First Stripes: Pankisi and Vashlovani

Georgia

1200 €

“First Stripes” programme is our original series of tours invented, designed and meant for “advanced beginners” – those of you who already ride a bit, but are not confident, solid riders (yet). We set off to two, very different from each other, regions of Georgia: Pankisi Gorge and Vashlowani National Park. In the course of this ride you will ride in some absolutely amazing places in Georgia, develop your riding skills and gather your first, “big” horse trek experience on varied routes – earn your first stripes. 🙂 This your is led by an unusual team of very experienced and evenly friendly guides: Kists from Pankisi and highlanders from Tusheti.

Days overall

9 days

Days in saddle

6 days
Group size

10

Available

check
Standard

highlanders' hospitality: under roofs, but sometimes a bit wild

Luggage

no limit kg

Food

local cuisine, vegetarian meals available
Skills

walk, trot, canter

The First Stripes in Pankisi and Vashlani is one of the editions of our original programme for “advanced beginners”. Invented, designed and adjusted for riders, who already can ride a bit, have decent balance in the saddle, can walk, trot and started their first canters, but are not confident riders (yet).

This series of tours, scheduled from autumn to spring, takes place in two very interesting lowland sub-regions of Kakheti: Pankisi Gorge and Vashlowani National Park. This is a unique opportunity for less experienced riders who want to gain their first trail riding experience and develop their skills. The entire ride is ran by very experienced trail riding guides, leaders, horsemen and tour pilots, some of the best ones in Georgia. They will guide, teach and help you on your way to earning your first trail riding stripes.

The first two horseback riding days will be spent in the Pankisi Gorge, a valley at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, inhabited by the Kists, a unique subethnical group descended from the Chechen and Ingush peoples. The Kists moved to the region in the early 19th century and, along with their Georgian citizenship, they also adopted local surnames and settled for good in their new homeland. They are Muslim, mostly practising Sufism, with animistic belief influences characteristic of the whole region. At present, their total population is estimated at around 15,000 people, of whom around 8,000 live in Pankisi.

The first day of horseback riding will be a “warm-up”, getting to know the horses and a shorter (3-4 hours) ride so that everyone can get used to the Caucasian saddle and riding style. On the second day we will already set off on a longer route through the valley. The terrain is not difficult, mostly running on dirt roads and green areas, but we will also hook up with public roads in the village of Jokolo.

On the third day of the ride, we will leave Pankisi and head to the village of Kvemo Alvani on horseback. The route passes through fields, a river and a forest, as well as several villages on the border between the areas inhabited by the Kists and the Tushetians. Alvani is inhabited by the Tushetians, who spend part of the year in high mountain region of Tusheti and the remaining months in the villages of Kvemo Alvani and Zemo Alvani. This part of lowland Kakheti began to be settled by them in greater numbers in the 16th century, and two centuries later – in recognition of their service to the kings of Kakheti – they were granted the land where they still live today.

On another day, we will swap the live horses for mechanical ones, go exploring the area and visit some local winerias. Kakheti is considered the homeland of wine, and there is no shortage of vineyards and wineries in the area. Some of the wines produced in the region can easily be bought in Europe, while others are produced in small quantities and can only be enjoyed locally.

After a one-day break, we will spend the next three days in the Vashlovani National Park, a unique natural area with some extraordinary landscapes. Vashlovani is somewhat reminiscent of the African savannah, semi-desert in some places, as well as steppe areas and so-called bad lands. In spring, Vashlovsni awakens to life and becomes a vast, green area, while in autumn it turns into a golden savannah. In summer, the region is not suitable for horse riding – temperatures often reach 50 degrees Celsius. The region is entirely a national park and partly protected and strictly protected areas, representing a natural rarity on a European scale. From late autumn to spring Tusheti shepherds and their flocks stay for the winter in the park’s buffer zone.

This edition of First Stripes is jointly led by an unusual team: our friends, guides and horsemen from Pankisi and Tusheti.

The daily parts vary greatly in terms of time in the saddle. Some days will take 3-4 hours, on other days we will spend between 4 and 6 hours in the saddle. We have also planned a bit of sightseeing as part of the tour: in Tbilisi, the Pankisi Gorge and – above all – in lowlang Kakheti around Kvemo Alvani.

The First Stripes are designed for those of you who already ride “some”, i.e. are reasonably comfortable in the saddle, can walk and trot on horses and are at the stage of their first canters and have already started to go to their first, short open-terrain rides. This formula is also perfect for those who have returned to riding after a long break and have already resumed trainings, and those of you who want to go to your first tour but do not yet feel completely confident in the saddle.

For the First Stripes tours we strongly recommend riding in helmets.

What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.

2 nights in a hotel in Tbilisi
2 nights in a guesthousein Pankisi
2 nights in a guesthouse in Kvemo Alvani
2 nights in bungalows in the Vashlovani National Park
Breakfasts in Tbilisi
All meals in w Pankisi, Kvemo Alvani and Vashlovani (breakfast, lunch or food “to go”, dinners)
Transfers from and to Tbilisi airport (on arrival and departure days)
Transport from Tbilisi to Pankisi, from Kvemo Alvani to Vashlovani and from Vashlovani to Tbilisi
Local guides and horsemen from Pankisi and Tusheti
English-speaking pilot during the entire tour
Horse with full tack and equipment
Luggage car from Pankisi to Alvani, assisting vehicle in Vashlovani
Tourist insurance covering high-risk sports

What is not included in this tour?Items that are not included in the cost of tour price.

Bilet lotniczy do i z Tbilisi/Kutaisi (poza sezonem turystycznym i w promocji bilety w dwie strony można kupić w granicach 1200 zł)
W Tbilisi: posiłki inne niż śniadania (potężny posiłek w restauracji to koszt około 80 zł)
Wydatki własne (pamiątki, dodatkowe przekąski, bilety wstępów itp.)
Opcjonalnie: dopłata do pokoju jednoosobowego (tam, gdzie to możliwe)

Day 1 Welcome to Georgia

Riders arrive in Georgia. You can fly to Tbilisi (recommended) or to Kutaisi and then arrive in Tbilisi by bus. Once there and time allows for that it’s worth to take a walk around the city centre. A welcome dinner at a restaurant is planned in the evening. We will stay in a family-run hotel for the night.
Day 2 Road to Pankisi

Right after breakfast, a minibus arrives outside the hotel in Tbilisi to take the group to the Pankisi Gorge. The drive takes about 3 hours. Upon reaching the village of Jokolo, we check into a local guest house and have a quick lunch. We will then change into riding clothes and set off on our first warm-up ride. We will ride to Duisi, to an amphitheatre built after the Second World War, a memorial to the inhabitants of the gorge who died during the war, and the 16th century Beltagora tower. After a 3-4 hour stroll we will return to Jokolo, where dinner and overnight will await us at a guesthouse.
Day 3 Khadori waterfall

After breakfast, we saddle our horses and ride out for 5-6 hours. We will leave Jokolo and take the road through Dzibakhevi to reach the edge of Pankisi, to the Khadori Gorge, where an almost 80-metre tall waterfall drops. We will take a lunch to rest break there and enjoy the view. We will then set off on the return journey to our guest house in Jokolo. Most of the route runs on dirt roads, so there will be a couple of chances to try group cantering. We will return to our guesthouse before it gets dark outside and head straight for dinner, evening full of stories and an overnight stay.
Day 4 Lowland Tushetian villages

This morning we’re not in a rush, so we can have a lazy breakfast and then pack our belongings. A car will come to collect our luggage while we saddle our horses and set off. We leave Jokolo and the Pankisi Gorge for good. Our destination for the day is Kvemo Alvani, a lowland village belonging to the highlanders of Tusheti. We will cross the Alazani River and then drive through the surrounding fields, a small forest and several villages. Along the way we will stop for a break. In the afternoon we will reach Alvani, where we will take the horses to pasture, settle down in a guest house and head out to dinner together. For the night we stay in one of our favourite guest houses in the area.
Day 5 Wineries in Kakheti

On this day we will take a break from riding. After breakfast we will get in our cars and drive to see the Alaverdi monastery and then visit some local vineyards and wineries. Kakheti is considered the ”homeland of wine”, with documented finds indicating that grapevines were grown in the region as early as 6,000 BC. The region abounds in grapevine fields, larger and smaller vineyards and a multitude of wineries. Some of them are world-famous and their wines can also be commonly purchased all across Europe. Others are tiny, family-run vineyards and wineries whose products are only available locally. Towards evening, we will return to Alvani for dinner and overnight.
Day 6 Vashlovani National Park

After breakfast, we set off on our journey. First, by car, to the Vashlovani National Park Administration and the Border Police to complete all formalities needed for roaming Vashlovani. Then we will drive to the Eldari Valley, where our new horses will be already waiting for us. We will hop into our saddles, head off through the fields surrounding Vashlovani and enter the park. The peaks of the Caucasus Mountains will loom in the distance and the Georgian savannah will open up before us. Upon reaching the first Park Rangers’ station, we will plunge into a canyon, then follow a river bed, dry at this time of year. Before dark we will reach the mountain in whose shadow the central Park Guard post is located. There will have dinner and stay overnight in bungalows.
Day 7 Border with Azerbaijan

After breakfast at the Rangers’ station, we will saddle up and continue our adventure. We will reach open areas, riding along the border with Azerbaijan, passing a nature reserve and protected areas. We will stop for lunch at the next Ranger post, right next to the protected areas. We will then head to a viewpoint from where we can admire the beauty of the Vashlowani canyons, into which we will ride moments later. From the canyons, we will leave for the open, vast areas of the savannah, cut by the Alazani River, which also constitutes the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. Along the way, there will be no shortage of convenient places for nice canters. In the late afternoon we will arrive at the Mijnis Kure station, where we will stay overnight in bungalows.
Day 8 Last day in the saddle

After breakfast at Mijnis Kure, we set off on our return journey to leave the park. Again, we will move through open areas of the savannah before plunging into canyons, passing several shepherding grounds, stopping at one of them for a break. A little later we will ride between fields surrounding Vashlowani, from where we can see the Black Mountain and, in the distance, the Caucasus mountains. A little further on we will eventually exit the Vashlowani National Park. On the outskirts of the park we will say goodbye to our horses and a part of the guides’ team, get in our cars and head to Tbilisi. There we will check into our hotel and head to our last, farewell dinner at a restaurant.
Day 9 Farewell to Georgia

The group leaves Georgia. All riders are taken to the airport in Tbilisi or to a bus stop (Kutaisi airport flights).

The guide might modify the route and tour plan according to weather conditions and group's riding skills.

In Tbilisi we spend the night in a hotel of European standard. In Pankisi our base is a guesthouse in the village of Jokolo, we don’t need sleeping bags or sleeping mats, we spend nights there indoors, in beds. We have access to a bathroom and electricity there. Then we stay for one night in a guesthouse in Kvemo Alvani, also in comfy conditions, with access to all sanitary facilities. In Vashlowani, on the other hand, we spend two nights at Park Rangers’ stations, in bungalows, riders will need sleeping bags there. Usually, apart from cases of supply failures (it’s a wild nature reserve, afteral), there’s access to water in both Ranger stations we stay at. In case there’s not our team also has an emergency supply of water and a portable shower bag so everybody can dust off and wash after a day in the saddle.

In Tbilisi we have breakfasts at the hotel (on the second and last day). The remaining meals in Tbilisi (i.e. dinner on the first and penultimate day) are to be purchased on your own, with everybody chipping in (wine’s on us!). In the course of the actual tour, in both regions and during transition between them all meals are provided: in the guest houses meals are prepared by the hosts, and in Vashlani by our tour team. Breakfasts and dinners are always served at the place of accommodation, and lunches – depending on the day – in the guest houses or we get a take-away meals and eat them during breaks.

Meals in Pankisi, lowland Kakheti and Vashlani are a mix of traditional Georgian dishes, with a touch of local specificity. Georgian cuisine is rich and varied: plenty of vegetables, mutton, beef and poultry, local cheeses in every form, flour dishes and bread. In Tbilisi restaurants offer both typical Georgian cuisine, as well as dishes from all over the world.

Equipment

We use typical Caucasian saddles. In construction and appearance they are noticeably different from English and Western saddles. Steel frame is set on wooden benches with a rather thick, soft leather seat placed on top. It is held in place by a set of leather straps and belt, which also serves as a girth. Tail docks and breastplates are common, bridles are build in a typical way, we use bits.

The Caucasian saddle often raises doubts at first with its unusual appearance, but in practice it is very comfortable. It stabilizes the rider very well and the thick seat absorbs shocks and bumps. The design, as it’s a shepherding saddle, is also perfect for carrying lots of luggage. Anyone who has ridden in such a saddle for a few days remembers it fondly.

Georgians ride on long stirrup belts, have a specific position in the saddle and usually stay in full sit, which resembles more western style than classical English riding style. Stirrups are relatively wide allowing trekking boots to fit easily.

Each rider is equipped with saddle bags that easily fit a jacket/raincoat, a bottle of water or some other, handy items.

Riding helmets are available on site by prior arrangement, although we recommend having your own sports helmet that perfecty fits your head.

What you should take with you

The routes in Pankisi and Vashlowani are very varied. In Pankisi and lowland Kakheti we ride through inhabited areas, while in Vashlowani we travel through desolate, wild areas of the national park and nature reserve. We ride “lightweight”, taking only what we will need for the days’ rides.

We will send out a detailed gear and equipment list, with our advice and commentary, to all participants one month ahead of the tour.

passport
cash, USD or EUR
electronic devices, e.g. camera, chargers
a handy waistbag (for documents, phone, cash, etc.)
a canteen or other water containers (it might be an empty plastic bottle)
flashlight; head flashlights are quite handy
sunscreen
head cover against the sun
trekking shoes, waterproof ones advised
warmer clothes for chilly days / colder nights
raincoat / waterproof jacket
flip-flops for showering