22–25 October 2026 · Guria, Georgia
Chardins Voyages · International Travel Trade Familiarization Journey

Bazieroba

Falconry in Guria — from hand to glove, table to tournament.

A four-day journey for selected international travel-trade partners into one of the South Caucasus’s least-travelled corners. Meet three generations of Gurian falconers, learn the craft under their guidance, cook at a Gurian family table, experience local tea and polyphony, take a reserved place at the Falconry Championship, and finish by shaping the experience into a product your market can sell.

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4 / 3Days / nights
2Gateways · Batumi & Kutaisi
3Generations of falconers
By invitationInternational travel trade
Falconry in Guria · FAM 2026

A living family craft, experienced closely enough to understand — and sell.

Guria is a green amphitheatre of tea terraces, forest, song and village life, where falconry still passes from one generation to the next. This familiarization is built around that continuity: not a staged demonstration, but direct encounters with the people who keep the practice alive and the places that give it meaning.

The journey also has a clear professional purpose. Every element — the masterclass, the championship, the Gurian table, the cultural programme and the partners’ round-table — is designed to help travel professionals judge how the experience can become a distinctive, responsible and commercially viable Georgia product.

Come to understand a tradition from the inside. Leave with the beginnings of a signature product ready for your market.
Programme highlights

Falconry leads the journey. Guria completes it.

Four days connect living heritage, food, tea, music and the travel trade into one coherent product experience.

01 · Hand to glove

Learn with the falconers

Meet three generations of Gurian falconers, hear how the knowledge is passed on, receive a practical briefing and take part in a hands-on masterclass under the falconers’ authority.

02 · Close access

See the craft up close

A curated small-group session creates time for questions and professional photography with the falconers and their birds, always under the falconers’ guidance.

03 · Gurian table

Cook, share, listen

Prepare Gurian ghvezeli and sweets at a family house, help lay the shared table, discover Guria’s tea story and hear live polyphony from Ensemble Narti.

04 · Championship & trade

Watch, then shape the product

Take a reserved place at the Falconry Championship with judging context and behind-the-scenes access, then bring the experience into a partners’ round-table on its commercial future.

23 October · Goraberezhouli · Eristavi Palace & Dendrological Park

Where Guria’s falconry story opens.

The first full day begins at Goraberezhouli with a musical welcome from Ensemble Narti, welcome tea and a short visit to the Eristavi Palace. The setting introduces Guria not as a backdrop, but as the cultural landscape from which its falconry tradition grows.

The morning moves from a short opening and a conversation on Guria and falconry to stories from three generations of falconers, Guria’s tea culture and the practical rules that govern close work with the birds.

A hands-on masterclass and curated close-access session are followed by a walk through the dendrological park and a Gurian lunch with live polyphony — before the programme continues to a family house for cooking and the shared table.

Palace and park. Tea and polyphony. Three generations of falconers — and a tradition encountered at human scale.
Detailed Programme

22–25 October 2026

Four days / three nights, with arrivals through Batumi and Kutaisi. Timings are indicative and may be refined nearer the date.

Day 0122 October

Arrival & welcome

Arrivals into Batumi and Kutaisi, private transfers and an unhurried first evening with an aperitif, a short opening and a welcome dinner.

00:00–18:30
Arrivals & private transfersAirport pick-up and check-in — Batumi & Kutaisi.
15:00–18:30
At leisureTime to settle in before the evening programme.
18:45
Welcome gatheringIn the hotel lobby.
19:00
AperitifA relaxed first meeting of the group.
19:25
OpeningWhy Guria · why falconry · why this trip.
19:40
Welcome dinnerA light Gurian welcome.
20:45
Evening at leisureThe rest of the evening is free.
Day 0223 October

Falconry & the Gurian table

The heart of the journey: Guria’s falconry heritage at Goraberezhouli, followed by an afternoon cooking and sharing a table at a Gurian house.

07:00
BreakfastBreakfast at the hotel.
08:30
Departure to ChokhatauriA scenic drive into Guria.
09:35
Musical welcomeEnsemble Narti, at Gora-Berezhouli.
09:45
Welcome tea & short tourThe Eristavi Palace, Gora-Berezhouli.
10:00
Official openingA short opening to the main programme.
10:15
Talk — Guria & falconryContext for the region and its living falconry tradition.
10:40
Meet the falconersStories from three generations of Gurian falconers.
11:05
Tea cultureGuria’s tea story.
11:20
Falconry briefingEquipment, safe distance, the falconer’s authority and photography.
11:35
Hands-on falconry masterclassPractical work under the falconers’ guidance.
12:20
Curated close-access sessionSmall-group Q&A and professional photography with the falconers and their birds, under the falconer’s guidance.
12:40
The dendrological parkA guided walk.
13:00
Gurian lunchRegional cuisine, with polyphony by Ensemble Narti.
15:15
Transfer to the Skiji houseContinue to the family setting for the culinary programme.
16:00
Welcome & aperitifThe house, its Gurian family tradition and the dishes ahead.
16:10
Hands-on cooking IGurian ghvezeli.
17:00
Hands-on cooking IIGurian sweets.
17:45
The shared tableGuests help lay the table and join the feast.
20:00
Return to hotelReturn after the shared table.
Day 0324 October

The Falconry Championship

A front-row day at the championship in Chokhatauri, closing with the partners’ round-table and a farewell dinner.

07:00
BreakfastBreakfast at the hotel.
08:40
Departure to ChokhatauriTransfer to the championship programme.
09:50
Behind-the-scenes accessMeet pre-selected falconers, watch the preparations and hear their stories — without interrupting them.
10:15
Rules & judging briefingHow the championship works, and what to watch for.
10:30
Guest zoneReserved seating, with hot tea, coffee and water.
11:00–13:30
The Falconry ChampionshipReserved access to the main competition programme.
13:30
Gurian lunch & wineRegional cuisine after the championship.
15:50
Return to hotelTime to rest before the evening sessions.
18:45
Partners’ round-tableAt the hotel — a focused conversation on shaping the commercial product.
19:45
Wrap-upClosing reflections and next steps.
20:00
Farewell dinnerThe final shared dinner of the journey.
21:45
Evening at leisureThe formal programme concludes.
Day 0425 October

Departure

Departures at your convenience, with transfers coordinated for the journey home.

From 10:00
DeparturesPrivate departure transfers according to confirmed travel arrangements.
Programme organised by Chardins Voyages in cooperation with the Chokhatauri Municipality and the Falconers’ Federation. Timings are indicative and may be refined nearer the date.
24 October · The Falconry Championship

First meet the falconers. Then understand the competition.

Behind-the-scenes access and a judging briefing turn a spectacle into a story you can explain.

Before the championship begins, delegates meet pre-selected falconers as they prepare, then receive a concise explanation of the rules and judging. A reserved guest zone gives the group a comfortable place to watch the competition, while the context gathered the day before makes the event legible as living heritage rather than simply a public show.

Professional value

What should you take back to your market?

StoryA clear narrative that connects Guria, falconry, tea, food and polyphony rather than presenting each element in isolation.
AccessFirst-hand understanding of what guests can responsibly experience with falconers and at the championship.
FormatA tested sense of how the experience can work as a specialist departure, a cultural module or part of a wider Georgia itinerary.
ProductA partners’ round-table that turns first-hand impressions into practical commercial feedback and next steps.
Participation

By invitation. Small-group. Curated for the international travel trade.

The familiarization is designed for travel professionals who can evaluate, build or sell meaningful new programmes. Places are limited so that access remains close, personal and operationally smooth.
Format 4 days / 3 nights

A hosted familiarization with a single programme linking arrival, two full experience days and departure.

Gateways Batumi & Kutaisi

Return airport transfers are included, with ground transport and on-site hosting throughout the journey.

Hosted programme Accommodation, meals & activities

Three nights’ accommodation, all meals, briefings, masterclasses, championship access and live cultural performances are included.

Partners Chardins · Municipality · Falconers

Organised by Chardins Voyages in cooperation with the Chokhatauri Municipality and the Falconers’ Federation.

Falconer authority & safety Practical sessions begin with a briefing covering equipment, safe distance, photography and the falconer’s authority. All close access and bird handling take place under the falconers’ guidance.
Request participation

Tell us where Falconry in Guria fits in your market.

Places are limited and participation is by invitation. We are looking for travel professionals who can turn first-hand experience into thoughtful product decisions and meaningful commercial follow-up.
01Your company, position, website and primary market.
02The type of travel you currently design or sell.
03Whether you already programme Georgia or the wider Caucasus.
04Why Falconry in Guria could be relevant to your clients.