a sticking out hanging tongue for selfies ala “troll tongue”, then an even longer iron staircase back.

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Made very “convenient”. You arrive, park near the Visitor Center, and walk downhill through the park for 2.5 km. You discover “ observation deck” and the entrance to the canyon itself, where you need what? That's right, show your ticket. Which one is sold where? That's right at the Visitor Center. There is a camera aimed at the door, so you can’t negotiate past the cash register even if you wanted to. Nobody resells tickets. Bummer.

It’s good that at least taxi drivers in SUVs hang out on this site (the road is really tough, I would categorically not recommend driving the last 2.5 km in your own car). We asked the taxi driver to bring a ticket, which, by the way, costs 7 lari. About 40 minutes later he returned with a ticket and we went to see the canyon.

I rode back with this taxi driver, also as a sign of gratitude, since he didn’t take a penny extra for the ticket, and said that he was a taxi driver, not a huckster. Taking a taxi back was a good idea. Firstly, it’s very beautiful, and secondly, it’s very uphill. Price – 20 GEL per car. The drive is 3.5 km somewhere, but the time is about 20 minutes - the road is very broken, huge stones, sharp climbs.

In general, now if I have a choice, I will go straight to Martvili, it should be much better and more beautiful there, but you are sailing on a boat along the river in the canyon.

If you get carried away towards the Okatse canyon, be sure to visit the Kinchkha waterfall
(Kinchkha Waterfall). Judging by the photos on Google, it is beautiful and much steeper than the canyon itself. And you can swim in it. Located a few kilometers uphill by car. It’s a pity that I found out about him when I had to leave.

Kobuleti

After the canyon, we set out for Batumi, but miscalculated the time a little and stopped in the Kobuleti area. The city itself is just brutal. Like Patong Beach in Phuket but without the trannies.

It’s nasty, very loud, everything is jammed, a traffic jam on the only road along the beach, people in only swimming trunks crossing the road sideways at night, dragging a towel behind them, a lot of all sorts of traffic on the beach, with a strong feeling of the USSR. As I was told, the place is quite young and people come there to hang out. Definitely refuse.

But a kilometer to the south there are many beautiful houses, it’s quiet, calm and there’s absolutely no one on the beach.
And there is housing for every income, and everything is dotted with fruit trees.

Something interesting is that in Adjara, instead of voicing their price for accommodation, they ask “how much do you pay?” For the same 20 GEL per person there are quite good options.

The owner of the house where we stayed has his own excellent garden. The kindest people, they told us everything and showed us everything, took us to a shop and a cafe, and gave us a whole bag of nuts for the road.

Not far from there, at the level of the main Kobuleti, there are a lot of tea plantations left over from the times of the Union. Now, unfortunately, they are being cut down and fruit trees are being planted, since the tea is expensive due to completely manual processing, but the quality is ordinary, so they have no chance to compete with China.

Another interesting point in those parts is located in the Ureki area - Magnetiti. The infrastructure is very, very Soviet, but there is a curious beach covered with magnetic black sand, which, like any Georgian mineral water, cures all ailments.

It works like this: you bury yourself entirely in this sand and lie there until you get tired of it. Very interesting sensations. Deprivation of tactile sensations causes slight glitches on this basis, and the fact that the sand is black turns it all into a light bathhouse.

Batumi

Next stop – Batumi. Dream city, Georgian Las Vegas. Outlandish buildings, casinos, all the pretentious hotels in incredibly cool buildings, an embankment with coniferous trees, in the shade of which it is so great to walk, inhaling the aromas of pine needles.

Excellent restaurants, a beach with large pebbles, a subtropical climate, palm trees and the Black Sea.

In Batumi, for the first time, we were faced with the fact that parking on the main streets is paid. There are two different offices - Batumi Parking and C.T. Parking. Which one is which is clear from the additional signs under the parking icon. If a yellow, barely visible path is drawn, this is the first option, if it says C.T. - second.

Parking is cheap and can be purchased for a day, a week or a month. It can be bought at payment terminals for everything and anything, which are found here at every step, or at a bank branch. There are still many things you can pay through terminals, including fines. It works like this: when paying, enter the car number and the system uses the number to check whether this car has a parking subscription included. You can register on the website and see when things expire and how many fines have accumulated. I couldn't pay with a card, I had to pay in cash.

Be careful, in some terminals there may be a commission from 0.5 to 1 GEL, so if you pay one GEL for one day, in fact you still pay an additional 1 GEL of commission. There is no need to put the receipt anywhere - everything is according to the number in the electronic database.

The second option is that some courtyards are fenced off, locals sit at the entrance and collect 2 GEL per day of parking. Take the phone from them, the guard may go out for coffee and you will have to wait for quite a long time.

Among the must-sees in Batumi, I would say the observation deck/bar/restaurant on the roof of the Hilton Hotel.

From there you have a very cool view in all directions, and you can just go up there for free, hang around and leave, or you can eat a wonderful dinner or drink a glass of wine. Expensive by Georgian standards, but very tasty!

From there you can use binoculars to watch a show with dolphins in the neighboring dolphinarium. You only need to bring binoculars with you.

Housing in Batumi, as elsewhere in Georgia, is excellent. Everything is for rent. But everything that is in Booking costs at least twice as much and is packed, often tightly packed.

Therefore, the algorithm is this: you go to the area where you want to live and start asking everyone on the street/in shops/in houses if they know where there is a good inexpensive room/apartment. A maximum of half an hour and a place will be found for the price you want (out of season you can even get a little impudent).

For example, we found a two-room apartment in the very center for 75 lari, with a landlady who also fed us. And it's actually expensive. Despite the fact that a double room in a nearby mediocre hotel cost 120, and there were no places available.

When you are looking in the private sector, it is enough to get hooked in one place and until all your sons-in-law/in-laws/daughters-in-law/second cousins ​​are interviewed, they will not let you go. If you are not satisfied with something, feel free to bargain. Below 20 GEL per person in fact good location and in a separate room, it’s better not to let it go - they might pass it, but they’ll be offended. Just past the season, the price can be anything, especially for a good person.

Don’t be afraid to go into yards that seem scary at first glance. There could be an absolutely wonderful apartment inside with a nice courtyard and cats, where the neighbor will talk at night interesting stories from the life of the city.

The beaches in Batumi are quite densely packed, there are sunbeds/umbrellas, but you will have to lie either far from the water or “touching your shoulders.” But no one is stopping you from driving towards the airport - there is no one on the beaches there.

I highly recommend going to the Heart Of Batumi restaurant. They cook amazingly! My favorite there is eggplant with suluguni. There are not many people during the day; in the evening it is better to book in advance.

What can you see/visit around Batumi? There are not many options: Botanical Garden, Sulfur Baths, Waterfall, Trout farm/restaurant.

Somewhere along the road there will be a “wine house”, large and beautiful. You can take photos there, but there is nothing else to do there. Wine is expensive.

An alternative to an entertaining route to the mountains could be a trip along the beaches to the south, all the way to Sarpi, a city on the border with Turkey (Sarpi, Georgia). There are plenty of beautiful and relatively deserted beaches along the way. Quite beautiful in Kvariati (Kvariati, Georgia). And for those who like to spend a day in nature and wander around nature reserves, Mtirala National Park is definitely recommended for visiting (Mtirala National Park, Adjara, Georgia).

There are a lot of different pets on the roads in Georgia. Most of all there are cows; there are also horses and donkeys. As a rule, they stand in the most unfortunate way, closer to the middle of the road. They also love to hang out on bridges. They don't seem to care at all about passing cars.

For a long time I could not understand what was wrong with them. Why is it so weird to get up? And then one of the locals said that it was all about the flies. Passing cars blow them away, and the breeze from the cars is pleasant. And since the cow is a Buddhist by vocation, the possibility of being run over does not bother her at all. She knows there are many more lives ahead. Very soon you stop noticing them and drive around as if there was another car there.

Svaneti

I've been wanting to come here for a long time. Last year I couldn’t because of the snow (I didn’t have warm clothes with me and had to spend the winter in Tbilisi).

This time there was only enough time to visit the most popular city - Mestia. The region's calling card: the ancient towers in which the highlanders hid when the invaders came.

The road to Svaneti is very picturesque and runs past the Enguri reservoir and dam, where you definitely need to stop. There are two roads to Svaneti: the main one, through Zugdidi, and there is a second one, on the map on the other side. You don’t need to go to the second one, it’s very uncomfortable even in a jeep.

From Zugdidi without stops to Mestia is just over two hours. The first time, most likely, there will be 4 or more, since the road is very beautiful and you want to photograph everything.

On the road to Svaneti there are plenty of places where you can climb, take pictures and swim in a waterfall. I advise you to set aside a whole day for this segment so that you can slowly enjoy the beauty.

Mestia

Arriving in Mestia, they traditionally began to look for housing by interviewing those around them. There was nothing for rent in the first house, but the woman didn’t want to let us go without housing, so she called, it seems, all her relatives and friends. Everyone was busy and we went to ask further, while the hostess firmly said that if we didn’t find anything, we could stay with them, although they didn’t rent out rooms, but “we’ll figure something out.”

A couple more full-time homestays and here it was, a life-saving souvenir shop, the owner of which immediately found where we could stay for our budget. It turned out very nice: a slightly unfinished one-room suite with its own toilet and a huge separate room with a common room.

The next morning we went to explore the famous Svan towers. There are a lot of them here, but only two are allowed inside, and if you want, you can even climb onto the roof.

In one of the turrets, access to the roof is official and even slightly fenced off with a stick, while in the other it is at your own peril and risk. Locals do not advise getting out, the roof is flimsy. But it survived us.