David Gareja Private Tour with Picnic in Desert

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: David Gareja Monastery, Mount Gareja, Udabno Georgia

Meet your private guide/driver at your hotel lobby at 9:00 and after a short introductory talk depart for Georgia's one of the iconic places-David Gareja cave town situated in a semi-desert.

As your first part of journey takes around 1,5 hrs on the way you will learn more about Georgia's rich and fascinating history from the time immemorial up to today as well as enjoy dramatic change of nature-from fertile valleys,pastoral landscapes and endless vineyards to yellow,stark semi-desert meadows,salty lakes and bare mountains.Last part of journey after a comfort stop and panoramic viewpoints in passing rough desert road brings you to the first point of interest-Lavra monastery of the complex built by one of the Assyrian fathers-David in the 6th c. who,drawn to the desolation and purity of Kakheti region, decided to build a monastery there, high up on a bluff overlooking present-day Azerbaijan in the 6th century. For three centuries, it grew slowly – the few devotees who kept up the site lived very simply in small hollows dug into the rock.

Having seen unusual wall carvings-scenes from St. David's life on the entrance door,you will be led to the courtyard where emerges seven-storeyed rock-cut cave town where David and his disciples-Dodo and Lukiane lived.Final passage through arched cave will lead you to the church of Transfiguration,partially carved in rock where David was buried.

After the visit you enjoy picnic lunch in the nature and then get ready for the second part of the tour as we take around 2 hrs walk up to Udabno caves and visit those great frescoes etched on the top of the cliff side.(The walk is quite rough) as well as dramatic views over Azerbaijan.The 9th century wall paintings are especially important because of where they are and what they have endured – nearly one thousand years of graffiti has taken its toll on some of the images, not to mention the wind and sand. Most of the frescoes lie just a few meters within cave walls, unprotected by doors.

After the Udabno monastery visit we come back to out transport and return back to your hotel in Tbilisi

Note:In case of rain due to the safety regulations we will skip Udabno monastery walk and visit 6th-7th c. Ninotsminda Nunnery instead

Duration: 4 hours