4 Days (Kutaisi) – West Georgia Loop

Gelati was medieval Georgia's Oxford: an academy founded in 1106 by King David the Builder, where philosophers translated and taught beneath golden mosaics. The great Virgin mosaic of the main church survives, one of the finest in the Caucasus, alongside layers of superb frescoes. David himself lies buried under the gateway stone, so that all who enter step over their king. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, for many travellers, the most moving building in western Georgia.

Racha is the Georgia that tourists haven't found yet: a deep-green highland of forests, alpine meadows and slow mountain towns along the young Rioni river. Its treasure is Nikortsminda, an 11th-century church whose carved facades are called the finest stone lace in the country. This is also the home of Khvanchkara, the famous naturally semi-sweet red wine. Roads are winding, views are enormous, and crowds simply do not exist.

Martvili Canyon looks invented: jade-green water sliding between tall moss-covered walls of limestone, with waterfalls dropping straight into the gorge. Once the private bathing place of the Dadiani princes, it is now explored by inflatable boat, gliding beneath fern-hung cliffs. Wooden walkways above give a second, bird's-eye reading of the same emerald water. It is the single most photogenic half-day in Samegrelo.

At Okatse the canyon experience is vertical: a 780-metre steel walkway bolted to the cliff face, ending in a viewing platform that hangs in space high above the river. Far below, the water threads between walls up to 100 m deep; around you is only Colchian forest and air. Nearby, the Kinchkha waterfall drops in two great steps beside the road. It is safe, spectacular and unforgettable, though a head for heights helps.