Forbes Russia names Bakuriani among top summer destinations for active holidays

Georgia’s mountainous resort Bakuriani has been named among the 10 most popular places for the active summer holidays by the Russian edition of Forbes magazine.

The magazine cooperated with the Russian search engine for hotels RoomGuru.ru to determine the most popular destinations that offered a great variety of entertainment.

Forbes Russia also calculated the approximate budget for a week-long holyday for two. This included plane tickets from Moscow and back, hotel costs and entertainment.

Bakuriani is Georgia’s one of the top winter resorts but Forbes said it was a great destination in summer too. The magazine suggested that it would cost 55 590 rubles (about $880 USD) to travel, spend a week and enjoy the summer days there.

"Georgian Resort Bakuriani is located on the northern slopes of the Trialeti Range. You can reach it via Tbilisi (double flights for two from Moscow - 30 000 rubles (about $ 475 USD)), and choose to stay in a local hotel (18 000 rubles (about $ 285 USD)),” Forbes wrote.

Horses near Bakuriani forest, early morning, autumn. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

The article said that there were many opportunities for a dynamic recreation: hiking and mountaineering, mountain climbing, jeeping, rafting and paragliding.

It also mentioned that close to Bakuriani there was "extremely beautiful” Tabatskuri lake where holidaymakers could enjoy fishing and hunting.

Bakuriani opened for the new summer season with fresh attractions including the first mountain sled track in the South Caucasus.

For the first time at central Georgia's Bakuriani resort, a track for mountain sleds – also known as a toboggan – was unveiled on the Didveli slope, a popular skiing destination, last week.

Other summer activities open to visitors in Bakuriani include mountain bike riding, with a special season ticket also available and including all local attractions for extreme sport enthusiasts.

The summer season in Georgia's mountainous resorts was opened on July 2.

Alongside Bakuriani, the Russian Forbes’ list also included French, Spanish, Swiss, Austrian and other resorts.