A Taste of Georgia: Wine, Cuisine & Culture

• Accommodations, as noted in the itinerary.
• Most meals, as noted in the itinerary: 11 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 5 dinners.
• Restaurant tips for included meals.
• Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers and other staff, including a MIR Tour Manager.
• Arrival/departure airport transfers. MIR will arrange for all travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure whether we make your airfare arrangements or not, provided you arrive and depart on the tour start/end dates in the tour start/end cities.
• Ground transportation throughout itinerary by private coach or minibus (size of vehicle depends on group size).
• Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in itinerary.
• Special events, excursions and cultural performances per the itinerary.
• Baggage handling where available.
• Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters and other service personnel.
• Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international air fare is not included in the land tour cost).
• Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
• Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.

• Internal airfare (internal airfare is quoted separately and is subject to change by airlines).
• International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
• Meals not specified as included in the itinerary.
• Alcoholic beverages, except as noted.
• Single supplement charge, if requested or required.
• Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
• Gratuities to Tour Manager.
• Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
• Visa fees, if required (Note: no visas are required for U.S. passport holders).
• Travel and trip cancellation insurance.

Level 3: Medium

This small group tour features long days walking and standing while touring, a large amount of stair climbing with some steep steps, and several long overland drives sometimes on poor quality roads. Only those fit to travel and who are willing to accept local standards of amenities and services and the physical challenges of the program should consider joining this program. 

Travelers must be able to walk one to two miles a day, keeping up with fellow travelers, often on uneven surfaces.

There are overall shortcomings in the tourism infrastructure of these developing destinations, including some that can cause walking challenges such as unpaved sidewalks, uneven surfaces and steps, packed-dirt streets, broken pavement (streets or sidewalks), and a general absence of handrails or ramps. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases with tall uneven steps – in some cases, stairways are in narrow passages with limited light. Elevators are not available at touring sights, nor at some of the hotels.

Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, and availability and quality of public restrooms. 

Accommodations vary from four star properties to relatively basic and simple hotels in the more remote parts of the countryside.