West Georgia with Kachka

Gamarjoba! Welcome to Georgia’s lively, artful and ancient capital of Tbilisi.

Your arrival in Tbilisi is met with a warm welcome and transfer to your hotel where you can settle into and freshen up. We’ll meet in the evening for our first taste of Georgia’s famed hospitality. Dinner brings modern interpretations of Georgian staples, paired with wines that set the tone for the days ahead with Bonnie, Israel and our fellow travelers.

The day begins with the hum of Tbilisi’s markets. Stalls brim with pyramids of tarragon, baskets of walnuts, strings of jewel-toned churchkhela, and rounds of salty imeruli cheese. With a local guide, we’ll pick ingredients for a collaborative cooking session where khachapuri takes shape under practiced hands, alongside Bonnie’s own inspired dishes.

After lunch, the city is yours to discover: linger in Sololaki’s leafy courtyards, browse shops along Rustaveli Avenue, or pause for Turkish coffee in a hidden café. Evening brings us a secret oasis in the city where candlelight and ivy frame a feast. Together, we’ll experience the Supra, a Georgian dinner custom that features countless traditional dishes and a handful of toasts. We will celebrate with our own tamada (local toastmaster) and a polyphonic vocal ensemble that will perform between courses.  

This morning, we leave Tbilisi for the winding road through hills and fertile plains to Kutaisi. Along the way, we’ll stop at Jvari Monastery. Perched above the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, it’s sixth-century stone walls still hold the quiet of early Christianity.

Afterward, a homemade family-style lunch in the countryside introduces western Georgian wines, poured from qvevri clay vessels that have shaped the region’s flavors for millennia. Once our hearts and bellies are full, we’ll continue west, stopping in Tskaltubo, once a famed spa town where the Soviet elite came for mineral baths. Here, grand colonnades and faded bathhouses reveal an architecture of both splendor and decline, offering a glimpse into Georgia’s layered history.

By late afternoon, we arrive in Kutaisi, Georgia’s second city and historic heart of the west. We’ll check into our hotel and have time to rest before heading to dinner. At a local restaurant, specialties like pkhali, kharcho, and Imeretian breads showcase the depth of the region’s culinary identity and close out our evening.

Our day begins with a stroll through Kutaisi, revealing a city both ancient and alive, with cobblestone streets leading to the sprawling farmers’ market. The air is perfumed with fresh cilantro and tarragon, while stalls display honey, wild mushrooms, and the season’s fruits.

From there, the day carries us into Utskheri Village, where lunch is shared at the home of a winemaking siblings who welcome us into their world of tradition and creativity. One pours natural wines from rare local grapes, while the other cooks with ingredients from her bio garden, weaving dried fruits and preserves into inventive dishes baked in her clay tone oven. Between clay jugs and wood-fired dishes, Bonnie joins the hosts in preparing recipes passed down through generations. The experience feels less like a formal tasting and more like being welcomed into the fold of Georgian life.

The afternoon leaves space for rest or wandering Kutaisi at leisure. But don’t wander too far. Our evening culminates at a local winery where young winemakers pour qvevri-aged wines that stretch tradition into new forms, pairing them with inventive dishes in a convivial, contemporary space.

Today we travel westward toward the sea. Our journey pauses first in Zugdidi, where we’ll visit with artisans at a local ceramics studio, who mold clay into vessels that blend utility and artistry.

Lunch awaits at a celebrated restaurant for Megrelian cuisine, where dishes are defined by spice and richness—think fiery adjika paste, molten elarji, and smoked sulguni cheese.

In the afternoon, the Dadiani Palace Museum is our last stop of the day before reaching our hotel. The museum tells the story of one of Georgia’s noble families, whose connections once reached as far as Napoleon Bonaparte. Once home to Princess Ekaterine Chavchavadze Dadiani, it blends English and eastern architecture and houses treasures from Byzantine relics to Napoleon’s death mask and a cloak said to belong to the Virgin Mary.

Afterwards, our journey winds toward Kobuleti, a quieter stretch of the Black Sea coast. Upon arrival, you’ll have time to check in and enjoy the rest of the evening on your own. With no formal plans, the sound of the waves invites you to pause, whether with a stroll along the shore or a glass of wine shared on the terrace.

After breakfast, we’ll begin another travel day. Our first stop is Guria, where the character of Georgia shifts again into lush landscapes, centuries-old tea plantations, and a proud culinary heritage. After a tour of the city, we’ll collaborate with a local chef on a farmhouse lunch with recipes that have been pulled from the fertile soil of the region.

A visit to a tea estate follows, offering the chance to hand-roll leaves and understand how subtle differences in processing shape flavor in the cup. The process ends in a cup fragrant with honey and earth, a reminder of Georgia’s role as one of the earliest tea-growing regions. Later, we shift from tea to wine at a winery where coastal breezes and humidity lend a distinctive character to wines poured with pride by the family. Continuing onward, we’ll arrive in Batumi, Georgia’s lively port city and our home for the evening.

We’ll take some time to settle into our stylish surroundings before gathering on the terrace for cocktails at sunset. Dinner and the evening are left open, allowing you to discover Batumi’s eclectic dining scene or stroll the seaside promenade.

Our morning starts with a walking tour of Old Batumi, uncovering a kaleidoscope of architectural styles, from Ottoman mosques to Belle Époque façades painted in pastel hues.

By midday, we’ll leave the coast for the mountains. A stop along the way at the Dandalo Bridge, a medieval stone arch still spanning the Acharistskali River, offers a glimpse of timeless engineering before continuing to the ruins of Kaviani Fortress for a hike. We’ll wind through forested slopes scented with pine and wild herbs, opening onto crumbling stone walls where the wind carries birdsong and sweeping views across the river valley below. After, we’ll sit down for lunch accompanied by folk musicians whose instruments and songs embody centuries of tradition. The warmth of the family and the rhythm of the music create a memory more vivid than any monument.

By evening, we arrive at our hotel, where the rest of the evening and dinner are on your own to close the day as you wish.

Today, the road east leads into Samtskhe-Javakheti, a region of diverse landscapes and layered histories. In Akhaltsikhe’s Old Town, we’ll be met with churches, synagogues, and mosques standing side by side, reflecting centuries of cultural coexistence.

Lunch takes place in Chobareti Village, where the table groans in delight with dishes grown and prepared by hand in the surrounding fields. If time allows, we’ll continue to the megalithic ruins of Saro, a settlement dating back thousands of years with massive stones that still pose a puzzle for archaeologists.

By evening, we arrive near Vardzia, where our resort hotel offers a peaceful rest after the long journey. Dinner tonight is yours to embellish.

This morning, we explore the caves of Vardzia, a twelfth-century monastery carved directly into stone under the reign of Queen Tamar, as they rise in honeycomb tiers against the cliffside. Once home to thousands as the complex that sheltered villagers in times of war, its frescoed chapels still glow faintly with scenes of saints, monarchs, and angels. Wandering the passageways, you can almost hear the echo of monks chanting beneath the vaulted rock.

Lunch follows at a local family farm, where we are greeted with warmth and a table covered in vegetables, fruit preserves, and cheeses all grown and made on the property. The atmosphere is intimate, as though dining with lifelong friends. In the afternoon, a local winemaker welcomes you into his remarkable vineyard scattered through forests and fields. His rare vines—some climbing trees, others centuries old—produce wines with flavors unlike any in the world. Tasting them is a glimpse into Georgia’s ancient winemaking soul.

Evening invites quiet at our hotel, with dinner on your own.

After breakfast, we begin our journey back to Tbilisi with a few stops along the way that reveal a cross-section of Georgia’s cultural mosaic. In Gorelovka, we meet the pacifist Dukhobor community, whose a cappella songs and simple way of life endure despite exile and hardship. Lunch follows in Gandzan, where an Armenian family shares dolma, lavash, and warm hospitality.

Later, the sisters of Phoka Nunnery welcome us with cheeses, honey, and confections crafted within their monastic community. After, we’ll stop by Paravani Lake, offering a moment of stillness—the vast blue expanse reflecting clouds and mountains—before the drive concludes in Tbilisi.

The rest of the evening is free to rest or dine as you wish.

Our final full day begins leisurely, with the morning open to your own pace and lunch is on your own. Perhaps browsing Tbilisi’s design shops, strolling leafy Sololaki, or pausing for coffee in a courtyard café is on the agenda.

After lunch, a private driving tour uncovers the bold, monumental lines of Soviet-era architecture, stark against the city’s older quarters. Our afternoon ends at the Chronicle of Georgia. This immense sculptural monument overlooks the Tbilisi Sea, where carved panels recount the nation’s history in stone.

For our final evening together, we’ll gather at a beloved restaurant known for playful interpretations of Georgian cuisine. As polyphonic singers fill the room with layered harmonies, our farewell dinner becomes both a celebration and a reminder of the enduring soul of Georgia.

Alas, our time in Georgia together has come to end. It’s been an unforgettable time with Bonnie and Israel, exploring this incredible country and its culture, cuisine, and wine.

After breakfast, we’ll pack up, say our farewells and our mutual appreciation of the Caucasus—and of our new friends—and transfer to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS). See you next time!