Part Two: Svaneti, Batumi, Akhaltsikhe, Tbilisi

Introduction

In Part One we reported on our experience of Kakheti, the largest wine region of Georgia; Tbilisi the capital; Stepantsminda in the Caucasus Mountains and our walk to the iconic Holy Trinity Church; and concluded with some brief comments on our day in Kutaisi, the country’s third largest city. Click here to read Part One.

In Part Two we visit Svaneti, high in the Caucasuses in the northwest; then for a complete contrast, Batumi on the Black Sea, Georgia’s sea, sun and gambling playground; next on to Akhaltsikhe, the jumping off point for a visit to the amazing cave city of Vardzia; before finishing our journey back in Tbilisi.

Svaneti

It takes around 6 hours to drive to the Svaneti capital of Mestia from Kutaisi, much of it on winding mountain roads.

We left Kutaisi early, arriving in Mestia mid-afternoon. Mestia is at 1400 metres and is surrounded by a vanguard of peaks over 4000m.

The symbol of Svaneti is the koshki, a defensive stone tower.

They were built between the 9th and 13th centuries to protect occupants from invaders and from each other, with the region famous for its blood feuds.

keeping an eye on the neighbours from the top of your koshki

We visited a tower which is operated as a museum by the Ratiani family. The house section was built in the 10th century and the tower added in the 11th century.

The walk through the narrow lanes to get to the towers is all part of the experience of Svaneti.

Mr Ratiani showed us around the house museum.

Animals stayed in stalls over-winter, below where the family slept.

the stalls where the animals were kept in winter with hay to feed them

We were able to climb the five levels of the tower to the top. One level contained a pile of auroch bones (native ibex) which were hunted over generations by the family. Mr Ratiani said that the bones had symbolic meaning to the family.

OH&S was not a high priority for ascending the levels, so we took it slowly and carefully and all was well.

The view from the top was stunning.

The Ratiani Tower is Mestia’s highest at 28 metres.

We also did some walking on the trails up behind the town.

It was a good spot for getting epic views of the mountains. The highest peaks have snow all year round.

Ushguli

At 2050 metres, and with 40 ancient Svan towers, Ushguli is a must visit. You can stay overnight or visit as a day trip from Mestia. It’s 47 kms from Mestia and takes around 1 – 1.5 hours to drive there on the windy mountain roads.

A popular stop along the way is the so-called Tower of Love. Not sure exactly why, presumably there is a story behind the name.

We felt that it was a bit of a tourist-trap, so we settled for a photo from outside.

Ushguli sits in the upper reaches of the Enguri Valley with Georgia’s highest peak, Mt Shkhara (5193m) standing behind it. It’s a dramatic scene.

On a hill behind the town is the 12th century Lamaria Church.

It has its own watchtower.

There are some interesting icons and frescos inside.

Decorous dress required.

From the church it’s a short stroll back to town.

A fascinating place.

Back in Mestia we visited the Svaneti History and Ethnography Museum.

At the time it was hosting an outdoor photography exhibition with images of Svaneti in winter taken by Georgian photographer Anna Kacheishvili.

Our time in Svaneti was all too brief. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore beyond Mestia and Ushguli. Popular day trips from Mestia include Chalaadi Glacier, Koruldi Lakes, and riding the chairlifts to the ski stations of Hatsvali and Tetnuldi Ski Resort. Next time.

Batumi

A six-hour road trip took us from Mestia to Batumi on the Black Sea in the southwest of the country close to the Turkish border.

From the balcony of our downtown hotel, we were greeted by the bright lights of the tower at Piazza Square.

The Piazza is a Venetian-inspired public square with several restaurants and cafes. It was built in the early 2000s.

A big reason for visiting Batumi was to take a dip in the Black Sea, which neither of us had done before.

Batumi is Georgia’s main Black Sea port.

Strolling the Batumi Boulevard not only provides close views of the sea, but you also pass some pretty interesting buildings. These include the Alphabet Tower, a 145m monument which showcases the unique 33 letter Georgian alphabet.

There’s also a landlocked lighthouse.

And the Batumi Tower, Georgia’s tallest building at 200m. Bizarrely it has a ferris wheel embedded in it.

batumi tower on the left, alphabet tower on the right, not sure about the one in the middle

What we found most interesting was the sculpture “Woman and Man” by Tamar Kvesitadze, which is known by most people as ‘Ali and Nino’. The book “Ali and Nino” by Kurban Said was published in 1937 and is a tale of love between a young Azerbaijani nobleman (Ali) and a Georgian princess (Nino). It is a much-loved classic in both countries.

We had read the book before embarking on the trip and were keen to see the 7 metre moving statues. The two figures approach each other then pass through and move away. We first visited in the daytime.

But it was more spectacular at night. Here’s a clip we made.

The main beach at Batumi is made of stones.

Not particularly inviting.

Nevertheless, we ventured down for a dip.

Close to the Boulevard are the Dancing Fountains, which light up at night apparently.

In the centre of the city is Evropas Moedani (Europe Square). It has some fabulous late 19th century/early 20th century buildings.

Also in the square is the Medea Monument. Medea was a local princess and wife of Jason of Golden Fleece fame.

that’s medea on the right holding the golden fleece.

Batumi also has a cable car. It travels 2.6 kilometres from a station at the harbour to Anuria Hill 2586m above Batumi.

The views are spectacular.

Akhaltsikhe

From Batumi we took a 6-hour taxi ride west to Akhaltsikhe. The name means ‘new castle’ in Georgian.

The large Rabati Castle complex that gives the city its name sits on the north side of the Potskhovi River.

Built in the 12th century it’s not exactly new anymore.

However, the extensive restorations are reasonably new.

The complex showcases the region’s past ethnic diversity with several churches, a mosque and a synagogue all on site.

It’s a good location to get an elevated view of the town.

From the high tower you can see the layout of the complex, including the well-manicured gardens and gold-domed mosque.

Vardzia

As interesting as the castle is, the primary reason for coming to Akhaltsikhe was to visit nearby Vardzia, the cave city. Vardzia is 60kms from Akhaltsikhe. We hired a local driver for the day. A stop on route was to check out the formidable Khertvisi Fortress.

The fortress operated from the 10th to the 14th centuries.

It sits on a rocky outcrop with a commanding view of the lands around it.

It was definitely worth stopping for.

It was then on to Vardzia. The drive goes through some narrow gorges guarded by high, craggy peaks.

Vardzia is located on the upper reaches of the Mtkvari River, the river which eventually flows through Tbilisi.

King Giorgi III built a fortification here in the 12th century.

Subsequently, his daughter, the much loved and revered Queen Tamar, established a cave monastery, which over time became a cave city of 2000 monks.

It has over 400 rooms, 13 churches, and 13 wine cellars.

We were lucky to be there on a fine, clear day.

A great place to explore.

The rooms are carved into of the natural rock.

An earthquake in 1283 destroyed the outer walls of many of the caves, hence the honeycomb look of today.

In the centre of the complex is the Church of the Assumption, with its bell-hung portico.

It is again today a working monastery.

There’s even a caved-based shop in Vardzia.

You can pick-up a cold drink or some monastic merch.

Earthquakes are an ever-present possibility, so seismic monitoring devices are placed throughout.

It was an amazing place.

Not to be missed if visiting Georgia.

Tbilisi

Alas, all good things come to an end. After three weeks in the country, it was back to Tbilisi for our final couple of days. On our earlier stay we’d missed out on catching Tbilisi’s funicular to Mtatsminda Park.

The destination for the funicular is Mt Mtatsminda which overlooks the city and is home to a quirky amusement park. We went for a bit of a wander around it.

Some unusual structures and weird rides.

Plus, some good views of the city.

Back in town there was one last place we wanted to visit. Visible from many parts of Tbilisi is the gold domed Tsminda Sameba Cathedral (Holy Trinity Church). It sits high on Elia Hill in the Avlabari district.

We walked there from the Old Town.

The Cathedral was consecrated in 2004, having taken a decade to build.

It is 84m from ground-level to the top of the cross which sits on the gold dome.

Dress code is strictly modest.

It contains many important Georgian Orthodox Church icons.

The surrounding courtyards and walkways add to its aura.

A good finish to our stay in Tbilisi.

Conclusion

Our time in Georgia went quickly. Such is the case when there is so much to see, do and experience. And as busy as we were we felt like we’d barely scratched the surface.

Throughout our travels in Georgia, plus brief spells in Azerbaijan and Armenia, we always felt safe and that tourists were welcomed, which isn’t always the situation nowadays with over-tourism ruining some places. The only ‘danger’ we encountered was some crazy drivers. Road safety is a problem in Georgia.

Language difficulties were few. Despite Georgia having its own alphabet and language, enough people spoke English to get by without us having to use translation apps very often. The tourist industry is fairly well-developed with most hospitality and tourism workers having a working command of English. Older Georgians all speak Russian due to growing up in the Soviet-controlled era.

We also found it an economical destination compared to say Australia, Japan or Western Europe, and more on a par with our experience of travelling in South America re accommodation, food and transportation, but a little more expensive than Southeast Asia.

We have a few suggestions for first time travellers to Georgia that were things we found helpful. These will be posted soon in “Tips for First-time Travellers to Georgia”.