Georgia Custom Tour Packages

Georgia is quite safe, with low crime rates. Reforms started in 2004 have borne fruit, with Georgia's once infamously corrupt police now the most professional and transparent in the region (you'll notice that every police station is literally transparent, with glass walls so you can see the police in their offices!) Kutaisi has a reputation for petty crime after dark. Traffic accidents are fairly common, due to Georgia's combination of poor roads (often traversed by livestock), reckless drivers, and cars imported from around the world, meaning that drivers can be seated on the right or left side of the car.

Georgia has two regions that have seceded, and are de facto states recognized only by a handful of countries, and supported by Russia. Of these, South Ossetia has no border crossings with Georgia, and Abkhazia has one, which is difficult to use. Entering either from Russia is illegal in Georgia, and mandatory visas are difficult to get. Visiting either is not recommended, and there are no companies offering tours to these areas.

Georgian cuisine has a prestigious place throughout Eastern Europe, with its savory meat dumplings, cheese-filled flatbread, and a surprising amount of vegan food, taking advantage of the country’s bounty of walnuts, pomegranates, and eggplants. It has many unique delicacies hard to find elsewhere, such as Churchkhela, strings of nuts (generally walnuts) suspended in thickened grape juice, forming candy resembling sausage. We highly recommend Khinkali, meat dumplings eaten by hand with a special technique to avoid being splattered with meat juices, and Satisivi, chicken in a walnut sauce with garlic and spices. Each region has distinct and ancient food traditions, as typified by their takes on Khachapuri, the ubiquitous cheese-filled flatbread. The most famous version, popular in Batumi’s province, is boat-shaped, and covered in salty cheese and a freshly-cracked egg.

While it’s unclear if Georgians really invented wine, it has been making wine in buried clay jars for 8,000 years, with hundreds of local varietals. Georgian claims to have invented toasting are likewise hard to prove, but it’s a key part of the country's elaborate feasts. The tap water is safe to drink, as shown by the sometimes elaborate drinking fountains found in most parks. Georgians also enjoy Chacha. A strong spirit distilled from pomace, the grape mash left over from wine production, Chacha is Italian Grappa's stronger cousin. For more on Georgian cuisine, visit our blog.