Culture
Vardzia, Georgia
Vardzia & the South: Cave Cities of Samtskhe
Eight days from Tbilisi to the cliff city above the Kura.
Duration:
8 days
Group:
Max 12 travelers
Pace:
Easy
Rating:
4.8 (203 reviews)
Overview
Start in Tbilisi's old town with a guide who grew up in its lanes, cross the Trialeti range into Samtskhe, and end at Vardzia — a monastery and city cut into the Erusheti cliff in the twelfth century, thirteen storeys of it, above the Kura river.
Trip highlights
Old Tbilisi walk with a local guide
Akhaltsikhe's Rabati fortress at golden hour
Vardzia's cave city and frescoes
Sapara monastery hidden in the forest
What's included
7 nights guesthouses & small hotels
Daily breakfast, 5 dinners
Private driver and local guides
All site entries and monastery donations
A guide who can read the Vardzia frescoes
Not included: international flights, travel insurance, and personal extras. Ask us — we can arrange almost anything.
Day by day
Day 1
Tbilisi
Arrive in the capital, walk the old town, first supra dinner in a courtyard house.
Day 2
The old town
Narikala ridge, the sulfur bath quarter, the Dry Bridge market and a wine bar evening.
Day 3
Over the Trialeti
South over the Trialeti range to Akhaltsikhe, Rabati fortress at golden hour, guesthouse night.
Day 4
Sapara & the plateau
Sapara monastery hidden above the road, Javakheti plateau villages, a long lunch on the way.
Days 5-6
Vardzia
Two days at the cave city — the church frescoes, the hidden tunnels, the walk down to the Kura.
Days 7-8
Return & farewell
Khertvisi fortress on the road home, final evening in Tbilisi, morning departures.
You might also love
More Journeys
Luxury
4.9
Gudauri, Georgia
Gudauri Powder: Skiing the Greater Caucasus
5 days
Private departures
From
$4,990
/person
Adventure
4.9
Tusheti, Georgia
Tusheti Crossing: The Abano Pass & Beyond
6 days
Max 8 travelers
From
$3,190
/person
Adventure
4.9
Svaneti, Georgia
Svaneti Towers: Mestia to Ushguli
7 days
Max 12 travelers
From
$2,890
/person
The Beyond Kazbegi Journal
Private journeys shaped by people who live here — from the first idea to the last mountain pass.
12 Kostava Street, Tbilisi . Open Mon-Fri, 10:00-19:00 GET
Company
Destinations
Adjara & Batumi, Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Svaneti, Georgia
Vashlovani, Georgia
Tusheti, Georgia
© 2026 Beyond Kazbegi. All rights reserved.
Made in Georgia. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.