2026-09-10
An Arabic-speaking driver in Georgia is a private driver who meets you at Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport and whose car stays with you for the whole programme: hotel to sightseeing, city to city. At Hawa Georgia this driver is not sold separately; he is part of the same rule: 200 USD per day for two people, covering the car with the driver and the hotel. This guide explains what the role actually covers, how to judge a driver before you pay, and where things go wrong.
What an "Arabic driver" in Georgia really means
The two working languages in Georgia are Georgian and Russian. English exists partially in central Tbilisi and Batumi and thins out quickly beyond the city centres. Arabic exists only inside the tourism sector itself. So an Arabic-speaking driver is not a linguistic luxury: he is the link that turns your day from a chain of small misunderstandings into an organised schedule. He tells the restaurant the meat must be halal, asks the pharmacy for an alternative medicine, sorts out parking, and knows when to reorder the day because the weather changed.
It also helps to know what he is not. He is not an app driver: Bolt and Yandex Go work inside Tbilisi and Batumi at low prices, but their drivers mostly speak Georgian or Russian, will not spend a full day with you in the mountains, and will not wait two hours outside a fortress. And he is not a licensed tour guide who explains a site's history inside its walls; we cover that difference in detail in Arabic Driver vs Tour Guide in Georgia.
What a day with the driver actually includes
- Airport pickup with flight tracking. Most Gulf flights into Tbilisi land after midnight, and the driver is in the arrivals hall before you walk out.
- The car is yours for the full day, not by the hour or by the trip, and it waits for you at each site.
- Fuel, parking and road charges are on the company, not on you.
- Luggage handling when you change city, and coordinating the checkout time with the hotel.
- Flexible timing: start an hour later, add a stop at a restaurant or a mosque, or cut the day short if the children are tired.
- Practical daily translation: restaurants, shops, the pharmacy, the wholesale market, the cable car staff.
What the driver does not normally cover: entrance tickets and cable cars, meals, and optional activities such as skiing, horse riding, or the 4x4 vehicles that climb to Gergeti church. Ask about these items before you travel so they are not a surprise.
The Georgian roads that separate a good driver from the rest
The Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi
Tbilisi to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) is about 155 km via Mtskheta, the Ananuri reservoir and Gudauri, then the Jvari Pass at roughly 2,379 m. Pure driving time is three to three and a half hours, but the real day with stops runs nine to eleven hours. In winter the roads department may impose convoy travel or briefly close the mountain section because of snow, and a professional driver checks those notices in the morning before departure and carries chains. The final climb to Gergeti Trinity Church at around 2,170 m is a steep unpaved track that ordinary cars cannot take; it is done in local 4x4 vehicles from the village. That day is a core part of Georgia 7 Day Tour - Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Batumi, and the Black Sea side of the country is covered in Arabic Driver in Batumi.
The Tbilisi to Batumi road
About 370 km, normally five to six hours depending on the state of the Rikoti mountain section and truck traffic. A driver who knows the road breaks the distance with a sensible stop in Borjomi or Kutaisi instead of six unbroken hours in a car with children.
The Gombori Pass to Telavi and Kakheti
A narrow, beautiful road that shortens the run to Telavi to roughly an hour and a half to two hours, but it sometimes closes in heavy snowfall, and the route then shifts to the longer road via Sagarejo. A driver who does not know the alternative costs you a whole day.
Inside Tbilisi itself
The Old Town, Sololaki and Abanotubani are narrow streets with scarce paid parking, and Rustaveli Avenue congests morning and evening. A driver who drops you at Meidan and picks you up two hours later at Rike Park saves you an entire journey. More on moving around the capital in Arabic Driver in Tbilisi.
How to judge a driver before you pay
- Ask for the company name and its official registration in Georgia. Hawa Georgia is officially registered in Georgia, which means there is an entity to answer to, not a person who disappears.
- Ask about the vehicle type and seat count against your luggage count. Four passengers with four large suitcases do not fit a sedan.
- Ask directly: who pays for fuel, parking and road charges?
- Ask how long the working day is, and what happens if you run an hour late in Kazbegi.
- Ask for the programme in writing, day by day, before paying — not verbal promises.
- Ask whether the same driver stays with you throughout, and what the backup is if the car breaks down.
- Ask for a WhatsApp number that works inside Georgia.
Company driver or independent driver?
| Criterion | Registered company driver | Independent driver |
|---|---|---|
| If the car breaks down | A replacement from the fleet | Depends on his contacts; can cost half a day |
| Changing the programme | Re-coordinated with the office and the hotels | Limited to what he can arrange alone |
| Written record | A written agreement and a responsible party | Usually a verbal agreement |
| Personal flexibility | Good, within an agreed programme | Very high |
| If a dispute arises | Handled with the company | No third party |
An independent driver is not a bad choice in itself, and many are excellent. The problem is that all the risk sits with you: one lost day out of a seven-day trip is a seventh of your programme gone.
Agreement and payment norms
The local currency is the lari, ATMs are widespread in Tbilisi and Batumi, and dealing in dollars is familiar in tourism. The sound norms are simple: a written WhatsApp agreement stating dates, flight numbers, cities, hotels and the full amount; a deposit at booking and the balance on arrival, or whatever you agree in writing. Do not transfer the full amount in advance to someone whose company you cannot identify. And if the pricing is built on a clear daily rule, do the arithmetic yourself before transferring; the numbers are broken down in How Much Does an Arabic Driver in Georgia Cost.
What goes wrong without a driver
The most common mistake is ordering the days without understanding the distances: booking the Kazbegi day and then transferring to Batumi the next morning, which puts the traveller in a car for ten hours on two consecutive days. The second mistake is relying on apps for a mountain day, ending up with a car that will not climb or will not wait. The third is parking and speeding fines that self-drivers never notice until later. Travellers who want the highest level of flexibility and a properly arranged welcome will find it in Georgia VIP Tour 7 Days.
Frequently asked questions
Does the driver speak fluent Arabic?
Yes. Everything related to the trip is handled in Arabic: the route, timing, restaurants, hotels and shopping. If someone in your group prefers English, tell us before arrival and we will arrange it.
Does the price include fuel and parking?
Yes. The rule of 200 USD per day for two people covers the car with the driver and the hotel, and fuel and parking are on the company. Entrance tickets and meals sit outside that amount.
Can the programme be changed during the trip?
Yes, within reason. Swapping two days, replacing one excursion with another, or starting later are all arranged directly with the driver. Changes that affect hotel bookings need advance coordination.
Does the same driver stay for all the days?
That is the default, because after day one he knows your group's habits: the children's schedule, food preferences, the rhythm of the day. Any exception is communicated in advance.
Do I need a driver if my trip is only inside Tbilisi?
If you are staying in the centre and never leaving it, apps may be enough. But any day outside the capital — Mtskheta, Kakheti, Borjomi, Kazbegi — needs a private car that waits for you.
Does this work for large families?
Yes, but the vehicle size changes with the number of people and suitcases. Send the number of adults and children with their ages on WhatsApp and we will specify the right vehicle.
Ten questions to ask before you pay
Use this list with any company, ours included. One that answers all ten clearly deserves your trust; one that dodges three of them does not:
1. Does the final price include fuel, parking and road tolls?
2. How many hours is a service day, and what does an extra hour cost?
3. Exactly which car: model, year, seats, luggage space?
4. Does the driver really speak Arabic? May I hear a voice note?
5. Can the route be changed during the trip, and at what cost?
6. What is the cancellation policy, and is there a penalty?
7. Is there a daily distance limit?
8. How is payment made, in what currency, and when?
9. Are child seats available, and at extra cost?
10. Is there an emergency number staffed 24 hours?
Red flags: when to walk away
Each of these preceded a real complaint we have heard from travellers who came to us after a bad experience. Refusing to give a final price. Changing the vehicle after payment. Pressure to pay in full up front with no written cancellation policy. Asking for extra money mid-trip that was never agreed. Repeated reviews mentioning lateness, rudeness or changing prices.
The difference in price is never worth a bad experience with your family in a foreign country.
A ready template: copy and send it
The commonest cause of disputes is an unwritten verbal agreement. Send this, fill in the brackets, and keep the reply:
Hello,
We are planning a trip to Georgia from (date) to (date).
Passengers: (X) adults and (Y) children aged (…).
Luggage: (…).
We would like a private car with an Arabic speaking driver for:
— airport pick-up to the hotel;
— a full day Tbilisi – Kazbegi – Tbilisi;
— a full day Tbilisi – Borjomi – Tbilisi;
— a transfer Tbilisi – Batumi with stops.
Please state the vehicle, the final price per day, exactly what it includes, and the cancellation policy.
Thank you.
Then, before paying, summarise the agreement in one message and ask for it to be confirmed word for word. That single message prevents nine tenths of the problems.
A driver alone, or an all-inclusive package?
Many travellers compare the price of a driver alone with our daily package and conclude we are more expensive. The comparison is unfair because it compares two different things.
Arranged separately, approximately: a private car with a driver at 100 to 160 USD a day depending on vehicle and route, and a suitable family hotel at 70 to 120 USD a night. That is 170 to 280 USD a day, with all the coordination on you.
With our package: 200 USD a day for two people, including car, Arabic speaking driver and hotel, with a written day-by-day programme and one final price that does not move.
This is not a claim to always be cheapest — it is an invitation to compare the number against what it covers, not the number alone.
Book your Arabic-speaking driver
Send us your travel dates, the number of travellers and the cities you want, and we will send back a written day-by-day programme with the final price based on the daily rule. To book or ask a question on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/995550000663