We fly to Georgia and head for the speedway in Rustavi—a thirty-minute drive from Tbilisi. Powerful Polaris-1000 buggies with 1000cc engines and 144HP await us. They can cover cross-country terrain at a speed of 100 km and ascend and descend 65-degree slopes. This is a fantastic way to get an adrenaline rush.

A thirty-minute orientation session and we are ready to go.

Before we set off, we take a group photo.

We are off! A scout leads the way. He keeps an eye on the road, warns of any troublesome spots up ahead and helps overcome them.

We soon reach cross-country terrain…

with views like these…

and unexpected hurdles like these…

which we heroically overcome!

Then we arrive at David Gareji. This is a monastic hermitage. Here the landscape and scenery change. Before us rises a medieval monastery hewn into the cliff.

This is the hermitage of St. David of Gareji, one of the thirteen Assyrian fathers, the enlighteners of Georgia. Here we stop to take a look at Great Antiquity.

The monastic cells are located along the top of a mountain ridge the Georgians call Udabno. We will take this part of the journey on foot.

Monastic life began here in the 6th century, while the frescoes appeared on the walls in the 9th century. And it all continues to live and breathe today, just like in the olden days.

Mountain eagles soar overhead, almost within reach. There are lots of them here. It is their habitat for that matter.

Here is the view that opens up from the top of the mountain ridge. And it is not Georgia we are looking at, but Azerbaijan. The border between our countries runs along this ridge. But there are no borders in the Caucasus that can stop us from enjoying these beautiful views…

We go back down along this narrow path.

We settle into the buggies again and head off through the saline lowlands…

And once more we see shepherds and sheep. What they find to feed on here is anyone’s guess, but they are all over the place.

Our guide speeds up. And we can see why…

And we follow him…

We race up to the next monastery.

This is Bebertakala – a 6th-century monastery…

… while the frescoes are from the 7th century…

…and eighth century.

Then we come across caves like these…

But we will not be going up there. Well, we could, of course, but we will save that for another time…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, in a green field that stretches as far as the eye can see, our second team is waiting for the guests to continue the trip…this time air bound!

And here they come…

We park the buggies in a row and begin inflating the balloon.

Our balloon is huge, large enough for 16 passengers…

We take off into the sky and fly over Georgia! While filming the whole event…

We take off into the sky and fly over Georgia! While filming the whole event…

Of course the pilot is always in control…

This is what you see if you look up…

and this is what you see if you look down. Georgia only looks small on the map, but if you rise into the sky, it is huge!

And those are the escort cars rushing to meet us. We are in touch by radio.

After we land, we gather in front of the balloon and listen to a brief story about world ballooning…

then all the first-timers are initiated as balloonists by means of three Elements: Earth, Fire…

…and Water, for which we use champagne!

But the adventure is still not over!

We climb into a bus and head for the Tbilisi sulphur baths. After that, I think we are done for the day, only we will top it off with a sumptuous feast! This, dear friends, is the kind of incentive program that awaits you!