5 - day horseback expedition Kulbaki Short -. Megrel Firsts

 Day 1 - Arrival in Georgia
This is the day for the group to assemble. Each participant arriving on this day is collected from the airport and taken directly to the hotel in Kutaisi. It is best to plan a flight to Kutaisi, from where our expedition departs. In case of flights to Tbilisi, we will help with the transfer to Kutaisi. Once all participants have arrived at the guesthouse Hostel Kutaisi by Kote, a welcome and inclusive dinner awaits us. You will enjoy delicious Georgian cuisine and natural wine!

Day 2 - The Robbery Trail
After breakfast, we set off for the mountains! We drive along a scenic route, overlooking Okatse Canyon and a roadside waterfall. The road will take us about 1.5-2 hours. We will stop at the last major market on the route, where you can stock up on the necessities. On site, in the village of Kulbaki (yes, that's the name of the village!), a picturesque centre with fishing ponds, a wooden house awaits us. We are hosted by friends, native inhabitants of these mountains. The area has belonged for generations to families bearing the Gasviani surname. On the other side of the mountains, the Nachqebia family has settled, which inevitably means that this is the family territory of our Kote, who leads you to horseback adventures in this part of Georgia. There you will meet our partner endurance team from Kulbaki Horse Trails: Giorgi, Irakli and Lasha and you will feel at home. 

Waiting for us will be horses already saddled and prepared for the expedition. We will assign each horse according to ability, height and weight. We will set off along the ideal trail to get to know the horses and the local riding style. Your first horseback climbs and descents in the mountains await you. We will spend about 4 hours in the saddle, with a break for a rest. The route passes through dense, unspoilt forests. On the trail we pass as many as two waterfalls! This was a trail and a meeting place for former robbers of these mountains. The trail is pleasant in any weather. At the end, before returning to the base, we will stop at a hidden waterfall where those wishing to do so can bathe. In the evening we will sit down to dinner together.

Day 3 - Askhi
We will have breakfast at around 9am and then set off. We have the most challenging trail of this trip ahead of us. We spend about 4-5 hours on the trail, and will return to our resort in the late afternoon. The main objective of this day is to reach the pass below Mount Aschi, at an altitude of 2050 metres. We have about 1,050 metres of elevation gain through meadows, beautiful forests. With every turn we are getting higher and higher! Further on, we reach a rockier and rockier section of the trail that will lead us to the start of alpine-type glades, but it doesn't end there! We have a final climb up to the pass on limestone stones to cross. A picturesque clearing will open up in front of us. There we will stand for a stopover and an off-road lunch. We have some time to rest and, above all, quietly admire the panorama of the whole area. We then set off on the return journey. On the first rocky section we will bring our horses. On the way, it is worth looking at the rocks and stones. You can see clear layers on them - more than 100 million years ago the sea was skimming here. On the way, we will try to visit a local shepherd making the famous megrel cheese Sulguni. We'll descend to level ground where it's possible to move at a brisker gait. In the late afternoon we will arrive at our base camp. In the evening we will sit down to dinner together. A delicious feast and a fun evening awaits us.

Day 4 - Georgian Alaska
We'll have breakfast around 9am and then hit the road. Today we will drive through an area (somewhat humorously) referred to by locals as "Alaska" - because of the dense forest and the views of the rocky countryside piercing from between it. This is the first section of the 30km trail to Lake Lebarde, which we conquer on the Special Edition of this rally. The route follows a forest track, basically only used by skidding and logging crews and local shepherds. The trail is quite varied, undulating up and down while gently ascending all the time and leading to a waterfall. Along the way there are several good places for merry gallops, the pace of the ride will vary. For a stopover we will stop in the countryside. We will have a leisurely lunch, rest, and then set off on the return journey. There will be a short section where we will lead the horses first, before jumping into the saddles and moving on, also having a few opportunities to gallop. In the late afternoon we will arrive at the base in Kulbaki, where we will say goodbye to our horses and guides. We will then set off on our way back to Kutaisi. We will have dinner in Kulbaki or in Kutaisi. 

 Day 5 - Return to Poland
Breakfast awaits us in the morning. All riders will be driven to Kutaisi airport. In case of later departures, it is worth taking a walk around the city, we will advise you what interesting things to see and... eat 🙂 Sooner or later, however, everyone will set off on the way back home.