"A stunning 8 day cycle tour into the pristine Caucasus Mountains of Georgia.  Medieval watchtowers, ancient churches, glaciers and waterfalls are some of the highlights along with the fascinating Svan people and culture that inhabit this once remote region".

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Georgia

Georgia is a hot destination right now and it's not difficult to understand why. After years under Soviet rule, this former communist state has emerged as a cultural and adventure wonderland. A huge variety of landscapes belie it's relatively small size; ranging from low-land marsh-forests, swamps, and temperate rainforests to eternal snows and glaciers, while the eastern part of the country even contains a small segment of semi-arid plains. Forests cover around 40% of Georgia's territory while the alpine/subalpine zone accounts for roughly around 10 percent of the land. The stunning Caucasus mountains offer sublime wilderness for hiking and biking, punctuated with medieval outpost villages, imposing watchtowers and ancient churches. The capital city, Tbilisi, merges modern architecture in new civic buildings and roadways with medieval-era churches, steam-baths and cobblestone alleyways. Situated on the junction between Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East, its history is vast and turbulent as it was on an important strategic trade and military route back into antiquity. Its melting-pot legacy is reflected in a population that features ethnic groups such as Armenians, Abkhazians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Greeks, Jews, Kists, Ossetians, Russians and Ukrainians. The Georgians love to feast, called a supra, comprised of eating, drinking and toasting (often until the next day!) and it's fertile land makes for delicious organic food and wine. In, fact Georgia is the oldest wine making region in the world with a history of 8000 years!

Svaneti

The Svaneti region of Georgia takes its name from the Svans, a sub-group of Georgians that have their own oral language and customs. Historically the Svans are thought to have been a dependency of Colchis, so named in early Greco-Roman geography and dating back to the 13C BC. Colchis is now thought to be the earliest Georgian state and is depicted as the destination for Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece in ancient Greek mythology. In fact, the golden fleece has been interpreted variously as a representation of the bringing of sheep farming to Greece or alternatively, as stemming from the practice of using fleeces to extract gold flecks from the fast flowing mountain streams. The Svans had a fierce reputation as warriors and the region, due to its inaccessible location, was retreated to by Georgian royalty to escape foreign threats. Today the area is famed for picturesque villages, Georgian Orthodox churches, UNESCO listed fortified tower houses erected in the 9th to 12th centuries, and the legendary scenery of the Caucasus mountains.

Biking

This accessible biking tour starts and finishes in Tbilisi with all the cycling in the western part of the country in the Svaneti region of the Caucasus Mountains. The cycling distances aren't overly long, although some climbing and descents are to be expected, on generally well paved roads with some sections on dirt roads with no technical riding involved. There will be a support vehicle to assist for transfers and if riders wish to take a rest.

Getting There & Away

This tour starts and finishes in Tbilisi, Georgia – airport code TBS. There are dozens of airlines that operate flights into Tbilisi.

From Australia, NZ & U.S. – KLM, Air France and Lufthansa have flights through their European hubs.  Emirates, Qatar and Turkish Airlines have flights through their Middle Eastern hubs and Turkey.  Aeroflot operates through Russian hubs.
 
From UK & Europe – Georgian Airways operates flights from several European destinations including London. KLM, Air France and Lufthansa have flights through their European hubs.

Tour Info Pack

Once we have recieved your booking and deposit we'll send you a Tour INFO PACK that will include tour notes, training tips, preparation info and joining point instructions.  If you have any questions about the tour at all please don't hesitate to contact us.

Accommodation

The tour cost is based on twin share rooming. If you are a single traveller, you will be paired with someone else of the same gender. If you wish to have your own room you are welcome to book a single supplement. We use centrally located, comfortable hotels in Tbilisi and small hotels or family run guesthouses in the countryside and smaller villages and towns chosen for their local ambience and friendliness. 

Further Info

For additional information regarding guides, accommodation and sleeping arrangements, cycling grades, food, bikes, etc you can head over to our About section to see more about how we run our tours.