Samtskhe-Javakheti
Southern Georgia's region of Borjomi mineral water, Bakuriani ski slopes, the Vardzia cave city and Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe.
5 destinations
Samtskhe-Javakheti is made up of two historical provinces, Samtskhe and Javakheti. Its mountain, climatic and spa resorts work in all four seasons. Borjomi sits on both banks of the Mtkvari River among pine-covered mountains, and its mineral water is served in restaurants across Georgia and beyond. Bakuriani, at 1,700 metres, is the country's oldest winter resort.
Further south, Akhaltsikhe's fortress holds an Orthodox church and a mosque, and the surrounding Rabati district also has synagogues and Catholic churches. Vardzia is a cave city cut into a cliff, built mainly in the 12th century under Giorgi III and Queen Tamar. Khertvisi Fortress dates from the 10th century; it and Vardzia have been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 2007.
On the road between Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe is the entrance to Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, with forest routes of one to three days and tourist shelters for the night.
On the map
Places to visit
Borjomi
Borjomi is a 19th-century spa town in a forested gorge of the Mtkvari river, about 160 km (2.5 h) west of Tbilisi, famous across the former…
Vardzia
Vardzia is a 12th-century cave monastery cut into the cliff of Erusheti mountain above the Mtkvari river in Samtskhe-Javakheti…
Bakuriani
Bakuriani is Georgia's main family ski resort, at about 1,700 m in the pine forests of the Lesser Caucasus, 30 km above Borjomi and about…
Akhaltsikhe (Rabati Castle)
Akhaltsikhe is the main town of Samtskhe-Javakheti in south-west Georgia, about 205 km (3–3.5 h) from Tbilisi via Borjomi…
Khertvisi Fortress
Khertvisi is a medieval fortress on a rocky spur where the Paravani river joins the Mtkvari, in Samtskhe-Javakheti, about 16 km before…
Tours that stop here
Private tours with a stop in this region, with a car and a driver-guide.
- Vardzia Tour: Cave Monastery & Borjomi — Private Day Trip from Tbilisi$89 pp for 4
- Vardzia, Rabati & Borjomi — 2-Day Private Tour from Tbilisi$220 pp for 4
- Family Skiing in Bakuriani, Georgia — 4-Day Private Tour with Borjomi$310 pp for 4
- Georgia Archaeology Tour — 5 Days, Private: Cave Cities & Dmanisi$670 pp for 4
- Classic Georgia — 8-Day Private Tour$1,035 pp for 4
- Georgia Jewish Heritage Tour — 7-Day Private Trip$1,175 pp for 4
- Grand Tour of Georgia — 10-Day Private Tour, Mountains to the Black Sea$1,365 pp for 4
- Georgia and Armenia Tour — 12-Day Private Trip$1,840 pp for 4
- Georgia in 14 Days — Private Tour incl. Svaneti & Batumi$2,025 pp for 4
Good to know
Best time to visit
The main ski season in Bakuriani runs from December to March; in spring and summer it is used for hiking, cycling and paragliding. Winters in most of the region are cold and long, and harshest on the Javakheti Plateau.
Getting there
From Tbilisi, the Western Highway through Gori and Khashuri leads to Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe, while the Southern Highway via Paravani Lake leads to Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda and Vardzia. Bakuriani is 180 km from Tbilisi and Vardzia 300 km; from Akhaltsikhe, Vardzia is about an hour's drive. The Kukushka narrow-gauge train between Borjomi and Bakuriani has not run since 2020.
Food and wine
In Akhaltsikhe, try tatarberaki, fried dough with butter, onion and garlic, and tenili, a stringy cheese aged in clay pots. From the first frost to the first spring thunderstorm, local cooks also make dishes with snails. In Meskheti, vines grow on terraces at 900 to 1,700 metres.
Travel tips
Part of the path at Vardzia has been closed since the rockfall of 27 May 2026, so check what is open before you go. In Borjomi Central Park you can drink mineral water straight from a spring.
Plan your trip
Tell us the places you want to see and we'll build a private tour around them, with a car and a driver-guide.
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