04. June 2026

Day 29: Georgia

Overview

Driving duration: 2:28 h
Distance: 111 km
Avg Speed: 45 km/h
Start: River close to Grakali
End: Camp Tamaristan
Night Location: 41°46'17" N 44°47'42" E

Georgia

On the way to Tbilisi we decided to make a stop in Uplistsikhe, actually it was a bit of a detour because we had already driven past it to reach our campspot yesterday. But we timed it quite well and arrived just a bit after 10, nobody was there yet. We paid the entrance fee and rushed in. With a lot of confidence, and not much plan, we walked in the wrong direction of the one way loop. Thanks to the fact that there weren’t many people yet, it wasn’t that big of an issue. But when we reached the most interesting parts, it was quite crowded thanks to the big cars that arrived and unleashed the tourists (felt a bit like Switzerland) :)

For Tbilisi we decided to stay at a campground, in cities we often prefer this. To some degree because it feels safer and here we also wanted to do some laundry. Therefore we already wrote yesterday with the host of the campground, even though it’s simply a private person that rents her driveway to campers. Anyhow, I had a quick phone call which confirmed that we will arrive today and there should be space.

I think it’s obvious where this story is going, I will still tell it. An hour drive later, we arrived in the city. Happy that we survived the crazy traffic, we did a quick grocery stop and then the last 15 minutes to the campsite. There we (and the host) realized that there was some confusion and she thought that the people that just arrived before us were us. So our spot was gone, but she offered that we can stay for now and do laundry, use the showers and everything. So this was more than good enough for us, as the laundry was anyhow the main focus.

We stayed the whole afternoon and did 2 loads of laundry, all clothes clean again. Then she proposed that we can also stay directly outside, where another van is also parked. It wasn’t fully clear why this only became an option now, but we were super happy for it, so we didn’t have to find another spot and move. It’s even possible to leave the car here tomorrow, so we can explore the city by metro, perfect!

Now it was time for a walk, and we wanted to visit the Chronicles of Georgia, one of the many saved places on Google Maps. It was a steep climb, but the monument is really impressive, it’s the sort only the Soviets made.

Behind the monument is also the Tbilisi Lake.

On the way down we made a stop at a restaurant and realized that we only ate in restaurants in Verona, Istanbul (multiple times) and now in Tbilisi. Swiss people would call this “Sparfuchs”. Food was very good, sort of a white Pizza with different Meats. Nicole had the Vegeration option with Mushrooms.