Almaty Canyons and Georgia’s Black Sea Coast: Almaty, Tbilisi and Batumi, 8 Nights

You are met at Almaty airport and driven into the city, with the mountains of the Zailiysky Alatau standing directly behind it. Flights generally land in the afternoon, so there is nothing scheduled. Rest before two full days, or take a short walk through the green, orderly centre, where many cafés have summer terraces.

Into the mountains above the city, past the Medeu skating rink to the gondola for Shymbulak. The lifts climb in stages to the top station among glaciers and sharp peaks, where the air is thin and fresh. Back in Almaty in the evening, walk the Panfilov promenade and the pedestrian Arbat, busy with musicians and café tables.

A dawn start for the longest day. Charyn Canyon is about three hours east; you walk into the Valley of Castles between towers of red rock. Then 1.5–2 hours more to the first Kolsai lake, set in spruce forest under the mountains. The drive back is 4.5–5 hours, so you return late. It runs late May to early October; a night near the lakes can be quoted instead.

An early transfer to Almaty airport with a packed breakfast, for the flight to Tbilisi of about four hours. The flight is not part of the land package; we book it alongside so the times fit. A Georgian driver meets you in Tbilisi. After the long Charyn day and an early start, the rest of the day is for rest.

Ride the cable car up to Narikala fortress for the view over the red roofs and the Mtkvari river. On foot you drop down to the sulphur-bath quarter of Abanotubani, then wander Shardeni Street to the sixth-century Anchiskhati Basilica and the leaning clock tower of the Gabriadze puppet theatre. The evening is free for a Georgian supper.

A long road day across Georgia. About four hours west of Tbilisi you reach Martvili Canyon, where a small boat takes you along a narrow gorge of pale limestone and green water. Boats can pause after heavy rain. Then 2.5–3 hours more to Batumi on the Black Sea, arriving in the evening. Your driver sets breaks to suit you.

A guided day around the resort city. You see the Piazza with its clock tower, Medea Square and the moving steel figures of Ali and Nino on the seafront, then walk the long boulevard by the pebble beach. The cable car rises over the city for a view of the coast. Later, visit the Botanical Garden on the cliffs to the north.

A second long road day. About 2.5–3 hours east of Batumi, near Kutaisi, you walk through Prometheus Cave, a chain of lit chambers full of stalactites, with a boat on the underground river when it is running. Then 3.5–4 hours on to Tbilisi, arriving in the evening for your last night.

A free morning for last shopping or a coffee in the old town; Georgian wine, spices and churchkhela, the walnut sweets threaded on string, travel well. Your driver collects you in the early afternoon for the transfer to Tbilisi airport and your flight home. A later check-out can be arranged for evening flights, at extra cost.