სტატია ექსტრემალურ ტურიზმზე, შეიძლება დაგაინტერესოთ
http://georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=9384Experiencing Georgia’s extremes
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Having been involved in mountaineering for 12 years, Archil Badriashvili, 21, says about his passion that “[Alpinism] is the essence of my existence; it’s a way of life.” He is one of those bold people who loves the rush of adrenalin and will put his life at risk without hesitation.
Apart from the rare opportunity of climbing high in the Caucasian Mountains, Georgia has more to offer to those who seek extreme adventures. Possibilities range from rafting, diving, parachuting and skydiving, to biking and caving. Some call this extreme tourism and some just refer to it as adventure tourism. No hard line is drawn in between.
“If you have organized tours in extreme situations it will be extreme tours, in an ordinary situation, it’s just an adventure tour,” Mamuka Burduli, founder and director of the adventure club Jomardi (rafting in Georgian) told Georgia Today.
Rafting is a recreational activity where the participants navigate a river or other body of water on an inflatable raft for thrills and excitement. Rafting became popular in the mid- 1970’s worldwide, which is the time when Georgians also got a taste of its pleasures.
Jomardi was the first company in Georgia to launch rafting tours almost a decade ago. The rafting season is quite lengthy; it opens in March and lasts through October. However, the spring months are considered to be the more dangerous period for rafting, as snow is melting and there is too much water in the rivers. Accordingly, each tour has been assigned its own difficulty level: class I is the easiest while class IV entails a more difficult tour and can be life threatening if you are not careful.
As Burduli explains, in order to address the rafters’ safety, the club provides professional instructors and high-quality equipment. The minimum age for participants is 10 years of age.
Several rivers host these tours. These include tours on the M’ktvari river near Vardzia and Borjomi in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of southern Georgia; the Rioni River in western Georgia, known to the ancient Greeks as the Phasis river; and on the Pshavi’s and Mtiuleti’s Aragvi river, in the historical eastern region of Georgia. The fee for each tour is around 30-35 lari per person.
Temur Gugushvili, 20, a student who has participated in rafting tours on the Aragvi, says that it was “really amazing.” During that time there were eight men in the boat, next time he wants to try a more extreme tour on a two-man boat.
For those interested in underwater adventures, there is another extreme activity - diving. However, diving requires a bit more preparation.
According to Paata Jmukhadze, an Emergency First Response instructor at the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), in many countries people are required to take special classes before beginning their dives. In Georgia, this is not yet the law. However there are special voluntary classes offered by professional instructors from PADI. PADI is the world’s largest recreational diving membership and diver training organization. The duration of the classes is four days with a price of $370. The participants of the class receive a certificate from PADI upon completion.
“Professionals tend to get injured more frequently than amateur divers do. That’s because they are bolder and more confident of themselves. The safety of amateurs depends on the instructor. That’s why it’s very important to have a professional instructor,” Jmukhadze said in a brief interview with Georgia Today. According to him, the most frequent injury sustained to amateur divers is to the ears.
Diving is allowed in any season with the age limit beginning at eight. For adults, restrictions are applied to those with heart conditions. Pregnant women, people with heart disease and those with high blood pressure are not permitted to dive.
In Georgia, diving is possible in Tbilisi Sea, the Black Sea, the Batumi Dolphinarium, the Kvariati Ship Wrecks, the Sunken Mussel Farm, as well as Rock Alley in Sarpy and a brand new area of Anaklia located in northwest Georgia.
Cave diving fans will be pleased to know that diving will soon be possible in the Caves of Imereti and in the Samegrelo regions, in the western part of Georgia.
Still, to those extreme adventures that prefer wild nature over the underwater world, Nick Erkomaishvili, Certified Mountain Guide says that Georgia has a lot to offer in this respect. He notes that there are not enough shelters in the mountains, and that sometimes it’s better to sleep in a tent rather than in a shelter.
Erkomaishvili divides tourists into two categories: some organize tours in the mountains themselves and others opt for the services of tour operators. The first group is usually comprised of young people with limited financial resources. The second group is generally made-up of older people with better financial means. The costs of the tours depend on a group’s desires and personal specifications.
Another option for those who fancy extreme activities is paragliding. According to Irakli Kapanadze, Head of the Commission of Paragliding at the Georgian Aviation Federation, this recreational and competitive flying activity has over time become very popular in Georgia. The cost varies depending on the various situations.
Kapanadze explains that paragliders are unique among aircraft in that they are easily portable. Another advantage is that paragliding is not limited to upland environments. It’s possible to take on this activity in many parts of Georgia- Sighnaghi, Svaneti, Gudauri and Bakuriani. The cost of paragliding tours costs 30 lari over Tbilisi Sea.
According to Maia Sidamonidze, Chairwoman at the Georgian National Tourism Agency, a state body responsible for tourism sector development, Georgia has huge resources for the development of extreme tourism.
“At the moment, all of our resources are not being utilized. It’s necessary to develop better infrastructure, [luckily], this process advances very rapidly,” she told Georgia Today.
This post has been edited by journalist on 19 Aug 2011, 00:08 
ექსტრემალური გართობა-დასვენება, ჯომარდი, პარაპლანი, დაივინგი, სპალეო ტურები და ა.შ
