Georgian Savanna 2026

After breakfast at the hotel the group leaves Tbilisi by cars and heads towards the South-Eastern part of Georgia. The drive will take about 4 hours. We will stop for lunch in a local restaurand and head to the Park Rangers’ and Border Police stations to complete paperwork required for entering the park. In the afternoon we will settle in a local guesthouse/hostel. In the evening we will have dinner together and spend the night at the guesthouse before departing to the wildlands tomorrow.

After breakfast we pack everything and head to a small village in the Eldari Valley wher our journey starts. We meet our horses, guides will match them with riders and we start our journey through Vashlovani. The path we are taking leads towards the Black Mountain and will soon become more and more picturesque. After a while we will ride out to fields where Georgians fought battles with Persian armies in the 16th and 17th century. From fields we turn to hills where we can enjoy first panoramic views of Vashlovani with sights towards Alazani valley and to Azerbaijan’s territory. We will pass several natural spring sources discovered by shepherds and named after them. At the end of the day we will reach historical ruins of a a 15th century monastery. It is said that Georgian queen Ketevan lived there before being she was held hostahe by the shah Abbas the Great of the Persian Safavid Empire. We set up our camp at Park Rangers’ station, tend to our horses and have our first trail dinner together. We spend the night tenting (or bungalows – if available).

In the morning we have breakfast, pack our camp and ride out. We head to the Park Rangers’ station in the northern part of Mijnis Kure, an absolutely picturesque, eroded mountain range. Most of our trail here runs along the Alazani river, a natural border line between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The valley around Alazani river is covered with tree groves and changes into a naturally formed canyon, being home to more than 700 species of plants, animals and predatory birds. Before reaching our today’s destination we will ride through open badlands that some compare to African savanna, while others say the area resembles Colorado or Southern Dakota. Camping at Park Rangers’ station in Mijnis Kure, right at the Alazani river bank. Azerbaijan is right across the river. We spend the night in tents or bungalows.

Today we ride through a system of canyons and overlooking cliffs and climbs to one of the most beautiful spots in the whole Vashlovani Park. It is a unique place for bird watching, well-know amongs ornithologists and bird photographers. We might see many smaller birds there, but also bigger predatory species, such as hawks or vultures, often showing up and circling above our heads. Smaller animals such as foxes, rabbits or jackals can also be spotted there. We’ll climb one of the viewpoint and have a lunch break with an amazing view all around. Sated we’ll continue our ride to reach the Volierebi ranger station. There we’ll drop our belongings, get back in the saddles and have a short ride to another viewpoint overlooking Azerbaijan, with a the Mingachevir dam visible at a distance, on the other side of the border. Next we’ll ride to the camp, unsaddle our horses, enjoy dinner and spend the night in tenting.

After breakfast it’s time to ride and there are some really interesting places ahead of us today. Much of our trail today circles scenic protected areas. We ride out on a dirt road, with shepherds’ houses on one side and cliff on the other. It’s a great place for fast, active riding on the open fields and savanna-like areas. We’ll reach the Border Police station on the way, where we have to show up for a formal check. Next we’ll head to the Park Ranger’s Central Station – the main, biggest Ranger post. From there we’ll continue along a ridge covered with xerophytic vegetation on one side we will have a great view to Vashlovani Strict Nature Reserve, cut from the rest of the area by steep slopes. Protected areas, split with a network of deep gorges, are covered with endemic, arid forests and unique flora. They are also home, breeding and hunting grounds for rare animals, including… leopards. We’ll stop for a break in the open ground or at one of the shepherding houses and then ride back to the Central Station. There we set camp and spend the night in tents or in Ranger’s buildings.

After breakfast we pack our camp, saddle up and ride along cliffs overlooking the most valuable parts of the Protected Areas before riding into the wilderness of Vashlovani. At first our trail goes up and down, through hills and canyons. A bit later we will ride out to fields where shepherds drive their herds for Winter. It’s one of great spots for fast gallops! In Spring these areas are lush green while in Autumn they turn golden and riders can pick wild pomegranates straight from shrubs. We’ll stop for a lunch break at one of the shepherd’s houses and then continue our journey. At the end of the day we will reach Pantishara, the last Rangers’ station on the trail. We set our final camp in Vashlovani, eat, drink and enjoy the evening. Night in tents or Rangers’ bungalows.

In the morning we saddle up our horses one last time. It’s time to leave amazing Vashlovani, but… we still have a few hours in the saddle ahead of us! We ride out and head to Eldari Valley. After leaving Pantishara we will stop at a… leopard view point. In practice it’s hard to spot them, as they’re not that keen on humans, but… you never know. Next we’ll continue towards the outskirts of Vashlovani. It’s a great moment to look back at the amazing landscape and nature behind our backs. In the early afternoon we will reach the fields and arrive to the edge of the park. There we will we dismount, thank our horses and say goodbyes to both them and our guides. We leave the area by cars and head back to Tbilisi. After checking in the hotel, refreshing and resting a bit we will go together for our last, farewell dinner in Georgia’s capital city.

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