Georgia skiing holiday
| country: | Georgia |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2009: 28 Feb |
| price: | From £1485 (8 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Georgians have a saying … at the beginning of time when God was giving out land to the various nations of the world the Georgians were too busy drinking to attend. Arriving late, God was angry and asked why they had dishonoured him so; there was now no land left to give them. But the Georgians replied that far from dishonouring God they were late simply because they were drinking to His health and this took quite some time. God was pleased by their answer and so gave them the tiny bit of land he had kept for himself. God is clearly a skier. Georgia has some of the world’s most spectacular mountains and finest powder, and this trip sets out to explore the best of it, all the while experiencing Georgia’s unrivalled hospitality.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Tbilisi – Gadauri . Arrive in Tbilisi early in the morning and transfer to Gudauri. The drive is very scenic through the high Caucasus Mountains. We reach the ski resort of Gudauri (2,196m above sea level), and check into the Gadauri Hut, a newly built, comfortable lodge with a bar and restaurant where we will stay for the duration of our trip. After lunch we will be able to make our first runs on the slopes. |
| Day 2: | Ski Gudauri. Gudauri is served by numerous lifts taking you up to an altitude of over 3000m and has over 13km of piste, the longest route is 7km with 1000m elevation change. While Gudauri has good pistes, it is really famed as being an excellent off piste area, with deep snow, boulder free slopes in an avalanche safe area, it really is the Mecca of the free-ride! This first full day gives us the chance to shake of those cobwebs and acclimatize. |
| Day 3-4: | Adventure Skiing. For the next couple of days we will have a local guide who will take those who are keen for some touring, out into the backcountry to find the best untracked powder. |
| Day 5-6: | Heli-Skiing. For the last 2 days of our skiing we have use of a helicopter from where we will truly be able to find the best rides in the Caucasus. |
| Day 7: | Gudauri - Tblisi. After breakfast we pack up and leave the mountains returning to the capital. On the way we visit the ancient capital and religious centre of Georgia - Mtskheta (3000 years old), and see its historic sites: Jvari church (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century), where legend has it the Robe of Christ is buried. Both Jvari and Svetitskhoveli are UNESCO World Heritage sites. We have the rest of the day to see the sights of Tbilisi. The city offers a great variety of sights, most of them very ancient. All the places of interest in the Old Town are very close to each other, within a few minutes’ walk. We start our visit to Old Tbilisi from Metekhi Church (13th century), then walk to the Synagogue, Sioni Cathedral (6th-7th centuries) and Anchiskhati Church (6th century). Afterwards we drive uphill to Mother Georgian statue to enjoy stunning views of the Old Town. Then we walk down to Narikala Fortress (4th century) – one of the oldest fortifications in the city and the brick-domed Sulphur Baths. Tonight we have the opportunity to experience the Georgian nightlife. |
| Day 8: | Departure. After breakfast we transfer to the airport. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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In the Caucasus – and in particular in Georgia – we have developed unique relationships with many of the mountain peoples of the region and through our form of interactive tourism with a social conscience we have helped them by providing an important additional income. With Nunu, a widow from Kazbegi, for example, we have assisted in introducing her family to the homestay market – where they now provide good, clean and interesting accommodation – which in turn allows her to educate her children and generally improve the family’s standard of living. The great thing about this kind of interactive tourism is that everyone gains – the locals financially and us from the fuss they make of us!
All our tours employ the services of local guides and drivers, stay in locally owned hotels and guesthouses, which diverts important funds directly into the area. In addition we sponsor the following project: Children of the Caucasus is an excellent charity, set up and run by the British Georgiaphile and author Peter Nasmyth, dedicated to helping the young people of the region, many of whom have been displaced, orphaned or traumatised by civil war. www.childrenofthecaucasus.com When you take one of our trips, we also make a contribution to Climate Care – an organisation devoted to ‘offsetting’ or ‘neutralising’ harmful greenhouse gas emissions caused by your flight. This is done by funding projects across the world that will reduce greenhouse gases on your behalf through sustainable energy or rainforest restoration. www.climatecare.org |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |