Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

Flight time to Tbilisi from London is 4:30hrs, with BMI.

Useful Tips

• Try to visit a church on a Sunday when a service is going on

• Chose your wine carefully - Georgia is the birthplace of wine and has some very good brands, but some can leave a little to be desired!

• Be sure to try the cheese bread khachapuri - it's delicious

• Drop in to Peter Naysmith's Prospero bookshop on Rustaveli - you'll find all the travel literature you need and enjoy a great cup of coffee

• When visiting St Georges church in Kazbegi take a picnic - the views are amazing and you'll want to stay forever!

Recommended Reading

Rec Reading
If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Bradt Guide, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Georgia are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
Please Don't Call It Soviet Georgia, by Mary Russel, is an entertaining, fast-paced travelogue charting the tumultuous period leading up to independence.

In the Mountains of Poetry, by Peter Nasmyth is a combined history/travelogue published in 1998.

And for a taste of Georgia prior to the trip, try Darra Goldstein's cookbook-cum-travel guide The Georgian Feast: the Vibrant Culture and Savoury Food of the Republic of Georgia.

Another good travel book on modern Georgia is Stories I Stole, by Wendell Steavenson.

There is a very interesting part history, part travel book by Nicholas Griffin called The Caucasus " the land between Christianity and Islam, and the real classic of the region is Hero of our Time, by Mikhial Lermontov.

When To Go

The weather conditions can be extremely varied (even within the course of a day!). The Greater Caucasus Range moderates local climate by serving as a barrier against cold air from the north and the relatively small territory covers different climatic zones, which are determined by distance from the Black Sea and by altitude. The climatic zones range from humid subtropical to snow and glaciers.

That said; British summertime is as safe a bet as any for pleasant weather.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Georgia. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.
On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 4 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long.
• 2/3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear dresses and skirts
• 2 x pairs of shorts
• 2 x Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• Good quality fleece or warm jumper (Best if a dark colour or reversible for wildlife viewing)
• Warm jacket
• Set of lightweight waterproofs
• Set of thermal underwear
• Change of clothing for the evenings
• An extra “outfit” if you’d like to dress up a bit on occasion
• Warm Hat
• Gloves
• Sun hat or cap
• Women should have a headscarf
• Swim suit or trunks
• Pair of walking shoes/boots (walking)
• Pair of recreational shoes, adventure sandals, trainers or pumps
• Flip flops/sandals for bathrooms

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk)
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Trekking Poles
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours, we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Maria pills " if necessary
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Georgia is 4hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
Food in the Caucasus is one of the biggest attractions for visitors, and is the centrepiece of domestic cultural activity. They pride themselves on being the bons viveurs of the former Soviet Union and much of the food and wine is simply delicious - do not expect to lose weight! Each region has its unique cuisine with flavours derived from spice combinations, but as a rule, a focus on herbs and garlic predominates and also makes extensive use of walnuts.

Georgian wines are regarded as the best quality. The country's unique climate and soil quality have made it a major winemaking region for many thousands of years and Kindzmareuli, a fruity, red wine, is reputed to have been Stalin’s favourite tipple. Akhasheni and Teliavi are two of the more common red wines, fruity and dry respectively. Tsinandali is a dry white wine, as is Gurdzhaani.

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug.

Money:
In Georgia the unit of currency is the Lari.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com
A few points to help you plan:
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Increasingly more shops and hotels will accept credit card payments, though a cash advance is unlikely.
• You can easily exchange Euros, US Dollars and UK Sterling cash.
• ATM machines are available in the larger towns but best not to be relied upon.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel.
• In Georgia porters charge a fee amounting to $2 for every bag they carry so be wary of this.

Language & Religion:
The official language of Georgia is Georgian. South Caucasian groups other than ethnic Georgians often speak their native languages in addition to Georgian.

Georgia’s Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church was founded in the 1st Century and is one of the world’s most ancient Christian Churches. In Georgia every citizen has the right of religion and nearly 85% of the country practice orthodox Christianity. Muslims make up the largest of the religious minorities within Georgia.

Cultural Sensitivity:
At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.