he region of Kvemo Kartli was formerly known as Trialeti. This region of Georgia is inextricably linked not only with the history of the country since ancient times, but also with the history of all mankind.

It was here that during the excavations the five oldest hominid skeletons in Europe were discovered, attributed to the species Homo Georgicus, about 1,800,000 years old, it was here that the remains of clay vessels with seeds of cultivated grapes dating back to the 6th millennium BC were found, which allowed scientists to talk about Georgia as the birthplace of winemaking.

Visit of Imiri — Not far from the village of Imiri (municipality of Marneuli), the oldest (VI millennium BC) settlement of the Neolithic period, the oldest grape seeds dated to the 6th millennium BC were discovered. According to morphological and ampelographic features, they belong to the cultivated variety of the vine vitis vinisfera sativa. The National Museum reports that as a result of a comprehensive study, it was established that for the first time a person domesticated a wild vine in Georgia.

Visit to the hillfort of Arakhlo –  cultural monument of Shulaveri-Shomu of the early Eneolithic era (5th – 4th millennium BC). This is one of the earliest agricultural settlements known to science and, perhaps, the oldest inhabited place in all of Georgia. Here were found metal agricultural objects, a patterned tool made from a forked deer horn; a small figurine, in the form of a woman’s head, made of gravel; clay figurine of a bull; bronze arrowheads; stone coffins; ruins of a bathhouse and residential buildings; various colored and ordinary ceramic dishes.

Visit to the hillfort of  Dmanisi  – this area was already inhabited in the Bronze Age, but during archaeological excavations more than 20 years ago, paleontologists discovered near Dmanisi the remains of one of the subspecies of Homo erectus, Homo erectus. The age of these fossils is more than 1.8 million years, which allows us to consider them the first representatives of the human race in Europe. Name from Latin Homo georgicus, translated as “Man from Georgia”

Visit to the Sioni of Bolnisi. A similar type of temples in Georgia began to be erected by the end of the 5th century. Bolnisi Sioni is the very first basilica built in Georgia and still preserved. Surprisingly, today the temple has reached almost unchanged. The construction of Sioni coincides with the reign of the legendary king Vakhtang Gorgasali. On the eastern façade of the basilica there is a cross – later called the Bolnisi Cross – which is depicted on the modern flag of Georgia.

Visit of Bolnisi – city with different names: Katarinenfeld, Luxembourg and currently – Bolnisi. In past centuries, there were German villages in the Kvemo Kartli region. The German history of Bolnisi began in 1818 when the Germans were evacuated from Swabia. The German settlement was originally called Katarinenfeld. The houses have an unusual shape, which is not typical for the architecture of Georgia.

Overnight in Tbilisi.

Kartli is one of the main historical and geographical regions of Georgia, the cradle of its statehood. The largest and most populated province in Eastern Georgia. In IV-III centuries. BC e. the kingdom of Kartli was formed with the capital Mtskheta. The ancient eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli, also known as Iberia, adopted Christianity as its official religion in 337 AD.

Visiting to the Mount Grakliani – multi-layered archaeological complex. Archaeologists have proved that continuous development on its territory took place over 300 thousand years – from the Stone Age to the Roman period. During archaeological excavations, there was not a spontaneous settlement here, but an organized society that respected traditions and created aesthetic objects. During excavations on Grakliani Hill, scientists discovered an inscription from the 11th-10th centuries BC. e., it can change the course of world history.

Visiting of Uplistsikhe – cave city, an important religious, cultural and political center of the Hellenic and Antique periods of history (IV BC – IV AD). Before the adoption of Christianity by Iberia, Uplistsikhe was the religious center of Iberia. The uniqueness of the monument lies in the fact that, thanks to its structure, it has preserved the remains of architectural and religious buildings built over several millennia.

Visit to the ancient hillfort of Urbnisi – the oldest, extinct city of Georgia, once located on the right bank of the Kura River, on the so-called Khizanaant Mountain. From the 2nd century BC e. – the city, the second most important in Iberia after Mtskheta. The Georgian chronicles mention Kartli (Iberia) as a significant fortified center of the eastern Georgian kingdom, which became a city in ancient times. As a result of recent archaeological excavations, the remains of structures of the same type as in Mtskheta, dating back to about the 4th century BC, have been revealed. BC e.

Visit to the ancient hillfort of Tsikhia Gora – one of the first hillfort of its kind in the Transcaucasus. Judging by the period of ancient existence (IV – III centuries BC), the city of the Iberian kingdom. According to another opinion, it was something like a temple community: a settlement around a large cult center. Judging by the archaeological layers, the city was inhabited in the Early Bronze and Late Bronze Ages (from 3000 to 1000 approximately), then everything disappeared for several centuries, and in the 4th and 3rd centuries a large structure appeared on the hill, around which a city with a burial ground was formed.

Overnight in Tbilisi

Visit to the Sameba Cathedral – the Temple was really built on a grandiose scale, its sparkling golden dome can be seen from almost anywhere in Tbilisi. The temple is part of a whole complex, which also includes the residence of the Patriarch and the monastery, theological seminary and academy, a hotel; as well as a complex of nine chapels, five of which are located underground.

Transfer for Europe Square (Rike Square), which is located in the heart of the Old City. At present, the city is a quiet charm of the crooked, sun-drenched streets of Tbilisi, the terraces of houses twined with vines, ancient churches with tiled domes.

Visit to the Metekhi Temple. On the elevated rocky bank of the Kura River stands a majestic witness to the long and exciting history of Tbilisi – the Metekhi temple. Once upon a time there was a palace of local kings, which, according to historians, was erected by the founder of the city, Vakhtang Gorgasali. There is a beautiful observation platform from which you can admire the Old Town lying opposite across the Kura.

Visiting the Narikala fortress, which is the most ancient monument, a kind of “soul and heart of the city”. The date of construction of the fortress is called approximately the 4th century AD, that is, it stands, in fact, from the foundation of the city itself. In the future, the fortress was expanded and completed several times.

Visiting the Tbilisi sulfur baths,  built in the style of classical oriental architecture. These are low, squat buildings, topped with semicircular domes with large glass openings in the center, which served as windows that illuminate the interior, since the baths themselves are below ground level.

Legvtakhevi is located in the center of old Tbilisi, behind the sulfur baths. This part of old Tbilisi is distinguished by individual landscape architecture, at the same time it is characterized by a significant architectural, historical and cultural heritage. There is also the central entrance to the Tbilisi Botanical Garden. From the high observation deck, located at the entrance to the garden, you can see the Legvtakhevi gorge, into which a 20-meter waterfall falls from a ledge of a rock.

Visit  to the Sioni Cathedral – historically the main temple of Tbilisi, named after Mount Zion and consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is located on the banks of the Kura River in Old Tbilisi. Some hierarchs of the Georgian Church are buried in the cathedral, and its main relic is the ancient cross of St. Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia.

Visiting the mount  Mtatsminda. One of the mountains around Tbilisi, called the “Holy Mountain” by analogy with the Holy Mountain of Athos. The funicular is a railway, a 500-meter road allows you to get out in the middle of the mountain, where you can visit the Pantheon of writers and public figures of Georgia, as well as climb to the Mtatsminda Amusement Park itself and enjoy the majestic panoramic views of the city.

Visiting the Tbilisi Sea and the majestic Monument “History of Georgia“, which is simply amazing. On one of the city hills, which offers a beautiful view of the Tbilisi Sea, a unique composition of twelve sculptures of Georgian kings, a church and stairs with arches, balustrades and viewing platforms has been created.

Walk around the city

Transfer to the airport.