Samtskhe-Javakheti
Borjomi forests, the rock city of Vardzia and the high Javakheti plateau with its lakes — two climates in one region.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Samtskhe-Javakheti falls into two quite different halves. Samtskhe is the Mtkvari valley from Borjomi through Akhaltsikhe and on to Vardzia: pine forest, mineral water and fortresses. Javakheti is what lies above it, a volcanic plateau around 2,000 metres with lakes, wind and a horizon with almost no trees on it.
Borjomi is known for its central park and the spring where the warm mineral water is drunk straight from the source. Above the town spreads Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, one of the largest protected areas in the country, with marked routes long enough to take several days. In Akhaltsikhe, Rabati Castle is a fully rebuilt complex where a mosque, a church and a synagogue stand inside one set of walls, and Sapara Monastery clings to a steep slope not far above.
The headline site is Vardzia: a twelfth-century cave city cut into the cliff under Queen Tamar, tunnels and cells stacked over many levels, with the church of the Dormition preserving a portrait of Tamar painted in her lifetime. Khertvisi Fortress guards the confluence of two rivers on the way there.
On the Javakheti side are Lake Paravani and Lake Tabatskuri, the Abastumani observatory, and a genuinely severe winter. The seasons split accordingly: Samtskhe works all year, the plateau realistically from June to September. Two days is the natural minimum, with a night in Borjomi or Akhaltsikhe.
Best for
- A two-day loop: Borjomi, Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia
- Hiking in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
- Mineral springs and forest air at Borjomi
- The Javakheti lakes and dark skies in summer
Driving conditions
The main route is easy: motorway to Gori, then through Khashuri to Borjomi and on to Akhaltsikhe. The asphalt is good and an economy car is enough. From Akhaltsikhe through Aspindza to Vardzia the road narrows but stays surfaced.
The branches are a different story. The last few kilometres up to Sapara are steep and narrow, the climb to Abastumani is a serpentine, and the track towards Lake Tabatskuri is unpaved; for all three, ground clearance is advisable. On the Javakheti plateau the weather is the main factor. Winter temperatures fall towards minus twenty, wind drifts snow across the road, and overnight ice is normal. Even in summer the nights up there are cold and fog can settle quickly.
Fuel is available in Borjomi, Akhaltsikhe and Aspindza; towards Vardzia and out on the plateau stations are sparse, so fill the tank in advance rather than counting on the next village.
In this region — 22 places
Cave★★★★★5Vardzia
A 12th-century cave city and monastery cut into the Mtkvari gorge, the flagship monument of Queen Tamar's era.
- Time needed: 3 h
- From Tbilisi: 265 km · 4:20
- Car needed: Economy class
Fortress★★★★★5Rabati Castle (Akhaltsikhe)
A restored fortress-town in the heart of Akhaltsikhe where a mosque, a church and a synagogue share one courtyard.
- Time needed: 2 h
- From Tbilisi: 205 km · 3:20
- Car needed: Economy class
Ski area★★★★☆4Bakuriani
A ski resort at 1,700 metres in pine forest on the northern slope of the Trialeti range, above Borjomi.
- Time needed: 6 h
- From Tbilisi: 185 km · 2:50
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Spa resort★★★★☆4Borjomi Central Park and Mineral Springs
The historic spa park where you drink warm Borjomi water free, straight from the source.
- Time needed: 3 h
- From Tbilisi: 160 km · 2:20
- Car needed: Economy class
Cave★★★★☆4Vanis Kvabebi
An 8th-century multi-level monks' town cut into a tuff cliff, two kilometres short of Vardzia.
- Time needed: 2 h
- From Tbilisi: 262 km · 4:15
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Nature★★★★☆4Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
One of the largest protected forests in Europe, with marked trails, huts and multi-day treks.
- Time needed: 6 h
- From Tbilisi: 165 km · 2:30
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Museum★★★★☆4The Kukushka narrow-gauge railway and the Tsagveri bridge
A 37-kilometre narrow-gauge line opened in 1902 that takes two and a half hours to climb from Borjomi to Bakuriani.
- Time needed: 4 h
- From Tbilisi: 162 km · 2:25
- Car needed: Economy class
Museum★★★½☆3.5Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory
The first mountain observatory in the region, on Mount Kanobili above the old lung-cure resort of Abastumani.
- Time needed: 2 h
- From Tbilisi: 235 km · 3:50
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Monastery★★★½☆3.5Timotesubani Monastery
A brick church of Queen Tamar's reign off the Borjomi-Bakuriani road, holding an unusually complete 13th-century fresco cycle.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 180 km · 2:45
- Car needed: Economy class
Nature★★★★☆4Javakheti National Park
A protected network of volcanic plateau lakes and wetlands near Ninotsminda, and Georgia's best birdwatching ground.
- Time needed: 4 h
- From Tbilisi: 197 km · 3:35
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Monastery★★★½☆3.5The Green Monastery (Chitakhevi St George)
A small monastery founded in the 9th century, hidden near Borjomi in a moss-covered forest gorge.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 172 km · 2:35
- Car needed: Economy class
Monastery★★★½☆3.5Kumurdo Cathedral
A cathedral precisely dated to 964, standing on the Javakheti plateau near Akhalkalaki on a rare six-apse plan.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 228 km · 4:00
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Fortress★★★½☆3.5Khertvisi Fortress
One of the oldest fortresses in Georgia, standing where two rivers meet on the road to Vardzia.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 250 km · 4:05
- Car needed: Economy class
Poka Nunnery of St Nino
A nunnery on the shore of Lake Paravani at two thousand metres, known for its enamel and cheese workshops.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 170 km · 3:05
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Fortress★★★½☆3.5Atskuri Fortress
An unrestored fortress on a rock at the narrowest point of the Mtkvari gorge, between Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 188 km · 2:55
- Car needed: Economy class
Nature★★★★☆4Bakuriani Alpine Botanical Garden
A high-mountain botanical garden founded in 1910 on the edge of Bakuriani, holding a collection of Caucasian alpine flora.
- Time needed: 1.5 h
- From Tbilisi: 187 km · 2:55
- Car needed: Economy class
Monastery★★★½☆3.5Zarzma Monastery
A 14th-century church in the Kvabliani valley above Adigeni, with Jaqeli family portraits and an early bell tower.
- Time needed: 1.5 h
- From Tbilisi: 235 km · 3:55
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Lake★★★★☆4Lake Paravani and Lake Tabatskuri
High-altitude lakes on the volcanic Javakheti plateau at around 2,000 metres, on a major bird migration route.
- Time needed: 3 h
- From Tbilisi: 175 km · 3:10
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Town★★★½☆3.5The Jewish quarter and synagogues of Akhaltsikhe
Two surviving 19th-century synagogues and the streets of the old merchant quarter below the Rabati hill.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 205 km · 3:20
- Car needed: Economy class
Museum★★★☆☆3Likani Palace (the Romanov summer residence)
The Romanov palace on the bank of the Mtkvari near Borjomi, today a state residence of the president.
- Time needed: 1 h
- From Tbilisi: 164 km · 2:25
- Car needed: Economy class
Tmogvi Fortress
A ruined fortress spread over three rocky spurs above the Mtkvari gorge, between Khertvisi and Vardzia.
- Time needed: 2 h
- From Tbilisi: 256 km · 4:20
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV
Monastery★★★★☆4Sapara Monastery
An active monastery hidden on a cliff terrace near Akhaltsikhe, with 13th-century frescoes.
- Time needed: 2 h
- From Tbilisi: 215 km · 3:35
- Car needed: Crossover / SUV