Georgia
Jul 4–11, 2027 · 7 days
Jul 4–11, 2027
7 days
Up to 14 participants
MTB
The challenge
The road climbs out of the Didgori Valley. Your legs already know this will be a long week. You clip…
Read the full brief
The road climbs out of the Didgori Valley. Your legs already know this will be a long week. You clip in and start to pedal through alpine forest, up and down, mile after mile. This is Georgia. Big skies, old stone, rough terrain that asks a lot of you.
I'm Sean Conway. I've swum, cycled and run the length of Britain, and I love stacking hard days on top of each other. This is that kind of week. Seven days on the bike through some of the wildest ground in the Caucasus. You'll join a team who want the same thing: real effort, real places, real food at the end of it.
We ride from Tsalka along Paravani Lake, past the Poka Monastery, then down through volcanic land to the Vardzia caves carved into a cliff in the 12th century. One day is 91 km. Another climbs 1,560 metres. It is hard. That's the point. A support vehicle stays close, and packed lunches keep you going on the road.
We rest in guesthouses and eat with local families. There's a folk show on the first night, a fortress at Rabati, and a lunch at Chobareti's Oda that you won't forget. Go Ultra and we climb the Zekari Pass, then ride to the Prometheus Caves near the end.
Picture the last descent. Your hands ache on the bars, dust on your face, the valley opening up below you. You earned every metre of it. That feeling stays with you long after.
Apply to join
We read every application. Small group — and I want to get the group right. If this sounds like you, apply below.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
We land at Tbilisi Airport. Then it's a short ride, just 25 minutes, into the city. Your afternoon is free. Rest up, or walk the old town streets. In the evening you'll join a team for a welcome dinner. There's a live Georgian folk show too. Tonight we sleep at Tbilisi Hotel Museum, music still in our ears.
Day 2
Day 2 is where we start riding. A bus takes us up to the historic Didgori Valley. Then we clip in and ride to Tsalka via Manglisi. That is 67.3 km, with 1,560 m of climbing. The trail winds through alpine slopes and deep forest. It is hard. The support van follows. Big skies, and a packed lunch on the road.
Day 3
Today we ride 50.4 km along Paravani Lake. No bus, just open road and big skies. We climb 840 m and drop 330 m. It sits high, so the air feels thin. We pass the old Poka Monastery on the way. Lunch comes packed. Dinner waits at a family guesthouse. Just water, sky, and the slow turn of your wheels.
Day 4
Day 4 is the big one. You'll ride 91.2 km from Gandzani to Vardzia, dropping 1,490 m through old volcanic land. We climb 710 m too. We stop at Khertvisi Fortress, high above the rivers. Then on to Vardzia, a cave town carved into a cliff back in the 12th century. Packed lunch on route.
Day 5
Day 5 takes you from Vardzia to Akhaltsikhe via Chobareti. You will ride 68.3 km, climbing 970 m and dropping 1,220 m. We stop at Chobareti's Oda for a proper local lunch. In Akhaltsikhe, you'll join a guided walk round the grand Rabati Fortress. This closes the core riding days. Old stone walls, tired legs, warm food.
Day 6
Today the group splits. If you're on the Core, you head home to Tbilisi. If you stay Ultra, you clip in with me. We climb hard from Akhaltsikhe to the Zekari Pass, past Abastumani. That's 41.5 km and +1,330 m up. Then we load bikes and drive 80 km down to Kutaisi. Dinner waits at Tina's Ethno Wine House.
Day 7
Day 7 is short but sweet. We ride 21 km from Kutaisi to the Prometheus Caves via Tskaltubo, climbing 260 m along the way. Inside, the cave formations are something else. Then we swap bikes for the drive back to Tbilisi. We stop for lunch and taste wine at Guramishvili's Cellar. Cool stone, deep glasses, roads winding home.
Day 8
Day 8 is where we say goodbye. You'll wake up in Tbilisi and grab a good breakfast at the hotel. Then it's a short 25 km transfer to the airport. No riding today. Just full legs, a few new mates, and Georgia still sitting in your head as you fly home.