Just three months ago I rode from Batumi to Tbilisi and I chose a super cool route north of the main road connecting the two cities. Now I wanted something similar but different š So I thought why not go south of the main road this time? It looked like I had quite a few places marked as “want-to-visit” along the route. Let’s play the “connect-the-dots” game!
Tbilisi – Akhaltsikhe
This part was easy, fun, full of breathtaking views, and quite a few attractions, of which I would definitely recommend visiting Vardzia, which is an impressive cave monastery. Well, to be honest, I arrived too late to actually do a guided tour but even looking at it from distance was totally worth the extra detour! Next time I’ll make sure to schedule a couple of hours for a proper visit.
Akhaltsikhe – Batumi
From Akhaltsikhe to Batumi you can either take the highway via Kutaisi or a shortcut via Akhatsikhe. The only consern is that the shortcut although being much much shorter distance-wise, is very similar time-wise. Why would that be? Take a guess!
Spoiler: Because 50 km are unpaved. And not just unpaved, there are roadworks, which means dust, trucks, and all that.
But I saw it as a challenge, I just started getting into off-roading and I was really curious to do a longer off-road stretch.
I thought Iād rather be sweating and breathing dust for 2.5 hours riding a 50km gravel stretch and be very-very sore the next days from riding the whole time in the standing position than taking a long boring highway.
Here’s a little preview of far-from-the-worst part:
Did I sweat? Oh yes, a lot!
Did I regret taking the shortcut? Not for a second!
The challenge, the views, all the emotions are a billion times worth the extra effort (and time)!
And I’m so proud I made it! I officially survived a 50 km off-road on a naked motorcycle with road tires š
