Georgia Real Food Adventure

Adjarian khachapuri in Tbilisi

Georgia's signature dish is a boat-shaped bread filled with bubbling cheese, topped with a raw egg yolk and a pat of butter — and on the welcome dinner of this eight-day trip, it's the first thing you'll eat. Tbilisi is where the food makes sense: a cobblestoned Old Town that has passed through Persian and Russian hands, where art nouveau facades sit alongside Soviet Modernist blocks and Eastern Orthodox churches, with the snow-dusted peaks of the Caucasus behind it all. The reconstructed 4th-century Narikala Fortress looks down from the hill, and the Old Town's terraced alleys are lined with colourful houses and ornate wooden balconies. You spend the first two nights here, walking it with a local guide and eating your way through Dezertir Bazaar — fresh produce, spices, homemade cheese, and strings of churchkhela hanging from the stalls.

From Kakheti to the Pankisi Valley

On day three the route heads east into Kakheti, fertile valleys ringed by the snowy peaks of the Caucasus. The first stop is Signagi, a hilltop town often called the City of Love, before settling in Telavi. Further on, you spend a night in the Pankisi Valley with descendants of the original highland Chechens, in the dense foothills of the mountains. The itinerary also takes in Mtskheta, one of Georgia's oldest cities, and the Ananuri Fortress Complex on the way up towards Gudauri. Meals are the thread that holds the days together: lobio, the traditional bean stew; pkhali, vegetables with walnuts; pickles and salads at a local restaurant in Tbilisi; hands-on cooking classes; and tastings of the local wines Georgia is known for.

Bookings and practicalities

This is an Original-style Intrepid trip: tourist-class hotels, a mix of included activities and free time, and some meals built in. Group size is capped at twelve and the minimum age is fifteen, so it suits solo travellers, couples and friends rather than families with young children. The pace is moderate — it isn't a hiking holiday, but there's walking on cobbled streets and in the hills around Pankisi. Prices start from £1,450 for the eight days, beginning and ending in Tbilisi. Flights into Georgia are not included, and travel insurance details and next of kin information are collected at the welcome meeting on the first evening (6 pm, at the hotel), so arrive with those to hand. The leader handles logistics, transport between regions is by shared vehicle, and evenings tend to unfold around a long table.