A Guide to Skiing in Georgia, the Country - TravelPulse

Posted: 14 Mar 2018 12:00 AM PDT

At the crossroads of Europe and Asia sits the country of Georgia and the Caucasus mountains, which has quietly developed into an interesting ski destination. Here's what you need to know:

There's More Skiing than You'd Expect

For a country of fewer than 4 million people, it might be surprising to learn that Georgia has four legit ski regions: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Goderdzi and Svaneti. Each region offers a different appeal.

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Gudauri is the most established ski destination in Georgia, both in terms of infrastructure and skiable terrain. Its season runs from December to April and it has three base lifts (two chairs and one gondola), which take you to four higher lifts. It offers plenty of off-piste terrain, including heli-skiing. Because of the lack of people, most of the side-country slopes never get skied out. All the comforts you want in a mountain getaway can be found in Gudauri, including trendy, innovative hotels, like this one made from shipping containers.

Bakuriani has a shorter ski season (January-March) due to its lower elevation, but with that comes a little extra sunshine and warmer weather, family-friend terrain and tree skiing.

"Bakuriani is a nice ski resort focused on family holidays," said Kartlos Chabashvili of Inter Georgia Travel. "We [locals] all try to take the children there at least one week a year." In addition, Bakuriani features a tubing park, night skiing and toboggan course.

Goderdzi is a new ski resort located in the western part of the country. Its proximity to the Black Sea—about 60 miles—is said to bless it with more snow than the other ski regions, as well as provide its visitors the chance to visit the coastal town of Batumi on a side-trip. The resort area at Goderdzi is still being developed. Right now, it has about 8 miles of trails open with 2 lifts, though five more lifts will open in the coming years.

Svaneti's ski resorts—including Hatsvali and Tetnuldi—are the most remote of the regions and offer an extra dose of adventure.

It's Cheap—Really Cheap

If you run the numbers, you might find that a week-long ski vacation to Georgia is not much more expensive—and possibly cheaper—than a trip to a popular destination here at home, like Vail or Park City. Obviously, there are a lot of variables, but in general, skiing is expensive in America, with lift tickets soaring near or past $100 a day and a growing lack of on-mountain, budget lodging in ski towns.

Compare that to lift tickets in Georgia, which hover around $15-$20 a day, ski and snowboard rentals for $15-$18 a day and hotels that start at $60 per night and include two meals. It might cost more to get there, but you can quickly make up the difference over the course of the trip.

Certainly, skiing in Georgia is much cheaper than other notable European destinations, like France and Switzerland.

The Vibe is Different than Traditional European Ski Culture

If you're one of those people who get up bright and early in an effort to catch "first chair," you're in for a change-of-pace in Georgia. Most lifts don't open until 10 a.m., a nod to the Georgian workday that starts around the same time (normal work hours for Georgians in Tbilisi are 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.). As for rushing to get "first tracks," there's no need—the lack of people means that there are first tracks all day long. The slowed-pace flips the coin on Western ski culture, which puts pressure on people to be up and out early. AKA—you can actually relax when skiing in Georgia.

Though established resort areas like Gudauri and Bukuriani offer modern comforts, many of the details of skiing in Georgia are still pleasantly laid-back. For example, the ski rental shops at Hatsvali are nothing more than small sheds with a bunch of skis leaned up against the wall. The on-mountain "restaurants" are either small shacks with bean bag chairs out front or small huts with picnic-table seating. There's less pomp surrounding the experience, and you're more likely to meet other skiers because there's less commotion. It all pairs nicely with the non-existent lift lines.

Georgia's Food and Drink Scene Mixes Well with Winter Sports

Après culture isn't quite the scene it has become in European or the West, but there's plenty of interesting things to eat and drink after a day on the slopes. In fact, the chilly mountain air is a perfect counterpart to Georgia's traditional cuisine, which features comforting dishes like Chikhirtma (chicken soup), khinkali (Georgian dumplings), and marinated or stewed meat, like Ostri (spicy beef stew). Georgia's infamous moonshine, chacha (pronounced "ja-ja"), is a fiery liquor made from leftover wine pomace. Similar to grappa in appearance and taste, it is sure to warm you up on a winter evening. Of course, you need to try some of Georgia's flagship qvevri wine, including the famous local red varietal,

The Best is Yet to Come in Svaneti

The region of Svaneti in the Northwest part of Georgia is a well-known summer destination for local, Russian, and European travelers thanks to its UNESCO-protected 9-12th century Svaneti Towers. Winter has always been a different story for a number of reasons. Travel is slow because of the winter conditions, and the road into the Svaneti Valley is often blocked by rockfall and avalanche.

If the government has anything to say about it, this is all about to change. Slowly but surely, investments have been made to bring ski tourism to the region, with the village of Mestia as its hub. Three ski resorts, Hatsvali, Zuruldi and Becho, have popped up over the past half-decade, with Becho just opening in the past year (Hatsvali fell into disrepair in the 90s but has been reborn).

The future goal is to create a connection of ski hills in this region. As of now, it remains under-visited. The ski hills are small—just one or two lifts each—but the lack of people, the affordability (less than $20 for a multi-resort pass) and the presence of cultural attractions, like the aforementioned Svaneti Towers, make it a prime, budding region for adventurous travelers to explore.

The secret to planning the perfect trip to Machu Picchu - Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: 04 Dec 2018 12:00 AM PST

Each day until Christmas we will be outlining how to tackle one of the greatest travel experiences on the planet. Consider it an advent calendar for globetrotters. Today: Machu Picchu. Previous articles have looked at whale watching, the Northern Lights and the Taj Mahal.

Half a million visitors per year can't be wrong: Machu Picchu, Peru's most famous, most photogenic, most fabled Inca citadel is a wonder to behold. Even a lifetime of being exposed to pictures of it in school textbooks, holiday brochures, Instagram and newspapers, doesn't quite prepare you for a proper eyeful of the stepped terraces, stone walls, mysterious temples and mist-shrouded Andean peaks. For sure, Peru's most popular archaeological site belongs to that exclusive club of genuine global icons, standing alongside the likes of Angkor Wat, the Pyramids of Giza and the Taj Mahal as a symbol of past majesty and enduring beauty.

But precisely because it is a magnet for all kinds of travellers – from lean hikers who come on one of the extended Inca Trails to fly by night coach tourists who flop out of a luxury train – a successful visit requires a bit of thought and some planning.

What is it?

The complex named Machu Picchu (which means "old mountain" in the Quechua language) is a 550-year-old citadel built by the most advanced – and in Peru the last – pre-Columbian society in the spectacular setting of a saddle between two forest-clad Andean peaks that has been preserved enough to be recognisable as a city.

It is high: 7,973ft above sea level. It is large: the ruins are the size of a village, and combined with adjoining forest and wilderness park, the "historical sanctuary", as Unesco describes it, covers more than 116 square miles. It is also mysterious: we know its functions were partly residential and partly religious, but we are still guessing about its cosmic positioning and its academic importance to the Incas.

The classic view of the Peruvian attraction Credit: GETTY

The architecture is inspired by – and adapted to – the mountain setting. Some 200 buildings are laid out on parallel terraces around an east-west central square. Channels provided irrigation for agriculture. The eastern section of the city was most likely residential. The western, separated by the square, was used for religious and ceremonial purposes.

Key monuments include the semicircular Torreon aka Temple of the Sun (probably an observatory), Guardhouse, Inti Punku (Sun Gate) and the Intiuhatana stone or "hitching post of the sun" – used as an astronomic clock or calendar by the Incas.

The Torreon Credit: GETTY

The setting

Machu Picchu is set amid humid subtropical forests, providing a protected habitat for ferns and palms and several endangered species, notably the spectacled bear. Add in swirling clouds, llamas grazing on the terraces and the option to arrive following a hike on mountain trails and/or a train trip through the valley of the Urubamba River (aka the "Sacred Valley"), and you have a memorable trip that can last two, seven or 14 days.

When to travel?

Machu Picchu is busiest in July and August, the peak tourist season and also the not-quite-so-wet season. It is never totally dry in the Andean foothills and you'll probably get showers and mist clinging to the peaks at some stage of your visit.

November to April is the rainy season, with January and February the wettest months, so the shoulders of these – the actual months of November and April – are ideal if you want to avoid the heaviest crowds and heaviest rains.

The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance work. Machu Picchu remains open.

Posing llamas? Check Credit: GETTY

How to book

The Inca Trail

You can't walk the Inca Trail without a local guide. Maximum limits are 500 persons per day for the four-day trek and 250 persons per day for the two-day trek, including porters and cooks. Generally, it makes sense to book a package trip of any kind well in advance via a British-based tour operator, as they will protect you in the event of cancellations or delays in setting off due to weather or, say, a landslide.

Machu Picchu only

You can visit the ruins independently – entrance for an adult costs $70 (£55), with a $41 (£32) price tag for students with ID. To visit Machu Picchu combined with an ascent of Huayna Pichu or Cerro Machu Picchu – both are challenging 2-3 hour climbs – costs $87 (£68); Machu Picchu and museum costs $77 (£60).

The government's ticketing website, machupicchu.gob.pe, won't open on some tablets.

You can visit the ruins without a guide, and there are frequent buses from Aguas Calientes, the closest town (and railway station). A return ticket costs $24 (£19) and the journey, up an impressive series of hairpin bends, takes 20 to 25 minutes.

In 2018, the Peruvian authorities changed entries from daily visits to a choice of either morning or afternoon turns. This means it pays to plan even more carefully and keep an eye on the weather. An expanded limit of 5,940 people per day – up from 2,500 – means there's just as many people there when you get in.

Walking the Inca Trail Credit: GETTY

New rules for 2019

Until the end of this year, visitors can use their entrance ticket twice at Machu Picchu, reusing it up to four hours after they entered first time round. From January 1, 2019, a new regulation – trialled from July-October – establishes that re-entry to the citadel will not be allowed, except for reasons of force majeure.

The regulation also limits a visit to a maximum of four hours, except for those undertaking (and paying extra for) ascents of Huayna Picchu or Cerro Machu Picchu.

Which trip suits you best?

The key is to think about your approach to the site before talking to tour operators.

Do you want a tough week-long trek on either the Choquequirao or Salkantay trail or a three-day trek, also quite challenging, on the so-called Classic Inca Trail, which is sure to be busier?

Or do you want to catch a train and sleep at a smart hotel beside the national park and maybe spend a few days in a boutique hotel in the Sacred Valley?

If so, do you want a budget deal on the basic Expedition train (perurail.com), or posh seats, pisco sours and live music on the Hiram Bingham luxury train, owned by Belmond, the group that runs the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?

You could, of course, combine a short trek with a train trip; it's just a question of talking to a tour operator and surveying the range of group tours available; the Latin American Travel Association's website, lata.org, has a full list of British tour operators.

Expect mist and drizzle Credit: GETTY

On a budget

Do an independent trip around Peru, visiting Lima and Cuzco, and then join an English-speaking group to walk the Classic Inca Trail. With Journey Latin America (0208 600 1881; journeylatinamerica.co.uk), you get three nights on the trail, using tents and porters, crossing over the 13,780ft-high Dead Woman's Pass, and a fourth night near Machu Picchu, from £957 per person.

Fancy a workout?

Higher altitude, longer Inca trails mean less co-walkers, but are only for for those who trust their thighs, lungs and sleep patterns to cope with a tough mountain hike. Geodyssey (020 7281 7788; geodyssey.co.uk) offers a six-day guided group trek along the so-called Salcantay path, using lodges where other companies use tents. The latter part of this walk joins the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The package starts from £2,300 per person, excluding flights; a tent-only trip is also offered and almost half the price.

KE Adventure (01768 773966; www.keadventure.com) takes groups on the Choquequirao trail, passing an impressive site of that name, on a 16-day itinerary which includes eight nights camping. From £1,445 land only.

Choquequirao Credit: GETTY

Like an Inca

Aracari (+511 651 2424; aracari.com) does an eight-day Classic Luxury Peru package featuring the Belmond Hiram Bingham train and stays at upscale hotels such as Sol y Luna and Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. Prices start from £4,026 per person based on two sharing, excluding international flights.

Allow £600-£1,000 for a return flight on British Airways' direct service from London Gatwick to Lima; it operates three times a week between April and October. Avianca via Bogotá and Iberia via Madrid are other options.

Inkaterra Hacienda

Savvy travel

Timing-wise, it is crucial to avoid the 11am-3pm madness, when hordes of visitors arrive by bus and train – so go early or late in the day. In the morning you'll share the site with anyone arriving on the various Inca trails. At dusk you'll get a laid-back meditative crowd. From a photographer's point of view, the light tends to be best at these times.

Equally importantly, allow at least four hours at the site and, if you can, visit twice. In that way you're more likely to see it in a range of light and weather conditions – the site can be bewitching in the mist, but can also be completely shrouded.

As most people are guided in progression from the main entrance, you can avoid unwanted company by heading right up to the Intipunku (Sun Gate), above the citadel. If you're being privately guided, take your guide too. By working your way backwards, you'll enter the site in the same way as those who have trekked one of the trails – and you get the panoramic view first and all the details later.

If you are intrepid – and fit – enough to join the 400 climbers a day who scale Machu Picchu's 8,923ft-high neighbour, Huayna Picchu ("Young Mountain"), you'll have to get up early. This means spending the night before in Aguas Calientes or in the pricey Sanctuary Lodge (sanctuarylodgehotel.com), the only hotel located at the gates to the site. Be warned: some sections of the path are slippery – the mountain is sometimes closed during heavy rain – and you will have to use steel cables on the steepest slopes.

Before you go

Check that your travel insurance covers you for treks at altitude. On the reading front, Hiram Bingham's The Lost City of the Incas (1948) is the classic work about Machu Picchu, even if full of archaeological suppositions that have since been proven specious. For context and contemporary analysis, pick up Hugh Thomson's The White Rock, which combines a history of the last days of the Incas with a gripping story about the search for lost cities buried in uncharted corners of the Sacred Valley. See also Footprint's Cuzco and the Inca Heartland guidebook and, for general information, the official tourist website peru.travel.

What to pack

As a result of the high altitude, temperatures at Machu Picchu can be cool, and it is useful to have a decent sweater as well as rainproof gear. There are sandflies around the site, so a good repellent is essential. Otherwise, as with any subtropical country, take a hat, sunglasses and high-factor sun protection.

If you're walking one of the trails, your operator will tell you what you need, but if you are wandering around this region for any length of time, pick up a good woollen hat, gloves, a scarf, a water bottle, antiseptic hand gel and loo paper. And don't forget your trunks as there are thermal baths around these parts.

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