Caucasus Tour: Az, Geo, Am10 days | Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia

Arrival in Baku. You will be met by our driver and transferred to hotel. Check-in at noon. Start sightseeing tour in Baku. Visit Martyrs Lane, known as ‘Shehidler Khiyabany’ among locals. When you walk through the Alley of the Martyrs, you will find a beautiful view overlooking Baku’s coastline. Move to Icheri Sheher, the old part of the city. Visit Shirvan Shahs’ Palace, Caravanserai, Maiden Tower, and the main market square, which has numerous art studios and souvenir stalls. Continue touring new Baku by exploring Nizami Street and Fountain Square. An excellent round-up to the city tour will be visit to the iconic Heydar Aliyev center. In the evening enjoy welcome dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel.

Today you will visit the area of the Greater Baku and Absheron peninsula. The first stop is at Yanardag Mountain, where natural gas has been burning for hundreds of years. Continue to Ateshgah, a temple for fire worshippers located in the village of Surakhany. Zoroastrians from India travel thousands of kilometers to Ateshgah to worship the fire coming out of the earth.
After lunch, drive to Gobustan National Park. Pay a visit to the Petroglyphs Museum and explore petroglyphs dating back to 10,000 BC. Weather permitting, drive to mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve (possible change of vehicle). Gobustan is home to almost half of the world’s mud volcanoes. Return to Baku. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, depart Baku and drive to Sheki. On the way, stop at Diri Baba Mausoleum in the village of Maraza. Continue to Shamakhi to visit the historical Juma Mosque, which was restored in 2013. Visit Yeddi Gumbez Mausoleum, the Shirvan Shah's family graveyard. Weather permitting, drive through Girdimanchay River Canyon to visit Lahich, the 5th century, quaint corner high in Caucasus mountains with its rich history and beautiful architecture. Lahich is an ancient village with charming, cobbled sidewalks famous for numerous traditional handicraft workshops (jewelry, copperware, wool carpets, pottery, daggers, and iron tools). Continue driving to Sheki, the pleasant and easily walkable medieval town set in a lush mountainous area. Sheki is especially known for local style sweet baklava. On the way, visit the first Albanian church in Caucasus in the village Kish dating back to the 1st century AD. Arrival in Sheki, overnight at the hotel.

Check out from the hotel and start new day visiting the colorful Sheki Bazaar. You can find virtually everything you may want to eat: local fruits and berries, spices, freshly baked bread, honey, cheeses, and Sheki sweets. Continue to Sheki Khans Palace surrounded by medieval fortress walls. Visit handicrafts workshop and Caravanserai. Depart Sheki and head towards border with Georgia (115 km, ~2 h.). At the border, you will say goodbye to your guide, go through border formalities, and cross the neutral territory on foot (500 m). After exiting Georgian border control point you will meet your Georgian guide and start exploring the Eastern part of Georgia famous for its viticulture and winemaking traditions. We will pass through the beautiful landscapes of vineyards and wine-producing villages. Enjoy a traditional lunch in a Georgian family. The next stop will be at unique wine cellar “Khareba” located in the tunnel carved out of the rock. Originally built for military purposes, today the tunnel is used to store Kakheti’s finest wines. Wine tour and wine tasting. Continue to Gremi architectural complex, 16th century royal residence and the capital of Kakheti Kingdom. Then reach Telavi, administrative center of Kakheti region. Have a short drive around the town. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, continue exploring Kakheti by visiting Tsinandali, residence of dukes of Georgia, with beautiful English garden, museum, and wine cellar which belonged to prince Chavchavadze, public figure and poet of 19th century. Continue to Bodbe Convent and Sighnaghi Royal Town, one of the crossroads of the Great Silk Road surrounded by defensive walls with 23 towers. In the afternoon, head to Tbilisi for overnight.

After breakfast, drive to Mtskheta, one of the oldest towns and the cultural and religious centre of Georgia, UNESCO site. Visit Jvari Church, a true architectural masterpiece of the early Medieval Period overlooking the confluence of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers from the top of the hill, and Svetitskhoveli, the main cathedral of Mtskheta and a sacred place where the robe of Christ is being kept.
Return to Tbilisi for sightseeing tour. Visit monument to Vakhtang Gorgasali, the legendary founder of Tbilisi. Take cable car to Narikala Fortress to enjoy breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Walk down to the district of Sulphur bath houses passing by the only mosque in Tbilisi. Stroll through the Sharden area full of narrow streets with cozy cafés, wine tasting bars, souvenir shops, and breathe in the living past. Visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the clock tower of famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre and cross the Bridge of Peace to Rike Park. In the evening, visit a local restaurant to taste dishes of traditional Georgian cuisine. Overnight in Tbilisi.

At 09:00, our driver will meet you at your hotel in Tbilisi and transfer to “Sadakhlo-Bagratashen” Georgian-Armenian border point. Cross the border, meet your Armenian guide and driver, and start the journey to the land of ancient traditions and oldest temples.
Drive to Lori region and visit UNESCO World Heritage Site Haghpat monastery. Stunning example of Armenian traditional architecture was erected in 10-13th centuries. Standing on a hillside, Haghpat beautifully overlooks Debed River. Location of monastery was chosen to protect peace and seclusion of its monks. Drive through Dilijan and to Lake Sevan, “The Jewel of Armenia” and one of the largest high-mountainous freshwater lakes in the world. The coastline of Lake Sevan is rich with thick woods, white bare steep rocks, mountain steppes and Alpine meadows. Stop at Sevanavank to visit the remnants of the monastery that include two temples – Surb Arakelots and Surb Karapet, standing among numerous khachkars. The buildings were constructed from black tuff which probably gave the monastery its name Sevanavank – “the Black Monastery”. The view from there is simply magnificent: the mountains surround lake from all sides and snow tops are seen almost on the entire perimeter and disappear behind horizon. Continue to Yerevan for overnight.

One of the oldest cities of the world, Yerevan is famous as a pink city and calls visitors with its humble and at the same time splendid landscapes. Start city tour visiting the Cascade Monument, one of the main symbols of the city. The mega scale staircase is 118 meters high and has 572 steps. A panoramic view from the monument opens breathtaking city view with Opera House, Mount Ararat, Swan Lake, Republic Square, and Abovyan Avenue, which you will also walk by during the tour. If it is a weekend, visit Vernissage, the biggest souvenir market in Yerevan. Continue to the Armenian Genocide memorial complex on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd. An excellent round-up of the tour will be a visit to the Megeryan carpet factory where you can observe a process of creating famous Armenian rugs. You will see carpets from different regions of Armenia and find out about hidden meanings of elements used in their design. In the evening, enjoy dinner and traditional folklore show. Overnight at hotel.

Depart Yerevan and drive to Garni, one of the major villages in Armenia famous for its fortress. The fortress is the only pagan sacred place from the 1st century that survived aggressive introduction of Christianity in the 4th century. Next stop is at the monastery complex Geghard (“spear”). A beautiful landscape of Geghard is framed with towering cliffs. Decorative art cut into rocks reflect and explain Medieval Ages development throughout the region. The complex was introduced to the history in the 4th century as a sacred spring inside a cave. Continue to the Holy See of Armenia, Etchmiadzin. Visit Etchmiadzin Cathedral* which is the residence of the head of Armenian Apostolic Church the Catholicos of All Armenians. Return to Yerevan for hotel.
*The site is currently under conservation works. Observation of the Cathedral is possible from the outside.

Check-out from hotel till noon. Free time till transfer to Yerevan International Airport. Departure. End of Caucasus Tour.

Economy:
Sheki Palace / Sheki Saray / MinAli Boutique Hotel / Ruma Qala
Comfort:
Sheki Palace / Sheki Saray / MinAli Boutique Hotel / Ruma Qala
Lux:
Sheki Palace / Sheki Saray / MinAli Boutique Hotel / Ruma Qala

Economy:
Telavi Inn / Wine Hotel Telavi / Alazani Valley
Comfort:
Holiday Inn Telavi / Savaneti / Chateau Mere / Hotel & Wine Cellar ARGE
Lux:
Akhasheni Wine Resort & Spa / Schuchmann Hotel / Esquisse Hotel Telavi

Economy:
Kopala / Ramada By Wyndham Tbilisi Old City / Stay Boutique Hotel / Tiflis / Brigitte / Zeg
Comfort:
River Side / Ibis Styles / New Tiflis
Lux:
Ambassadori / Tiflis Palace / Wyndham Grand / Rooms Hotel

Economy:
Cascade / President by Hrazdan Hotel CJSC / Silk Road Boutique / Ani Central Inn or similar
Comfort:
Ramada / Opera Suite / Ani Grand / Aviatrans
Lux:
Tufenkian Historic / DoubleTree by Hilton Yerevan / Holiday Inn Republic Square