Adventure tours in Georgia

Safety and equipment

Every activity runs with licensed operators. In paragliding the tandem instructor is responsible for the flight and all that is asked of you is a few steps at take-off. On rafting the helmet, wetsuit top and paddle are included, as is the briefing on the bank before you get in.

Being able to swim helps on rafting but is not required - everyone wears a buoyancy aid. On 4x4 routes the drivers are local and have years on those particular roads. We offer separate insurance and recommend taking it.

Who it suits and who it does not

Paragliding, the caves and Martvili canyon are open to almost anyone - no fitness required. Rafting at grade II-III is for beginners; grade IV asks for some experience.

Multi-day riding and canyoning are genuinely demanding: five to seven hours in the saddle a day, or steep descents into water. With cardiovascular problems, in pregnancy or with a back injury these routes are not for you - tell us in advance and we will suggest an alternative.

Paragliding at Gudauri: how it works

The flight is tandem - with a pilot - so you need no experience. Gudauri is at about 2,200 metres and you go up to the take-off point by cable car or 4x4; the landing is below, on a flat stretch of the valley.

The take-off itself is a few steps: the pilot brings the wing into the air and you simply run forward until your feet leave the ground. That part takes a few seconds, which is why the briefing on site is over in five minutes.

The flight lasts 15 to 30 minutes depending on the height. It is cold up there - even in summer 10 to 12 degrees less than on the ground - so a jacket and closed shoes are compulsory. The pilot films; shooting handheld yourself is not allowed.

Rafting: grades and water level

Rafting difficulty is measured in grades and in Georgia you mostly meet II to IV. Grade II-III is for beginners and works for families as well. Grade IV already calls for physical preparation and carries an age limit.

The main variable is the water level, and that is tied to snowmelt. In May and June the rivers are at their fullest and the same stretch can rise a grade. From late July the level drops and the route calms down.

The principal rivers are the Aragvi around Ananuri and Pasanauri and the Mtkvari in the Borjomi gorge. In western Georgia the Rioni and the Tekhuri are used. We choose the particular stretch according to the water level rather than in advance.

Horse riding: Tusheti and Kazbegi

Horse riding comes in two formats. A two-hour ride works without any experience - the horses are calm and the instructor walks alongside. A multi-day route is another matter: 5 to 7 hours in the saddle a day, and you feel it the next morning.

In Tusheti the classic route is Omalo-Dartlo-Girevi and takes three or four days. The trail follows the river gorge, the nights are in villages, and the horses carry the luggage. It is possible from June to September.

In Kazbegi the routes are shorter: Juta by the Chaukhi massif, and the Truso valley with its mineral springs and travertine fields. Both fit into a single day, start from Stepantsminda and do not require a 4x4 to reach.

Canyoning and canyons: two different things

These are two separate formats and they are often confused. Walking in a canyon - Martvili, Okatse, Dashbashi - is a stroll along a path, with no equipment. It suits any age and requires no physical preparation.

Canyoning is an activity: a wetsuit, a helmet, ropes, abseiling down waterfalls and wading through cold water. It runs 4 to 8 hours with an instructor and is considerably harder physically.

Dashbashi canyon near Tsalka deserves separate mention - a diamond-shaped glass bridge opened there in 2023, suspended over the gorge. It is two and a half hours from Tbilisi and fits comfortably into a day format, with an evening return to the city.

4x4 tours: where and why

In Georgia a 4x4 is not an attraction but the only way to reach certain places. Tusheti, Ushguli, Khevsureti and the high parts of Racha cannot be driven in an ordinary car.

The hardest route is Tusheti - the Abano pass at 2,850 metres, unpaved the whole way, open from June to early October. In Khevsureti the road to Shatili crosses the Datvijvari pass at about 2,676 metres, and is open in the same window.

Shatili is itself a reason to go: up to sixty stone towers joined to one another into a single fortress village. It is one of the most complete examples of medieval defensive architecture in the Caucasus. A few families live there today and an overnight stay is possible.

Caves: Prometheus and Sataplia

Prometheus cave is near Tskaltubo and is the largest cave in Georgia set up for visitors. Of the eleven kilometres surveyed, about 1.4 kilometres is open, and it ends with a boat trip on an underground river.

The temperature inside stays at about 14 degrees all year - so in August you need a jacket in there, and in January the opposite, it is warm. The path is made up and has steps, though it is wet and slippery.

Sataplia is close by and is worth it for a different reason: dinosaur footprints survive there from the Cretaceous, around 120 million years old. Both fit into one day and work all year - a rare advantage for winter routes.

Instructors and certification

On adventure activities we are the operator rather than the instructor: each activity is run by the appropriate certified team. For paragliding that is a tandem pilot with a current licence; for rafting, a guide with a rescue qualification.

We tell you in advance who we work with and answer the question directly. If you want details of a particular operator - the name, the experience, the state of the equipment - we put it in the offer.

The equipment belongs to the operator and is included in the price: helmet, life jacket, wetsuit, ropes. All you need to bring is clothing and footwear, and we send you a specific list for each activity beforehand.

Insurance: what it covers and what it does not

This is where misunderstanding arises most often. Standard travel insurance frequently does not cover what the policy calls 'extreme sports' - and paragliding, rafting and canyoning are usually in that category.

So if you already hold a policy, we advise checking what the exclusions say. An additional package is often needed; it is priced separately and we can arrange it too.

Operators carry their own liability insurance, but that is a different thing - it covers the operator, not your medical costs. We explain that distinction in advance so there is no confusion on the day.

Weather and cancellation

Weather bites harder on adventure activities than on ordinary tours. Paragliding depends on the wind and the wind changes through the day - the pilot makes the call on the spot, often half an hour before take-off.

Rafting can be suspended after heavy rain if the water level passes the safe limit. Canyoning is more sensitive still: a sudden rise of water in a narrow gorge is the main risk, so cancellations are frequent.

Our rule is simple: an activity cancelled because of the weather moves to another day at no charge, and if there is no other day within your visit, the money comes back. That is written down beforehand and does not need negotiating on the spot.

Physical preparation: what level is needed

The activities fall into three groups. Paragliding, the caves and walking in the canyons need no preparation - no special fitness is required and the age limits are minimal.

The middle group is grade II-III rafting and a one-day ride. Average physical condition is enough here, though you will feel it in your muscles the next day, particularly if you are not used to sitting on a horse.

The third group - canyoning, grade IV rafting and multi-day riding - involves real exertion. Here we ask you directly about your state of health, because changing your mind on the spot is often not possible.

The season by activity

Not every activity runs at the same time and that bears directly on planning the route. The caves are the only one open all year - underground there is no weather.

The best rafting window is May to July, while the snow is melting. Canyoning May to October; horse riding in the mountains June to September; 4x4 tours in Tusheti and Khevsureti June to early October.

Paragliding is the most flexible: at Gudauri it runs from April to November and is possible in winter too if the wind allows. Which is why it is the one adventure activity we offer on winter tours.

How many activities in one day

Two serious activities in a day do not work and we say so plainly. After rafting or canyoning a person is tired and wet; planning a third thing after that only looks good on paper.

A light-plus-heavy combination does work, though. Paragliding takes half an hour and leaves the rest of the day free - it joins a Kazbegi route naturally. The caves fit into one day with the canyons, because both are in the west and both are physically light.

On a multi-day tour we spread the activities across days rather than stacking them. The standard rhythm is: an active day, then an ordinary route, then active again. That way you go home rested at the end of the visit rather than worn out.

What we do not offer, and why

There are a few things we do not sell as adventure activities. Technical mountaineering - Kazbek, Shkhara - is not on this page and we do not offer it as an add-on to a day: it is a separate format, with a certified mountain guide, and it is described under sport tours.

Speleological exploration in undeveloped caves we do not do at all - it carries real risk and demands a qualification that is not part of our profile.

Off-piste freeriding works only with an avalanche-trained guide and the corresponding kit - transceiver, shovel, probe. If you want to go out without that, we say no and explain why.

How an activity fits into a route

An adventure activity is rarely a tour in itself - it is normally part of another route. Paragliding fits into the Kazbegi day, because Gudauri is on the Military Highway. The caves fit into a western Georgia route.

In practice that means a separate outing does not eat the driving time in both directions. Adding one activity therefore usually adds an hour or two to a day, not a whole day.

The exceptions are the 4x4 tours to Tusheti and Khevsureti and multi-day horse riding - these are routes in their own right and cannot be fitted into anything else. We mark that plainly in the offer so the number of days is clear.