Akhaltsikhe

Samtskhe-Javakheti is a mountainous region in southern Georgia, bordering Turkey and Armenia and centred on the historic town of Akhaltsikhe. Its landscape ranges from the forested Borjomi valley and the Mtkvari River gorge to the high, windswept Javakheti volcanic plateau with its lakes, alpine meadows and small farming villages.

Long a crossroads between the Black Sea, Anatolia and the Caucasus, the region preserves a rich layering of Georgian, Ottoman and Armenian heritage. The 12th-century Vardzia cave monastery, carved into the Erusheti mountain cliffs, and the restored Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe, which combines a citadel, mosque, church and museum, are its best-known landmarks.

Across its municipalities visitors encounter quite different characters: Borjomi is a classic spa town famous for its mineral water and forested national park; Akhaltsikhe offers the historic Rabati complex and a gateway to Vardzia; Aspindza holds cave monasteries and fortresses; and Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda, where many residents speak Armenian, sit among lakes and volcanic uplands.

Tourism, agriculture, mineral water production and cross-border trade shape the local economy. Borjomi water is bottled here, while cheese, honey, potatoes and dairy farming remain important in the villages. Seasonal visitors come for hiking, birdwatching, spas and historic sites, and the region's modest size makes it easy to combine several stops in a few days.

For leisure travellers it offers caves, fortresses, spa culture and highland scenery, while business travellers and event groups find a quieter, practical regional base with good road links from Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi.