A Day Trip to Kakheti Region in Georgia
Day 1: Visiting the biggest wine-producing region: Kakheti and its cities Telavi, Kvareli, and Sighnagi
Kakheti Region
Kakheti lies in the easternmost part of Georgia and famous for being a garden province. Known for having a good weather, it is where most of the abundant grapevines grow which makes it the biggest wine-producing capital in all parts of the Georgia country. But wine is not all it has to offer, it is an ancient province that contributes to Georgia’s rich history. Apart from having a long history of unique winemaking; it has the finest medieval architectures, ancient churches and monasteries, golden hills and picturesque lakerivers. It seems like little time has passed in Kakheti; the places looks the same, traditions are still practiced and visiting the ancient cities is like going back to the past. Thus when in Georgia, a visit to this richly blessed region is a must. And so, I started my journey in this part of the country visiting 3 of its main administrative cities namely; Telavi, Kvareli and Sighnagi.
Today has a good weather so it is a perfect time to go to the countryside. We were originally heading to Sighnagi and Bodbe monastery was the first site to see as part of our itinerary. But along the way, Shota, the tour guide/driver changed his mind and took the way to Telavi. He said it is better to go there first while it is still early part of the day so I can see a lot of beautiful places. So our itinerary became backwards, Sighnagi and Bodbe was put on the last. As he said, there are more beautiful places there and after seeing it myself, I must agree with him. I really enjoyed the sight; the colorful trees, villages on the mountain sides, herd of cows and a lot of spectacular landscapes on our way.
Since it is a perfect sunny day, the bursting colors of autumn are in full view, there are clouds hovering over mountain tops and the blue skies above makes everything surreal and picturesque. I am glad that I came here during fall and was able to witness the changing colors of trees and nature. Being born in the Philippines, these sights and change of seasons is what we are not able to see and experience in a tropical country. Also, it's a welcoming change of scenery since desert and sand is what I usually see in UAE. I actually had to ask the driver to pull over a few times just so I can snap pictures and take in the beautiful sights. We stopped in one of the highest places known as Gombori and the view there is really breathtaking. If you are one who is also a sucker for stunning sights and loves nature, you will surely appreciate it as well.
Gombori Pass
The City of Telavi
After a few hours from Tbilisi, we reached our first destination, the city of Telavi. It is located in the eastern part of Kakheti region and the main administrative center in the whole province. It is a small city and among the historical ones with ancient temples and monasteries, picturesque rivers and valleys, and of course gardens of grapevines.
Some of the historical landmarks that we were able to see are 1) Batonis-Tsikhe 2) Giant Plane Tree and 3) Monument of King Erekle II. They all can be found near each other, just a few meters away, and there are also other attractions in the sites such as medieval-style houses with unique architectures.
Batonis-Tsikhe
Giant Plane Tree
Monument of King Erekle II
Others sites:
Gremi Fortress and Royal Tower
We had our short break in Telavi before continuing to drive to another destination, we were on our way to Kvareli and visited another site, the Gremi Fortress and Royal Tower. It is a UNESCO heritage site that was built in 15-16th century. It was once a residence of the kakhetian kings of the renowned ancient Kakheti kingdom. The Fortress is surrounded by walls that has a a secret passage underground and we were able to explore the church, the castle, and the tower which structures are now being preserved as a museum that we were able to explore.
Kvareli
Kvareli is a small town and an area considered as the center of Khaketi wine-producing region. The town itself is known for its variety of red wines and is famous for Kindzmarauli, a semisweet red variety. Also, a birthplace of the famous Georgian poet Ilia Chavchavadze, which the Ilia lake was named after. It is not so far from our last destination and we first explored the lake before going to its main town.
Telavi-Kvareli RoadIlia Lake
The driver pulled over to an open field with crated parts that used to be a lake but now has dried. On other side, vast quantity of water can be found and that's no other than the Ilia Lake. It has dark green moss color that looks so calm. Trees line on the other side bank reflects on its glassy plain water which adds up to the tranquility of the place.
There's a park that is a good picnic area with benches and lots of pine trees. The other side of the bank has green lush forest and has a writing on top "I love Georgia".
On the side of the lake, on the hill lies the Kvareli Lake resort. The lake view looks so peaceful and one can really have a quiet and relaxing time here when choose to stay. I went to the platform near the bank and just took in the breathtaking view. If it wasn't that cold then maybe dipping in the lake water for a swim would be so nice.
Kvareli Gvirabi (Wine Tunnel)
It was around 3 in the afternoon when we left the lake and continued our journey to Kvareli. Near the town is located the famous 7.7km longest Wine tunnel in the world. The tunnel was dug out of Caucasus hillside in 1950s and built as a military defense during the Cold War, then was later converted to a wine storage of Kakheti's finest wines.
A constant humidity and temperature of the tunnel is being maintained at around 10-12 degrees C all year long for wine preservation. Now it is the biggest wine cellar in Georgia with over 25,000 bottles of aged wine of the company Winery Khareba.
Kvareli Gvirabi
Winery Khareba
The company that restored the Gvirabi (tunnel) and is the most famous winery in all Kakheti and Georgia. They offer packages that includes tunnel tour, wine tasting, then churchkela and bread making.
Sighnaghi, the City of Love
It as already almost 5pm when we started the trip so we had to hurry to reach it before dark sets in. We reached the town center at almost sunset and got off at the parking area of municipal hall. It has a unique architecture resembling the European structures, with a big wall clock tower on top.
Wedding in Sighnagi
If you're wondering why it's called the city of love, it is because in Sighnagi, any couple can get married any day and any time. They don't require the tedious processing of licensing and registration, all needed is a passport for non-Georgian citizens and they are good to go as a easy as that. The wedding house is open 24/7 to cater and officiate weddings even in the wee hours of the night. Amazing right? I don't know any place who has it apart from Las Vegas. So for those couple who wants a hassle-free wedding, this place is definitely for you. (I think I’ve found the place where I’d get married someday, hahah kidding).
Historical Sites
We started the tour and went to a high place with a good viewing area, from there I can see the town houses on the hillside. It's such a beautiful city scenery and I was able to watch the sunset fwith a nice view of the city castle.
Sighnagi Walls
Shota explained some things about the wall, he said it was once a walled city resembling the Great Wall of China. It is a 4.5 km wall with 23 towers and 6 gates built in the mid-18th Century by King Heracleus II to defend the area from attacks of tribesmen from Dagestan. It we were early then we could have explored it as well. We then we proceed to the museum, unfortunately, it's closed already so we just went to see some other sites.
The Toastmaster
I saw the statue known as the "Toastmaster", depicting how Georgia loves wine that it is incorporated in its core tradition. It looks strange though and Shota said it must be the look that resembles the face of Georgian anscestors.
The Memorial
We got down and proceed to explore some other places nearby. It was already dusk so streetlights are already lit up. I was lead to a wall panel with lots of Georgian writings. I later found out that all of those are names of the Sighnagi's heroes who died fighting during World War 2.
Names of Sighnagi Heroes
Sighnagi lost a large percent of its population and each name is engraved to commemorate their bravery. Each name carved is a handiwork of art and it's such a beautiful masterpiece along with other structures.
Going back to Tbilisi
We went around and saw some street vendors selling some street food and souvenirs. There's churchkela and some Georgian scarfs and hats.
We got back to the municipal hall, went in to the car, and started our 2 hour ride back to Tbilisi. It was such a long day but I enjoyed every part of it. A trip back in time in the ancient civilization and castles of Georgia, a taste of the Georgia wine born of tradition and seeing the places blessed with wonderful nature.
Day 1 Summary
Tbilisi—>Kakheti Route
A) Gombori Pass
B) Telavi City
C) Gremi Church
Kvareli
D) Ilia Lake
E) Kvareli Wine Tunnel
Winery Khareba
F) Sighnagi
G) Back to Tbilisi
Expenses:
25 Breakfast
10 Snacks
3 Gremi museum entrance fee
5 Snacks
20 Winery Khareba tour package
46 Purchase of 3 wine bottles
109 GEL Total
Next Blog: A Day of Adventure in Georgia’s Mountainous Kazbegi Region
This blog is a continuation of: The Beautiful Country of Georgia || A 4days/3nights Itinerary, Tips and Travel Guides
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