Hidden Gems in Georgia

 








Georgia is a country of wonders and surprises. Explore less visited places with Exotour, we have the best Rural Escapes in Georgia. Contact us to get up to 10% discount for the winter tours.  

Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Georgia and Armenia: No covid restrictions!

 






Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/


Аренда Автобусов в Грузии

Заказ транспорта, прокат Автобусов в Грузии. В нашем парке туристические микроавтобусы на 49+1 мест. Аренда автобуса с водителем.









Georgian music, national dances, canticles and folksongs are the most important elements of Georgian culture

Georgian songs are famous by their complicated polyphony and are still very significant for Georgians and have been preserved in almost all parts of Georgia. There are various genres of songs: Supruli (songs for the table, Mravalzhamier), Satrpialo (love songs), Sagmiro (epic songs), and Sagalobeli (church songs). Since the 19th century Georgia has been developed a classical music tradition. The great Georgian composer was Zakaria Paliashvili, his famous works are “Abesalom and Eteri” (1919) and “Daisi” (1923). Tbilisi Opera House is named after him. There are also internationally famous Georgian musicians: Liana Isakadze, Paata Burchuladze, and the Georgian National Quarter. The pianists Lexo Toradze and Eliso Virsaladze perform mostly abroad. Traditional Georgian dance is known world-wide. at the wedding ceremonies it’s important that just married couple has to dance Georgian dance in spite of they know or don’t know it. Each region has its own dances: Achara and Guria have the Khorumi, a soldier’s dance;

Khevsureti has the Kevsuruli, a dance in which men fight over a woman with swords etc. Georgian national ensembles have reached the most success all over the world (ensembles: “Sukhishvili National ballet”, “Erisioni”, “Rustavi”). Georgia also has great performers of classical ballet Vakhtang Chabukiani in the 1930s and the present Nino Ananiashvili and Irma Nioradze.

folklore


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Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/


Memories about the South Caucasus trip from Edmund Deaton

My friend, Melanie Branca, and I just returned from an inexpensive trip to the South Caucasus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
We left on Sept. 5, 2018 and returned Sept 23. We traveled with Exotour Travel Company | 17, Pavle Ingorokva street | 0108 Tbilisi, GEORGIA| Landline: +995 599 50 35 35 | Email: info@exotour.ge |Web: exotour.travel | The cost for each of us was $1485.00.  This included 13 nights, airport pick up and drop off, hotels, English speaking guides and driver. Good buffet breakfasts were included in all hotels, but lunch and dinners were not included, except for one lunch.  We were pleased with this as we could choose our own restaurants.  A detailed description of the tour is on their web site, guaranteed departures every Friday from Yerevan, Armenia. The tour consisted mainly of staying in the capitals of the three countries and taking day trips.
We had investigated three other tours to these countries; they were equivalent, in length and the sights covered.  The difference was in costs:  one was $6000, one was $7000 and one was $8500. This was per person double occupancy.  We thought we might have to bring our own sleeping bags, but that was not the case. We travel a lot, usually two trips per year.  This was the first time we used an organized tour.  I am 88 and Melanie is much younger at 76.  Getting around in the Caucasus is not simple.  It is difficult to get from Turkey to Armenia (we stayed one night in Istanbul on the way over and three nights on the way back.)  The border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed. We flew from Istanbul to Yerevan, Armenia where we were met by the tour company and taken to our hotel.  There were three other people on this tour; they were at a different hotel.  Our hotel was the City Hotel. We did not like it; it was not pleasant and about one half mile from "downtown" on a dark street.  We moved to the Hotel Paris near the main street for the next three nights.  It costs us about $65 per night. It was a very good hotel,  In each of the three countries we had a good English speaking guide and a good driver.  We were driven in a Mercedes 10 or 12 passenger van.
Yerevan is a beautiful city. we really enjoyed it.  After four nights we moved to Tbilisi, Georgia.  There our guide was Ms Salome Dzvelaia.  She was very good.  Again our hotel was unacceptable due to location and appearance.  The tour company found us a very nice boutique hotel, Hotel City (no relation to City Hotel in Yerevan), on a main pedestrian street at only $40 per night extra.  Other hotels on the tour were good and the Empire Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan was very nice. After five nights in Georgia we went to Baku, Azerbaijan for the final four nights.
We were met by our guides from 8:30 to 9:30 am.  Several days we did not return until 7 or 7:30 pm, especially in Georgia.  We went to one ballet in Yerevan. Beautiful building, but the ballet company was not very good.  The cost was under $10 per person.
We had lunch stops, sometimes with choices of restaurants or cafes, sometime not.  Dinners were on our own.  The other three tourists did not join us in Yerevan or Tbilisi as they were in  different hotels.  We joined them for dinners in Baku. In all countries food was inexpensive, under $30 for two, not including alcohol.
All in all we enjoyed the tour very much . We wish we had had the ability to upgrade the hotels before the trip started.  We do recommend the company; just pick your hotel and pay the difference.  We love to walk the streets at night, have dessert and coffee before returning to the hotel.  
A penultimate note: there is a great deal of walking, frequently on rough paths and climbing up steep steps or slopes.  In Georgia we visited one canyon which had 965 metal steps, half down and half up some distance apart.  I did count them.  I was tired.  
A final note:  we stayed three days in Istanbul on the way home.  We were at the Dersaadet Hotel in the Sultanamet area.  It was very nice with a wonderful staff. The cost was about $100 per night. We did a day trip to Ephesus and enjoyed it very much.  We should have stayed over night.
It is about four hours from Istanbul to Ephesus.  This includes a flight of one hour, fifteen minutes, an hour in the airport and two taxi rides of one hour each.



Request a Caucasus trip to Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan from Exotour and discover pearls of the South Caucasus.

E-mail: info@exotour.ge 

Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Join the tea harvesting tour, Bakhvi village

 

Tea harvesting tour


Request a private Hidden Pearls tour from Exotour and discover unbeaten path of the western Georgia.

E-mail: info@exotour.ge 

Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Georgia Covid updates

 Entry rules in Georgia by Air for Vaccinated visitors:
- Citizens of all countries, travelling by air from any country may enter Georgia if they present the document confirming the full course of any COVID-19 vaccination.

Entry rules in Georgia by Land for Vaccinated visitors:
- Citizens of all countries, travelling by land from any country may enter Georgia if they present the document confirming the full course of any COVID-19 vaccination and negative PCR test results taken within the past 72 hours (in English language).

Entry rules in Georgia for Unvaccinated visitors:
- Non-vaccinated visitors traveling by air/land who are nationals or residents of eligible countries* will have to provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours (96 hours for visitors traveling from the U.S) before their arrival and undergo a second PCR test at their own expense, on the third day of arrival in Georgia.
- Fill in the application form: 
https://registration.gov.ge/pub/form/8_protocol_for_arrivals_in_georgia/tk6157/
- All individuals who have travelled to the Republic of India within the last 14 days will be placed in mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon entry.

Entry rules in Georgia for children up to 10 years oldNo need to present negative PCR test document.

Public Health Orders

Wear a facemask in public indoor spaces, and in any type of transport.

* Travel with negative PCR test eligible countries:
European Union Member State

State of Israel

Republic of Turkey

Swiss Confederation

Kingdom of Norway

United States of America

Canada

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

State of Qatar

State of Kuwait

United Arab Emirates

Kingdom of Bahrein

Republic of Armenia
Republic of Azerbaijan

Ukraine

Republic of Moldova

Republic of Kazakhstan

Russian Federation

Republic of Belarus

Republic of Uzbekistan

Republic of Tajikistan

Republic of Kyrgyzstan

Turkmenistan

People’s Republic of China

Japan

Republic of Korea

The Sultanate of Oman

Republic of San Marino

Principality of Monaco

Republic of Serbia

Republic of Iceland

Principality of Liechtenstein

Montenegro

Principality of Andorra

Republic of Albania

Republic of North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Exotour team wish you a safe and unforgettable journey!

Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

All Season destination: Georgia

You can explore all seasons of the year almost at once, in a short succession: buds sprouting in alpine zone, flowers blooming in subtropical zone, fruit ripening in valleys, and winter taking its course in mountains of everlasting snow.

Svaneti

Svaneti

Svaneti

Svaneti


Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Georgia: the cradle of wine culture


Georgia is compared to the cradle of wine culture. The prevailing opinion attributes the origin of the word “wine” in many languages – to the Georgian “ghvino”. A number of the following excavation finds testify to the oldest customs of winemaking in Georgia there are following finds: vine, grape seeds, wine utensils (pitchers, bowls and winemaking tools as old as 7,000 years BC); the similar proofs in mythology – the goddess Aguna, patroness of wine (11-10 cc. BC), Badagon, (7-6 cc. BC), oldest astrological calendar and many other items. Praised by Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, and other public figures and famed personalities, Georgian wines that are attributed to the general brand of Saperavi, successfully treat various gastro-intestinal problems, sexual dysfunctions, effects of radiation exposure, and other diseases. Almost three centuries ago, a French traveller Chardin wrote with enthusiasm and appreciation: “There is no other country in the world where people drink as much wine of superior quality as they do in Georgia”. 

Wine cellar Marani


Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Kazbegi National Park

 

Kazbegi National Park

Gergeti Church

Gergeti village

View from Gudauri

Stephantsminda

Arsha village

Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

Do it yourself hiking

Chaukhi circus

Day 1. Tbilisi-Roshka (transfer 170 km), hiking from Roshka to lake Abudelauri (2600m., time: 2 hrs.), overnight in the camp.

Day 2. Hiking tour from lake Abudelauri to Roshka crossing (3338m) – and to Chaukhi (2600m, time: 5-6 hrs.), overnight in Chaukhi camp.

Day 3. A walk around the “Chaukhi circus” (3400-3300m, time: 4-5 hrs.), overnight in Chaukhi camp.

Day 4. Descent to the village of Juta (1-2 hrs); departure  for Tbilisi (170 km). 

Kazbegi Hiking


Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/

We Declare a Climate Emergency

Climate change declaration

We’ve signed up to Tourism Declares, an initiative that supports tourism businesses, organisations and individuals in declaring a climate emergency and taking purposeful action to reduce their carbon emissions as per the advice from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030. 

Like all signatories, we have committed to the following five actions:

1. Develop a ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ within the next 12 months, which sets out our intentions to reduce carbon emissions over the next decade.

2. Share an initial public declaration of our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’, and update on progress each year.

3. Accept current IPCC advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030 in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of warming. We’ll ensure our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ represents actions designed to achieve this as a minimum, through delivering transparent, measurable and increasing reductions in the total carbon emissions per customer arising from our operations and the travel services sold by us. 

4. Encourage our suppliers and partners to make the same declaration; sharing best practice amongst peers; and actively participate in the Tourism Declares community

5. Advocate for change. We recognise the need for system change across the industry to accelerate a just transition towards carbon-free tourism.

Please consider also declaring at www.tourismdeclares.com, and follow on @tourismdeclares on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin



Exotour official web site: https://www.exotour.travel

Exotour official Travel Blog: https://travel-georgia.blogspot.com/
 
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