An immersive journey into the living heart of Georgian polyphonic singing and chant, through two ancient regions, under the guidance of a master.
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Since 2012, Joyous Host has been quietly offering something the world of cultural travel rarely sees: true access. Not a performance of Georgian tradition, but a living encounter with it: the voices, the table, the landscape, the silence between the notes.
This summer, for twelve days, a small group of no more than fifteen people will travel through Svaneti and Guria with Malkhaz Erkvanidze, one of the most important figures in the revival of authentic Georgian chant, learning, singing, eating, and becoming part of something that most visitors to Georgia never find.
No prior singing experience is needed. Only curiosity, and a willingness to be changed.
Malkhaz Erkvanidze is one of the most important living figures in Georgian sacred and folk music. After the Soviet era left the country’s polyphonic traditions fragmented and nearly lost, he was among the small circle of scholars and practitioners who went back to the original manuscripts, the village singers, and the ancient performance lineages to restore what had been broken.
He is both the scientist who decoded the manuscripts and the living voice who sings from them. That combination is extraordinarily rare.
"Georgian three-part singing reflects a unity analogous to the Holy Trinity. Polyphony is not decoration. It is a spiritual and cultural worldview."
Two sessions per day with Malkhaz and guest masters: ~5 hours of teaching across 12 days.
Guesthouse in Svaneti. Malkhaz’s family home in Guria. Cozy, traditional, mountain views, river nearby. Guests share twin rooms (2 per room).
Three homemade Georgian meals a day: walnut sauces, open-fire stews, fresh bread, and evening supras.
All travel within Georgia for the full duration of the tour.
Excursions to temples, museums & natural wonders. Georgian cooking class. Movie nights under the open sky. All included.
Swimming in the river. Toasts you’ll remember for years. A community that stays in touch long after the last evening together.
Each region has its own soul. Together they form an arc: from the ancient and elemental, to the intimate and familial.
High in the Caucasus, Svaneti is unlike anywhere else on earth. Medieval stone towers, glacier-fed rivers, skies that press close. Georgia’s oldest vocal traditions were preserved here for centuries.
Warm, green, alive with birdsong and the sound of a river you can swim in. Guria is the birthplace of Krimanchuli, Georgian yodelling, and one of the great heartlands of polyphony. You will be staying in Malkhaz's family home.
Sessions with Malkhaz anchor the morning and afternoon. The hours between belong to you, the landscape, and the table.
On days with no excursion, the full schedule below applies. On excursion days, the group travels after breakfast and has one longer session (3+ hours) at or near the destination.
A slow, homemade morning meal. The mountains in view, the day unhurried.
Three hours of immersive teaching with Malkhaz, including a 30-minute break. Georgian polyphony, sacred chant, voice, tradition.
The main meal of the day , homemade Georgian food around a shared table. The kind where conversations linger long after the food is gone.
Swim in the river, walk the surrounding landscape, rest, or sit with one of the traditional Georgian instruments available to explore: panduri, chonguri, or doli.
Another ~2.5 hours, going deeper into the repertoire, the tradition, the voice. As the days pass, the group begins to sound like something real.
The Georgian evening feast. Long tables, toasts that go on forever, songs that rise spontaneously. Many guests say the supras change them more than anything else on tour.
No description can replace the sound. These moments from past tours give you a glimpse of what the singing feels like, held by mountains and open sky.
Most participants come alone · No singing experience required · Small, supportive group · All skill levels welcome
Secure your place with a €300 deposit. Remaining balance due later.
International flights are not included; everything else is taken care of.
These dates don’t work for you? Get in touch. We occasionally arrange tours for small private groups.
Reach out with any questions about the tour, the music, the journey, or what to expect. We answer personally.