Georgia - Oasis Highlights

There are so many highlights in this fascinating country that it is impossible to list them all here. Our travel consultants will discuss your interests and be able to put a specific itinerary together for you, but below are a few must see’s!

Tbilisi

This ancient and vibrant capital city spreads out on both banks of the Mtkvari River and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Legend tells the story of Tbilisi’s founding in the mid-5th century AD. King Vakhtang I Gorgasali was hunting in the heavily wooded region with a falcon when the bird allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, after which both birds fell into a nearby hot spring and died from burns. King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot springs that he decided to cut down the forest and build a city. Tbilisi derives from the Old Georgian word “tbili”, meaning warm.

Gori

The original fortress, constructed on a hilltop, was named Gori (meaning hill in English) and was mentioned in the Georgian chronicles as early as the VII century. Some historians believe that Byzantine Caesar Heraclius built the fortress to store ammunition during battles against the Persians. Famous for its Stalin Museum, Gori is a friendly, green city with fabulous old-town architecture, a vibrant local market, several notable churches, and a synagogue.

Sighnaghi

Red-roofed Sighnaghi is undoubtedly atmospheric. Called the City of Love, this place has a very appealing lifestyle for those tired of everyday life’s rush and hustle. The city walls are five kilometres long and incorporate 23 towers. Although the fortifications still wholly encircle the town, you can only walk along a small section of the walls on the northern edge. The town’s fortress gate forms part of the original fortifications constructed in 1762 by order of King Heraclius II of Georgia. Admire the wonderfully restored painted wooden balconies, go wine tasting at the famous Pheasant’s Tears Winery, before heading uphill to admire the statue of a lady and her dog. If you have a head for heights, climb to the top of one of the towers for views of the vast Alazani Valley, with the Caucasus Mountains visible in the distance. It is the kind of place where you can quite happily wander its romantic cobbled streets for hours with no particular purpose or destination in mind. You might feel like you are in Italy as the architecture is pretty like small Italian towns.