A Taste of Georgia

We ride a total of 368 km over 7 cycling days. The route links Tbilisi with the wine country of Kakheti, the historic town of Mtskheta, and the cave city of Vardzia, with daily rides averaging around 53 km and 625 m of climbing and one longer, hillier day between Kachreti and Kvareli. The week starts with a gentler introduction through the Alazani Valley, builds to a couple of more demanding stages with sustained climbs and rolling terrain, and eases off with a shorter ride into Vardzia before the transfer back to the capital. Along the way you taste Georgian wines at source, explore medieval hilltop fortresses and monasteries, and spend time in rural villages that see few foreign cyclists. The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability

This tour suits recreational cyclists with good general fitness who are comfortable riding back‑to‑back days of 40–75 km with regular climbing. Daily elevation gain averages around 600 m, with the hardest day featuring 74 km and almost 1,000 m of ascent, so you should feel at ease on sustained, moderate gradients rather than only flat rides. We recommend riding two to three times per week in the lead‑up to the tour, including some hillier routes or indoor sessions that mimic climbing. Previous experience with day rides of 60 km or more will help you enjoy the longer stages, and this trip is not suitable for complete beginners or riders who only cycle occasionally.

Biking Conditions

The route follows a mix of paved regional and local roads, linking small towns, wine villages, and rural valleys; most surfaces are sealed, though you may encounter short sections of rougher tarmac, patched roads, or light gravel through villages and access lanes. Traffic is generally light on the backroads of Kakheti and the countryside around Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia, but riding in and out of Tbilisi and through larger towns can feel busier at times, with cars, minibuses, and the occasional truck sharing the road. Expect a mix of rolling terrain and a few longer climbs rather than technical riding, and be prepared for variable weather across mountain passes and open valleys. We generally ride rain or shine, but based on the guide’s discretion or your level of comfort, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure! Throughout the ride, the support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Accommodations

We stay in comfortable 3–4 star accommodation throughout this journey, combining stylish city hotels with relaxing countryside resorts. In Tbilisi, we base ourselves at a modern, centrally located hotel with compact but well‑designed rooms, air‑conditioning, and easy access to the Old Town. In Kakheti, we enjoy two standout resort stays: a full‑service golf and wellness resort with extensive sports facilities and pools, and a tranquil lakeside hotel surrounded by vineyards and forested hills, both offering spacious rooms, on‑site restaurants, and inviting outdoor areas for evening relaxation. In Telavi, Mtskheta, and the Vardzia region, we stay in smaller local hotels and family‑run guesthouses that deliver simple but comfortable rooms and a more intimate window into Georgian hospitality. Please be aware that some older or more characterful properties, while charming, may show light wear and the service pace in rural Georgia can be more relaxed than you might be used to. For larger groups, we may occasionally split the group between nearby accommodations or substitute a similar hotel if the listed property is not available.

Bikes

Because some people can’t imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We provide high-quality Ghost Kato Universal mountain bikes or similar. E-bikes by Specialized Turbo Levo SL Comp Alloy or similar are also available. If you bring your own bike, a modern full-suspension mountain bike is ideal. A capable hardtail cross-country mountain bike will also get the job done. Whichever bike you choose, please ensure it is in excellent mechanical order before arrival.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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