In summer 2011, Dutch cyclists Blanche & Douwe spent a month cycling through Georgia, in eastern Europe.
They experienced amazing hospitality, breathtaking landscapes (with plenty of places to wild camp!) and delicious food.
Blanche made a video about their trip, and we love the story that it tells. Below the video you’ll find extra tips from Blanche & Douwe, to help in planning your own bike trip in Georgia.
1. What were your cycling highlights of Georgia – the places you’d tell other cyclists that they should absolutely visit?
The Svaneti stretch between Mestia and Lentekhi via Usghuli was amazing cycling. Imagine very rough off-road roads that take you through small mountain villages, beautiful nature and alongside glaciers.
We also loved the route from the Vardzia monastry towards Tbilisi: green hills with many birds, flat grasslands, rustic villages with a kind of cowboy-like attitude, and flat grasslands with lovely wild camping spots at the lakes.
The region of Tusheti was nice, but next time we’ll go walking around Omalo as the hills are too steep for bicycles that are loaded down with luggage.
2. What time of year do you think is best to visit?
We visited in July but it was too hot and humid for comfort, and we were glad to leave before the worst of the heat in August. June would be a great month as the snow has disappeared and heat is not yet that fierce. Watch out for landslides though!
3. Are there any resources you can recommend, for cyclists planning a trip around Georgia?
We used and loved the Bradt Guide for Georgia and Armenia