German artist leads travelers on Georgian adventures

Caucasus Journeys is a travel agency that is popularizing Georgia among foreigners by offering a variety of interesting tours throughout the country. Hans Heiner Buhr, a German artist who is also a founder and managing director of the company, and has been living and working in Georgia for years, was happy to share his experiences and impressions about Georgia with Georgian Journal:

– At first we started as a small company but with the flow of tourists from different countries, we gradually grew bigger. Now we can offer around 12 kinds of journeys to our customers, including horseback, culinary and hiking tours, all accompanied by experienced guides who can speak English, German and Russian languages. Our aim is to gift our customer with both a good chance to relax and an unforgettable journey, so that they can forget their troubles for a couple of days.

– How would you describe Georgia?

– Georgia is a truly magical country, full of friendly, hospitable people. It is blessed with abundant resources and rich culture. Yet there still are certain issues that need to be fixed. You have many unexploited resources; Georgians don’t use even 10 percent of their potential. Also, more attention should be paid to environment protection, pollution and traffic. But I think Georgians will work these out. The good thing is that the young generation is more aware of these problems and involved in solving them. Apart from foreign visitors, over the last few years Georgians themselves have become interested in discovering their own country. It is a positive shift, because you should preserve and promote what you have, be it your natural landscape or culture.

– Which places would you recommend to both foreigners and locals to visit?

– The great thing about Georgia is that you have such a large persity of landscapes and cultures. For instance, the coastal Adjara is notable for its climate, distinguished cuisine and mixed population, with Christians and Muslims living side by side peacefully. This persity makes Georgia an interesting place for visitors.

Khevsureti is also a good example from this point of view.

Although the villages and communities are located close to each other, each of them is distinctive and different. If you want to explore this region indepth, besides the famous Shatili you also have to pay visits to Mutso, Roshka and Juta villages as well.

The national parks of Georgia are significant as well, since they play a big role in preserving natural heritage and biopersity. Our company offers tours of the beautiful national parks of Tusheti, Borjomi-Kharagauli and Vashlovani.

Georgia’s Kvemo Kartli region is also perse and rich. There, one may come across Georgian as well as Azerbaijani, Greek and even German villages. The latter were established in 1820, when Germans settled on empty lands that were gifted to them by the Russian Tsar. German inhabitants were mostly busy with making wine and selling it to the Russian army, but during the communist rule they were moved to Kazakhstan, following Stalin’s orders. Kvemo Kartli is also notable for its incredible discoveries, such as the bones of the first Europeans found in Dmanisi. Kakheti is another rich historical province of Georgia famous for its wine, cuisine and ancient fortresses. For instance, its Machi Fortress dates back to the fifth century, the period of Georgian King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s rule.

The uniqueness of Georgia lies in richness its of landscape, persity of cultures, customs, cuisine and folklore. Usually it is difficult for tourists to single out one or two places they liked most of all because they are overwhelmed with a whole slew of new impressions. Sometimes they even get tired of such dazzling experiences, which is why I advise them to take more time and visit less places. A tourist should spend more time in a particular region to explore it deeply.

Also, many people who come from abroad are amazed at the low level of crime here. They expect Georgia to be quite unsafe at first, but then they realize that here it is much safer than in other countries. I will not advise newcomers on particular locations for sightseeing, since you can have a great time in Georgia wherever you go.

Allow me a few words about Tbilisi as well because, as a rule, this is the first destination that tourists usually pay a visit to. This is the place of first and last impressions. It is a lively city. You can start discovering Tbilisi from Narikala Fortress or from its subway; the choice is yours. I think it is a very interesting city, but it can be improved even further. The government should fix the problem with traffic, support small businesses and create more zones where one can spend time with one’s family.

Link to the website caucasusjourneys.com

Author: Lika Chigladze