This land-only trip is a first and unique for the Fund Bank Ski Club, combining an exciting new skiing experience at Gudauri, one of the top ski resorts in the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia, with activities to explore Georgia's cultural richness. Please see the tentative itinerary below.

To organize this trip, we are working with John Graham Tours, an experienced tour operator known for cultural tours in Georgia and elsewhere. They have led several tours for members of the WBG 1818 Society in the past; we will be in very good hands.

We will be accommodated for a total of 3 nights in Tbilisi, Georgia's national capital, and stay at one of the premier stays in town, the SwissOtel Tbilisi, located in the downtown historic pedestrian zone, perfect for our walking tours. The hotel has an indoor pool, luxury spa and massage center, rooftop destination restaurant, etc.

Our accommodation at the Gudauri Ski Resort will be the beautiful Marco Polo Resort Hotel: The first and historic hotel, located at an altitude of 2,003 meters above sea level, has been providing visitors with an unforgettable stay and a ski-in, ski-out experience since 1988. Ski rentals will be available.
Hotel guests can enjoy a variety of activities, including bowling and padel courts, making it a fun experience for all ages. If you need to relax, the Marco Polo Spa and Wellness Center is the perfect solution, with saunas and indoor and outdoor pools, providing a retreat at any time of day.

Cultural activities include visits to the Georgian national museum, places of worship, Persian bath houses, and others in Tbilisi, a visit to the town of Stepantsminda, to see a 13th-century monastery, learn to cook khinkali dumplings, and winetasting at the Archangels Monastery. Further activities, including talks about the country context, are under consideration.

For the planned itinerary, please see the Overview, below.

The Club recommends that participants carry sufficient travel, medical, and accident insurance, as it will not be liable for injuries caused during the trip or for cancellations made by the participant after the deadline. Compare and purchase travel insurance at insuremytrip.com.
Participants will be asked to sign a waiver for John Graham Tours before the start of the trip.

For cancellations received by September 28, 2026, the deposit will be fully reimbursed. Cancellations received between September 30 and November 21, 2026, will be eligible for a 50% refund of both the deposit and the first payment tranche amount (due or paid).

For cancellations from November 22, 2026, no refund of amounts due or paid will be available unless a substitute reservation can be found. The Ski Club will help find a substitute, but cannot promise success.

There will be no refund for any tour accommodation, service, or feature not taken, or if a participant cancels for any reason while the trip is in progress.

Any additional costs due to leaving the tour are the responsibility of the departing passenger. In these times of uncertainty in the international realm, we also have to add that should cancellation or alteration of the program occur due to civil disturbances, acts of terrorism, war, natural disaster, and other events of force majeure or acts of God (including threat or fear of same), refunds will be made only to the extent that they are recoverable by “John Graham Tours,” and that such cancellation or alteration may result in the total loss of funds paid by participants. Many destinations may pose a normal risk of political instability, civil unrest, etc. It is assumed each participant has reviewed the same with respect to their own comfort level of risk and personal safety, and your signature of this form releases “John Graham Tours” and its employees of any and all liability in connection with the foregoing. A decision to withdraw from the trip for these reasons or any others will be bound by the same terms of cancellation.

• Arrivals (airport transfer provided)

• Check-in to Tbilisi hotel (for 1 night)

• 18.30h: Opening banquet with singers

• Morning: Hotel check-out

• Visit to Georgian National Museum

• 12.00h: Depart for Mtskheta (1 hour)) for lunch

• 14.30h: Visit to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (UNESCO Heritage Site)

• 15.30h: Depart for Gudauri (1.5 hours), stopping for pictures at the 17th-century Ananuri fortress

• 16.00h: Check-in at Marco Polo Resort Hotel in Gudauri

• Dinner at leisure

During the day: Skiing at the Gudauri Resort

Optional evening activities to be determined: group dinners, talks about country context, game nights, etc.

• Morning: Drive to the town of Stepantsminda (1 hour), weather permitting.

• Visit the 13th-century Gergeti Sameba monastery, see and photograph Mount Kazbegi, a cone volcano (16.580 feet high)

• 12.30h: Attend a Khinkali dumpling-making workshop, and eat self-made dumplings for lunch

• Visit a felting studio

• Wine tasting at Archangels monastery (near the Russian border)

• 16.00h: Return to Gudauri.

Participants can decide on short notice whether they'd like to join the excursion or add another ski day.

• Morning: Check-out of rooms, store luggage

• Ski day

• 15.00h: Drive to Tbilisi (3 hours)

• Check-in to hotel (2 nights)

• Evening: Dinner at leisure

• Schedule permitting: attend a performance at the Opera or Ballet

• Morning: Walking tour of Tbilisi historic sites including churches, synagogues, mosques, museums, Persian bath houses.

• 13.00h: Lunch

• Afternoon: Schedule permitting: attend a performance at the Opera or Ballet

• Evening: Final banquet.

• Departures (airport transfer provided)