fly kazbegi paragliding company - private adventures

perfectly well, the great weather, we were very lucky, the flight just not possible to forget the experience. My first time flight!!! .

When I said I was going to Georgia - the country most people looked blankly at me. Some said they thought it was a State in the USA! So where is it? It is situated on the Eastern edge of the Black Sea. To the south is Turkey and Armenia. To the North Russia and to the East Azerbeijan.The majority of the population are Orthodox Christians and the area has had a fascinating history from earliest times. There are some of the earliest Christian churches still in existence.Stalin was born in Georgia and the country was a region of the former Soviet Union until 1991.Tbilisi is the capital.Contrary to normal expectations the capital city is not covered in Soviet era buildings. Instead you will find ultra modern bridges (see the Peace Bridge) designed by internationally renowned architects. The pace of modernisation is, frankly, amazing. Ultra modern buildings that fit in with their environment abound. Subtle lighting has been placed at strategic points all over the capital to emphasis the beauty of the topography – including a large river (the Kura) running through the capital, the ancient fortresses perched on high hills, the churches, modern buildings and the refurbished areas and squares. Districts of the city are being restored at a frantic pace. Where beyond economic repair they are rebuilding the core with modern materials in the exact shape and style of the old building and then using reclaimed bricks to face the building. The result? A continuity of architectural style brought into the modern era. Bravo the Georgians! We could learn from them.There are restaurants of all types. Some of them so well hidden you wonder whether the owners want to limit the number of diners. There are the tourist areas with a plethora of outdoor cafes and dining venues. Here you can watch the world go by and just enjoy completely winding down. The capital is best explored, as much as possible, on foot. This way you pick up the flavour of Tbilisi, see the people and can discover parts of the city not yet restored waiting its turn for rebirth. People are kind and friendly when addressed, whether in sign language or English. I felt perfectly safe in this city despite going into some pretty dark corners.For me the most amazing thing was the lack of shops. In Western culture we are used to our senses being assailed at every corner and in every street by shops trying to sell us something. Here there is no hustle. None of the ‘you must have this or your life will not be worth living’. In the odd areas where there is a Western type facility it almost looks garish and one is happy to retreat into the relative tranquillity of the rest of the city. That is not to say Tbilisi has nothing to offer. It does. Artisans with real skills abound. There are galleries that gently display Georgian art of all types. Georgian wine is finally being rediscovered internationally with some being sold across the world including Europe, the USA and the Far East. Try it. It is delicious. You can either take the modern cable car to the fortress overlooking the city or if fit walk up there. The views are worth it. Parks, Botanical gardens, Opera, Theatre. It is all here. Georgia has now had free and fair elections and a smooth transfer of power. Recent elections went without a hitch. Hats off to the Georgian political class. Yes, there are ‘issues’. No city is perfect. That said if you want to be bold. Try something different off the beaten track. Wind down and forget shopping all the time. This is a city worth coming to.

My wife and myself went paragliding with Yaroslav and Misha in September. It was just perfect :-) They picked us up at a place we stayed at and took us one by one to the take-off point. The length of your flight depends on the weather and if you book a longer flight but end up flying less (up to 30 minutes instead of 1 hour or so), Misha and Yaroslav will charge you less. It feels safe flying with Yaroslav (Misha is overseeing things from the valley and drives to landing place to collect you). He talks about flying, what he is doing and why and what you see. Both speak good communicative English. I guess nothing more to add :-)

95 scenic miles from Tbilisi, Georgia meandering through luscious farm land, then going always upwards along winding mountain roads, finally braving 8 miles of unimproved roads Stepantsminda (formerly Kazbegi) appears in a breathtaking magnificent vista of towering peaks,The entire countryside appears to be covered in green velvet. Hire a cab and traverse 5KM of unbelievably bad road to an ancient church perched overlooking the town like a holy guardian. I've said enough; you get the idea.

Paragliding pilots Yaroslav and Misha hang around at the "Coffee Stop" in the main square in Kazbegi. Flights are weather dependent but if the weather is right there are two main take-off sights for tandem paragliding- above the monastery in Sioni or at the Gergeti Trinity church. Currently it is 160 lari for the 30 minute flight including transport there and back via a niva or similar vechile. Yaroslav speaks English. The whole experience takes about 2-2 and a half hours including a 10 second safety briefing (these pilots are professionals at what they do but a little eccentric). The flight was so fun and there is potential for some great sights around this area. Wear long pants, shoes and a jacket and don't bring valuables unless you have someone to look after them. Occasionally, when the weather makes some unexpected change, you have to land early- safety is their priority so if it is possible they will try a second flight but if not they may offer a discount if flight was well under 30 minutes. No real fitness is required but there is a small climb to the top of the mountain from where the road ends. Well worth the money!!!

Very nice flight! We flew like birds! We provide a number of periodically flying eagles and falcons. We managed to climb to the clouds, where there was visible the entire city of Tbilisi.Excellent service with little bit off road trip to Fort Kojori.2 pilots with good english and russian language experience.

Всем ,кто любит горные лыжи или только мечтает встать на них рекомендую прекрасный грузинский курорт Гудаури и отель Марко Поло.Невероятное по красоте место,идеальные условия для обучения(инструктора цена качество),шикарные широченные трассы любой сложности и протяженности,по синей трассе можно спускаться 6 км под чудесным солнцем и любоваться потрясающим воображение пейзажем.Интересно и маленьким и взрослым.У второй очереди подъемников несколько ресторанов с очень демократичными ценами,вкуснейшей грузинской кухней,такого глинтвейна нет нигде. Подъемники разные-кресельные, бугельные, гандольный один,но ко всем можно подъехать с любой трассы. Гудаури-рай для фрирейдоров В выходные приезжает много местных и очереди на подъемники большие,а в будни нет никаких очередей нигде,а на трассах свободно и просторно всегда Побывав на многих европейских курортах смело ставлю 5 этому быстро растущему курорту. Тем,кто соберется в Гудаури советую обязательно посетить ресторан Хреки,ужин настоящей грузинской кухни с литром домашнего вина на двоих обойдется 30-40 дол максимум,ходили каждый вечер при условии,что в отличии от Европы завтрак и ужин включены в стоимость номера,но ресторан в отеле-это,пожалуй единственный минус из всей поездки,а так в отеле есть все,что душа пожелает бассейн,сауна,джакузи, билиард,пинг-понг,корты для большого тенниса,ски депо от подъемника первой очереди в 50 м-это оченьььь!!!! удобно и классно. Вообщем езжайте смело,никто не пожалеете!!