10-DAY GEORGIA MOTORCYCLE TOUR

The Republic of Georgia compresses an extraordinary amount of world into a country you can loop in ten days. Our route links Tbilisi with the Greater Caucasus around Racha and Svaneti, the subtropical Black Sea coast, the remote highlands of Adjara, and the volcanic plateaus of Samtskhe-Javakheti — a blend of mountains, culture and coastline that few destinations anywhere can match. Elevations run from sea level at the Black Sea to over 2,600 m in the Greater Caucasus, so in a single week you ride from crisp alpine air past snow-capped peaks down to palm-lined beaches and warm coastal conditions.

The cultural range is just as wide as the topographic one. The loop takes in Kakheti, Georgia's famous wine region; the Davit Gareji monastery complex, hewn into semi-desert rock in the 6th century on the slopes between Georgia and Azerbaijan; the Soviet industrial legacy of Rustavi; the mining town of Chiatura with its abandoned cable cars — locally nicknamed "Stalin's death coffins"; the region of Racha, known as the "Switzerland of Georgia"; the medieval tower town of Mestia in Svaneti; the massive Enguri arch dam; and even Asureti, a village founded by German settlers. Battle memorials, ancient fortresses, timeless villages and highland lakes fill the gaps in between. That is the pitch in one sentence: nowhere else do you cross a high Caucasus pass in the morning and toast the day with wine from an 8,000-year-old winemaking tradition's homeland by night.

And then there is Tbilisi itself, where the tour begins and ends. Georgia's charming capital blends ancient history with modern energy — colorful balconies, sulfur baths, medieval churches and contemporary architecture side by side. We collect you from Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) on day one, and day ten leaves a free morning to explore the old town, shop for souvenirs or visit local attractions before your transfer back, depending on your flight time.

We publish a terrain profile for every tour so you can match the route to your skills before you book. The Republic of Georgia rates 25% off-road, 70% comfort and 100% fun — noticeably more adventurous than our road-focused tours like Greece, Thailand and Oman, which stay around 95% on pavement, but nowhere near the deep-dirt territory of a tour like Namibia, which we build specifically for experienced dirt and enduro riders. In plain words: this is a paved-road tour with plenty of smooth mountain tarmac, plus regular stretches of light gravel and broken pavement, especially around the high passes and on the approach to Davit Gareji.

What the route actually serves up is endless twisties, sweeping climbs, quiet backroads and scenery that changes by the hour. Eight riding days cover roughly 1,650 km, and no day exceeds 240 km — this is a tour paced for the mountains, not a mileage contest. The rhythm goes like this: a 220 km warm-up east through Akhmeta and over the scenic Gombori Pass into the Kakheti wine country; a second 220 km day through the semi-desert around Davit Gareji, Rustavi and the Didgori Memorial; then the route turns into the mountains proper. Day four heads for mystical Racha past Chiatura and over the scenic Nakerala Pass, deep into the mountains of Imereti. Day five is the shortest and arguably the biggest: 160 km over the high Zagaro Pass with spectacular views of the Greater Caucasus, descending into legendary Svaneti to reach Mestia. Day six drops 240 km from alpine Svaneti past the Enguri Dam all the way to the Black Sea at Shekvetili — snowy peaks behind you, palm-lined beaches ahead. Days seven and eight climb back up through Guria and Adjara's remote mountain roads past Bakhmaro to the village of Tsqo, then cross the Goderdzi Pass at 2,025 m into historical Samtskhe-Javakheti. The final riding day rolls 230 km back to Tbilisi across the volcanic plateau, through green highland meadows, lakes, ancient fortresses and the German-founded village of Asureti.

You never ride the Caucasus alone. A certified, multilingual tour leader heads the group on every departure, a local guide and support vehicle travel with us the whole way, and fuel and road tolls are covered. Because temperatures shift from crisp mountain air at 2,600 m to warm subtropical conditions at the coast — sometimes within a single riding day — the tour briefing and our pre-tour preparation guide cover exactly what gear to bring, and our partners Klim, Giant Loop and Mosko Moto give our riders up to 25% off riding gear and accessories.

The Republic of Georgia rewards riders who get off the bike, and the itinerary builds that in. These are the anchors of the route, day by day:

• Tbilisi (days 1, 9–10). The tour opens and closes in the vibrant capital — a city of contrasts and discovery where colorful old-town balconies and sulfur baths sit alongside medieval churches and contemporary architecture.
• Gombori Pass and Kakheti (day 2). The first mountain crossing drops straight into Georgia's wine region — and most evenings on this tour end with home-cooked Georgian feasts and local wines.
• Davit Gareji (day 3). One of Georgia's most remarkable sites: a 6th-century rock-hewn monastery complex on the semi-desert slopes between Georgia and Azerbaijan, with stunning frescoes and breathtaking views. A light gravel section takes us to the complex; the same day passes Rustavi's Soviet industrial legacy and the Didgori Memorial.
• Chiatura and the Nakerala Pass (day 4). The mining town of Chiatura is famous for its abandoned cable cars — the "Stalin's death coffins" — before the road climbs deep into the mountains of Imereti toward Racha, the "Switzerland of Georgia".
• The Zagaro Pass and Mestia (day 5). The high point of the Greater Caucasus crossing. On the far side lies Svaneti and the medieval tower town of Mestia, its distinctive stone defensive towers standing against the mountain backdrop, preserving centuries of highland culture.
• Enguri Dam and the Black Sea (day 6). One of the world's great arch dams marks the descent from Svaneti; by evening the group is on the subtropical coast at Shekvetili.
• Bakhmaro, Tsqo and the Goderdzi Pass (days 7–8). The wild, less-visited part of the route: remote Adjara mountain roads past Bakhmaro, a night in beautiful Tsqo village, then the 2,025 m Goderdzi Pass into Samtskhe-Javakheti.
• The volcanic plateau and Asureti (day 9). Highland meadows, scenic lakes, ancient fortresses and the German-founded village of Asureti line the final run back to Tbilisi.

Group activities and entry fees for these stops are included in the tour price, so there is no ticket-counter arithmetic along the way. Nights are spent in a hand-picked mix of boutique hotels, cottages, guesthouses and unique local stays — always clean, safe and full of character — and unusually for our catalog, both breakfasts and dinners are included, which is where the traditional Georgian hospitality really shows itself.

The honest way to answer this is with the same questions we ask on the registration form. When you sign up, we ask you to rate four things: your experience on a 500cc-or-bigger motorcycle, your adventure-touring and off-road skills, your experience in tight mountain curves, and your experience riding in third-world city traffic. Those four categories are the tour in miniature — the Caucasus route is built around mountain switchbacks, high passes with stretches of light gravel and broken pavement, and a start and finish in a busy capital city.

You do not need to be an enduro rider — at 25% off-road this is not Namibia — but you should be a confident street rider who is comfortable when the pavement occasionally turns to gravel and when the corners keep coming. The formal bar is the same as for all our tours: 20 years or older, at least one year of experience on a 500cc-or-bigger motorcycle, a valid driver's license with motorcycle endorsement, and a passport with at least six months' validity at tour start. You will also need to be physically and mentally fit to ride, and to carry a credit card with sufficient funds for the refundable security deposit, sized according to the rental bike you choose. Riders who want the scenery without the handlebars are welcome too — the Add Pillion/Passenger option covers a co-rider on the back seat. And if the terrain profile still leaves you unsure, our certified tour leaders brief the group every morning and the crew supports you the whole way; matching riders to routes is what 17+ years and over 5,000 customers have taught us to do well.

The motorcycles. The base bike, included in the tour price, is the Honda NX500 — light, manageable and well matched to the mountain roads. Three upgrades are available: the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT for +$299, the Honda TransAlp XL750 for +$499, or the Honda Africa Twin CRF1100 for +$699. All bikes are latest-model, professionally maintained machines, and both the motorcycle damage and theft liability reduction insurance and the mandatory third-party liability insurance are already included in the price.

The group. We keep the Republic of Georgia deliberately small: minimum 5 riders, maximum 10, led by a certified multilingual tour leader with a local guide and support vehicle alongside. Riding two-up? The Add Pillion/Passenger option (+$2,999) covers your co-rider. Accommodation is in shared rooms by default, with a single-room upgrade available for +$799.

What the price covers. The tour starts at $5,499 per rider on the Honda NX500 in a shared room. That includes 9 nights of accommodation, all breakfasts and all dinners, the motorcycle rental, fuel and road tolls, both insurances, airport transfers to and from Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), group activities and entry fees, a pre-tour preparation guide and briefing, up to 25% discount on riding gear from Klim, Giant Loop and Mosko Moto, a MotoDreamer apparel gift, and all taxes. Airfare, lunches, drinks and personal items, visas and personal paperwork, tips, and travel and cancellation insurance are not included — for travel protection we point riders to Global Rescue.

Booking and payment. Hit Book Now, pick your date and pay the deposit; we accept bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and Bitcoin, and you can split the balance into monthly payments with no interest. Booking as a group is rewarded: when 5 riders pay, rider number 6 travels free (valid on the base tour price). Every booking is backed by our price match and departure guarantees. The next scheduled departure runs August 25 to September 3, 2028, and private or customized group dates are available on request.

Seventeen-plus years of operating tours and over 5,000 riders have shaped how we run the Caucasus. If a country the size of the Republic of Georgia can hold wine valleys, a 6th-century cave monastery, the towers of Svaneti, the Black Sea and eight days of mountain passes in one 10-day loop, the only real question left is which bike you want under you when you see it.