Why this ride
372 km from P’ot’i to P’ot’i, about 6 h 06 of riding. On the way it passes Ispani, Gelati Monastery and back through Ispani. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Pitshora and Gelati Monastery
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 372 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 06
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Pitshora
Close to the Black Sea coast of western Georgia, north of the port city of Poti, the land dissolves into marsh. This is the Colchic lowland, where the Rioni and smaller rivers have built a wide plain of peat bogs, alder swamps and lakes, and Pitshora is one of the wetland areas protected here as part of the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands World Heritage site, listed in 2021. The rains are heavy, the air is warm and humid, and the vegetation is lush in a way that feels almost tropical, surprising if you think of the Caucasus as dry mountains.
Read the complete Pitshora write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pitshora is where the day begins. Next is Ispani.
2. Ispani
Most of Georgia's Black Sea coast is subtropical, with tea plantations, citrus groves and lush forests, and on the plain near Kobuleti, between the sea and the hills, lies one of the strangest landscapes in the Caucasus. The Ispani mires are raised peat bogs, domes of sphagnum moss that have grown over thousands of years, fed only by rain, and they are among the few such bogs in the subtropics. They are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands, inscribed in 2021.
Read the complete Ispani write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ispani comes up about 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gelati Monastery.
3. Gelati Monastery
Planning note
about 186 km into the recorded legs you reach Gelati Monastery. Next is back through Ispani.
4. back through Ispani
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ispani write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Ispani, late in the day. Next is Pitshora.
5. Pitshora
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pitshora write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Pitshora. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Pitshora to Ispani
Pitshora → Ispani is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ispani to Gelati Monastery
Ispani → Gelati Monastery is 132 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Gelati Monastery to back through Ispani
Gelati Monastery → back through Ispani is 132 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Ispani to Pitshora
back through Ispani → Pitshora is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.