North east of Turkey, bordered by the Great Caucasus Range and east of The Black Sea, Georgia has been described as a cross roads between east and west. The meeting place is the capital Tiblisi in the east, then you ride a place-to-place route, looping to the south west.
Alpine meadows, ancient forests and magical, abandoned monasteries overgrown with wild flowers which are only accessible by horse or on foot. Georgia is the land of the Golden Fleece, invaded throughout history by races such as the Greeks, the Romans, the Turks, the Mongols and the Russians. A blend of cultures, it also boasts many remarkable archaeological sites, known to the local rural population who continue to live a subsistence life, farming goats and sheep, but seldom visited by foreign tourists.
It’s definitely not for sissies! You must go with a sense of adventure. You should take each day as it comes, be resilient to bad weather and able to face logistical hiccups and late changes of plan with good humour. You should also be comfortable with service that can be rough around the edges – and most definitely, should be fit! After a night in Tbilisi, rides follow a circular route to the south west, taking you off the beaten track. The route heads into the hills, across high pasture and rivers, along dusty tracks, past summer encampments of shepherds and small rural villages. The riding pace is often fast, you’ll live country life as it is, camping at night or staying in basic houses with local families who live without mod-cons. It’s full immersion and a chance to see this enthralling country as it really is.
It’s easy to count on one hand the countries in which one can ride long distances, across country, without the restrictions of town barriers, roads, cars and fences. In very few of those can you really move, covering ground that is meant for horses on a horse that is meant to cover ground! These rides in Georgia offer just that – fast riding on athletic TB-type horses, through untouristed countryside with miles of open, rolling pasture. You’ll get tired, the ride is a challenge in all sorts of ways but that’s part of the whole appeal.
When you travel with Ride World Wide, you can travel with trust. We’re a member of ABTOT (the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust) which provides financial protection for your booking through our ABTOT bond and under the ABTOT ATOL franchise. If you have any questions please ask.
Below is an example itinerary. Please ask us for other itineraries.
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