Crossing the border into Georgia at Lake Karzachi in the Lesser Caucasus is quick and straightforward. However, the road onwards is a disaster with more African-style conditions – what a contrast to the excellent Turkish infrastructure. We reach the famous Vardzia rock monastery via the “back door”: a narrow, serpentine track leading down into the gorge with numerous mud slides from the previous winter demands a lot from Shujaa and his driver… reversing back up when a rock turns out to be too big to clear would be an absolute nightmare!
The dimensions of Vardzia, combined with its location on a 500-meter-high cliff above a picturesque river valley, are impressive! In its heyday, over 800 monks lived here, and up to 50,000 people from the surrounding area found refuge. Back then, it had 2,000 rooms on up to 13 floors.
We then continue to the enchanting Sapara Monastery, also located in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, and then to Akhaltsikhe with its beautiful castle. In the famous spa town of Borjemi – known especially for its healing springs – we see a striking number of Russians, who are likely coming here to recover, following ancient traditions.
But what really impresses us is the spa town of Tsakaltubo well known throughout the former Soviet Union. Today, it is only a shadow of its former self. One can only imagine what a large and magnificent spa town it must have been once. Sanatorium after sanatorium stood in magnificent parks and avenues, of which only two are still in operation today! All the others are falling into disrepair or partially occupied by refugees. We are inspired by the special “lost place” atmosphere and find many great photo opportunities. You get a good impression of the former Soviet Union and its decline – even a Stalin dacha is there!
Along small country roads with an enormous number of cows, pigs, and chickens (it’s incredible how many animals are wandering around on the road and in the front yards, and we get our first taste of how driving in India will be!), we drive to the Martvili Canyon: deeply cut, initially barely visible, and surrounded by almost tropical jungle vegetation, a true natural spectacle! Just a short distance further down, the canyon opens into a wide, gravelly river valley with a great overnight spot on a green meadow. We stay here for two days – for the first time on this stage – and I explore the area by mountain bike the next day.
One of the highlights of Georgia for us is certainly the mountain landscape of Svaneti with its small mountain villages Mazeri, Mestia, and Ushguli. The long, winding journey is compensated for by the spectacular mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The weather is kind to us, and we go on various hikes to waterfalls and glaciers. Our quad bike Shujoo is put to use again – including its winch! The fresh snow of the last few days makes everything look even more impressive in the bright sunlight. Unfortunately, the Zagari Pass is still closed and hasn’t yet been cleared of the winter snow masses, so we have to drive back the same long way – but in the mountains, one direction always looks completely different from the other!
After visiting another cave fortress – Uplistsikhe – we visit Georgia’s spiritual center, Mtskheta, with its impressive churches, before heading to the capital, Tbilisi.
