Wardsia
history
Über Wardsia
In einen Felsen über dem Mtkwari-Fluss gehauen, ist Wardsia eine Höhlenstadt aus dem 12. Jahrhundert, die von Königin Tamar während Georgiens Goldenem Zeitalter in Auftrag gegeben wurde. Ein Erdbeben von 1283 trug die äußere Gesteinsschicht ab und legte das Gewirr der Kammern offen. In der Entschlafungskirche sind Originalfresken erhalten – darunter ein Porträt von Tamar selbst. Sie können auch die Königskammern, die Quevri-Weinkeller, den aus dem Fels gehauenen Glockenturm und die verborgenen Tunnel dieses UNESCO-Welterbes erkunden.
Kultur
Treten Sie in eine Welt ein, in der orthodoxe christliche Hingabe eines der bemerkenswertesten Werke der Menschheit schuf. Die antiken Fresken des Klosters, einschließlich des berühmten Porträts von Königin Tamar selbst, bieten seltene Einblicke in das georgische Hofleben und die Sakralkunst des 12. Jahrhunderts. Mönche pflegen noch heute die heiligen Räume und bewahren jahrhundertealte Traditionen des Gebets, der Weinherstellung und der Manuskripterhaltung. Die Stätte ist durchdrungen vom georgischen Nationalstolz, denn Königin Tamar ist die beliebteste historische Persönlichkeit des Landes.
Reisetipps
Währung: Georgisches Lari (GEL) – nehmen Sie Bargeld mit, da Geldautomaten an dieser abgelegenen historischen Stätte äußerst begrenzt sind. Sprache: Georgisch ist die Hauptsprache; Touristeninformationen sind auf Englisch verfügbar, und Guides sprechen oft mehrere Sprachen. Sicherheit: Im Allgemeinen sehr sicher; in Höhlenbereichen ist Vorsicht geboten, und geeignetes Schuhwerk für unebene Oberflächen ist zu empfehlen. Transport: Zugang per Auto oder geführter Tour von Achalziche (30 Minuten), wobei etwas Klettern erforderlich ist, um den Klosterkomplex vollständig zu erkunden.
Touren mit Wardsia
Alle Touren in Wardsia
Georgia in 14 Days — Grand Discovery
The definitive two-week journey across Georgia, east to west and mountains to sea. From Tbilisi you explore the wine villages of Kakheti, climb the Military Road to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek, and visit Stalin's Gori, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and Queen Tamar's cliff city at Vardzia. Then west into ancient Colchis — Kutaisi's UNESCO monasteries — and up the Enguri gorge to the medieval Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli, before finishing on the Black Sea at Batumi. Fourteen unhurried days, every region, expertly guided.
Grand Tour of Georgia — 10 Days
Ten days, mountains to sea, across the best of Georgia. From lively Tbilisi you climb the Georgian Military Road beneath Mount Kazbek to Gergeti Trinity, then sweep south to Queen Tamar's cave city at Vardzia and the spa town of Borjomi. West in ancient Colchis you explore the UNESCO monasteries of Kutaisi before reaching the subtropical Black Sea coast at Batumi, and finish in the wine villages of Kakheti. Ancient capitals, high passes, cave towns, seaside and wine — expertly guided, on prices that stay fair.
Classic Georgia — 8 Days
Eight days, one unforgettable loop through the heart of the Caucasus. You'll wander Tbilisi's cobbled Old Town and soak in its sulphur baths, raise a glass in Kakheti's vineyards, then climb to where a lone church stands beneath snow-capped Mt Kazbek. Along the way you'll explore UNESCO cathedrals, a rock-hewn cave town, Stalin's hometown, and Queen Tamar's astonishing cliff-carved monastery. With comfortable transport and a knowledgeable English-speaking guide, this is Georgia's greatest hits done properly — culture, wine, and mountains in perfect balance, without the rush.
Georgia & Armenia — 12 Days
Twelve days through two of the world's oldest Christian nations. You'll spend a week in Georgia — Tbilisi's Old Town and sulphur baths, the wine villages of Kakheti, a lone church beneath Mt Kazbek, Stalin's Gori, a rock-hewn cave town, and Queen Tamar's cliff monastery at Vardzia — before crossing south into Armenia. There, five days take in shimmering Lake Sevan, vibrant Yerevan, the holy city of Etchmiadzin, the pagan temple of Garni, cliff-set Geghard and Noravank, and Khor Virap in the shadow of Mt Ararat. One seamless Caucasus journey, fairly priced and expertly guided.
Caucasus Jeep Expedition — 8 Days
An eight-day 4x4 expedition the length and breadth of Georgia, off the tarmac and onto the mountain tracks. From Tbilisi you cross to Bakuriani via Manglisi and the volcanic Lake Tabatskuri, climb to the Vardzia cave city and Rabati Castle at Akhaltsikhe, then push west through Kutaisi and up the Enguri gorge to the Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli. The return runs over the high passes to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek. Seven nights, hearty meals, and country you simply can't reach by paved road.
Vardzia Cave City & Borjomi — Day Trip
Trade the city for Georgia's deep southwest on this full day to Vardzia, the cliff-carved cave city Queen Tamar's masons hewed from solid rock in the 12th century. It's a long drive each way, but you'll break it in Borjomi, the forested spa town where mineral water has drawn travellers for over a century. Sip the famous warm spring water straight from the source in the central park, then climb through Vardzia's honeycomb of chapels, tunnels and monastic cells with the Mtkvari valley falling away below. Real history, real distance, and a guide who makes every kilometre count.
Tao-Klarjeti Heritage — Day Trip
This is Georgia's deep southwest — the Samtskhe and historic Tao-Klarjeti borderland, a frontier of cave cities, cliff fortresses and layered empires. The day runs through Akhaltsikhe, where the restored Rabati Castle stacks Georgian, Ottoman and Persian history behind one set of walls, then on past the medieval Khertvisi fortress guarding its river junction. The destination is Vardzia, the astonishing cave-monastery city Queen Tamar's builders carved straight into the rock in the 12th century. It's a long, scenic day with serious distance and serious reward — best done with a guide who knows the road's stories.
Archaeological Tour
A tour of Georgia's ancient and archaeological sites — among them the rock-hewn cave town of Uplistsikhe, the cliff cave-city of Vardzia, and Dmanisi, where some of the oldest human remains outside Africa were unearthed.