2 Day Tour to Gudauri and Kazbegi in Tbilisi

mixed feelings, especially on 2nd day!

We had a mixed experience on this tour. On day one George was excellent: his explanations were clear, group dynamics were great, and communication was very good. Everything about that first day was nearly perfect. On the second day things were frustrating. We only had transport back to Tbilisi. We were told there would be a bus pickup at a meeting point and were forced to arrange transport ourselves to the rooms hotel — take an Uber for 28 GEL (which we did) or walk 30 minutes in the rain from guesthouse in the centre. The rooms hotel was a big big hotel with lots of R******* staying there - nothing local and in our travel spirit a shame to local guesthouses. After the scheduled pickup at 5 we had to wait another 20 minutes at the hotel for the bus because our initial bus with George was full and we had to wait for antoher one which then arrived. After driver down to the center a traveler was picked up there. The day before we had specifically asked if pickup from the center was possible and were told no, so being picked up later (=35minutes after our meeting point in rooms) in the center felt misleading and unfair. Also, days included too much time at the paragliding viewpoint. Paragliding was not the main part of the tour we expected, yet we ended up waiting there 30–45 minutes with little information and felt it dominated the itinerary. We just wanted to get back to Tbilisi on the second day. We were also taken to a honey tasting that felt like a sales stop and a tourist trap. The tasting was rushed (only about five minutes), and prices were high — we paid 40 GEL for a small jar and later found the same regional honey in a supermarket for about one-third of that price. This felt not professionel from the site of the tour provider. Overall, I would not recommend this tour for anyone primarily interested in monuments and nature. The emphasis on the paragliding spot and the sales-oriented stops detracted from the sightseeing. That said, George is a top guide and the tour was well organized in other ways, including local food. Because of the issues described, we decided not to book further tours.

via Tripadvisor

I got a refund from platform- That's how BAD they are.

I acknowledge that the contact number on my booking record was outdated, and the operator did attempt to reach me early in the morning. However, once I realized the mistake and confirmed I was en route, the customer service representative continued to lecture me on what I did wrong and send argumentative screenshots rather than efficiently handling the arrival logistics. The driver was reluctant to run the air conditioning appropriately during warm weather with a full vehicle, making parts of the journey unnecessarily uncomfortable. When I raised concerns about the representative's tone, the operator showed no accountability. In fact, their response was that "OUR MISTAKE WAS TRYING SO HARD TO ACCOMODATE YOU" LOL you are NOT accomodating me, you were lecturing me the entire time! The bus left ON TIME!!! They even suggested that they "should have left [me] at the hotel" instead. Here's what EXACTLY they said: https://www.viator.com/tours/Tbilisi/Tbilisi-2-Day-Gudauri-and-Kazbegi-Mountain-Tour/d22516-167074P35 Resolution: Because of the documented pre-tour communication issues and poor customer service handling, Viator customer support reviewed the complete interaction and issued a full refund for the booking. While George did a fantastic job as a guide, the back-office customer service and management’s hostile attitude fall far below standard professional expectations.

Response from the operator: Please go to hospital!

via Tripadvisor

Best summarized nature explore of Georgia

It was long trip however it was super interesting. Every place we stopped, it was well explained by the guide and kind replys for every questions. The guide was exellent especial explanations as well giving free time for our own explore. It was amazing. I absolutely recommend this trip.

via Tripadvisor

Don’t book with them or you will be lectured on what they expect of you as Paying Customers

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel other travelers should be aware of my experience. To be fair, I did change my number since I made the reservation and forgot to update with the tour company. The operator also made several attempts to contact me, including messaging me through Viator and contacting my hotel, and I recognize those efforts. However, after I acknowledged my mistake and confirmed that I was on my way, the customer service representative started to lecture me on what I should do “in the future” and try to argue with me instead of simply moving on. The representative continued to post screenshot of their attempt to contacting me and tried to tell me what I did was “wrong”. Rather than de-escalating the conversation, the representative repeatedly defended their actions and communicated in a way that I found unprofessional and dismissive. I later emailed the company’s management about this incident, but I never received any response or acknowledgment, which was equally disappointing. During the tour itself, the driver was also reluctant to turn on the air conditioning, despite the warm weather and multiple passengers on board. This made the journey unnecessarily uncomfortable. The one bright spot of the trip was our guide, George. He was warm, knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely enthusiastic throughout the tour. George worked hard to ensure everyone had a good experience, and he deserves recognition for his professionalism and positive attitude. Unfortunately, excellent service from one guide cannot fully make up for poor customer service before the tour and the lack of responsiveness from the company’s management afterward. **note** Based on my experience so far, I would not be surprised if the company responds to this review by once again denying any responsibility instead of acknowledging where they could have handled the situation more professionally

Response from the operator: We appreciate that you acknowledged providing an incorrect phone number, which prevented us from contacting you before departure. This was a group tour, and an entire bus of travelers was waiting while our team made every possible effort to reach you through Viator messages, your hotel, and other available channels. We believe the considerate response would have been to apologize to the other guests for the delay caused to the whole group. Instead, despite our efforts to ensure you could still join the tour, you chose to criticize our team for trying to contact you and explain the situation. In hindsight, our mistake was trying so hard to accommodate you. According to our schedule, it would have been fair to depart on time and leave you at the hotel rather than delaying everyone else. Regarding the air conditioning, the vehicle's temperature is adjusted for the comfort of the entire group and can be changed upon request. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed George's guiding, and we will certainly share your kind words with him. We wish you all the best in your future travels.

via Viator

Highly recommend doing...

Highly recommend doing this tour over a one day option. George was a fantastic guide, and the driving sections were probably the highlight of the trip so no need to worry about the length of time on the minibus. All the tops were well planned with ample free time without feeling like they were taking too long. Pick up on the second day was straightforward and the tour company provided updates on the exact pick up time etc.

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for your wonderful review! 🌟 We’re delighted to hear that you had such a positive experience with us. It's great to know that the hotel pickups, smooth organization, and well-planned itinerary helped make your trip enjoyable, even with a bit of rain on the first day. We're especially happy that you enjoyed the beautiful waterfall trekking experience and that everything, including your return to Tbilisi, went according to schedule. Thank you for choosing to travel with us. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back to Georgia for another memorable adventure in the future! Kind regards, **BFT Group** ❤️🇬🇪✨

via Viator