Day 1: Departure for Baku/Absheron Peninsula/Baku
After arrival in Baku, meet in the airport and transfer to take a tour to Ateshga Fire Temple.
Later drive to Baku and arrive at your hotel.
At our dinner we’ll taste traditional Azeri dishes and their famous Baklava sweets.
Day 2: Baku/Gobustan/Baku/Train to Tbilisi
Today we have Baku sightseeing tour.
Visit Memory Alley – “Shehidler Khiyabany”, from where you can have a great panoramic view of Baku city. Continue touring new Baku and exploring architecture of XIX- XX centuries: Nizami Street, Fountain Square, Nizami Ganjavi monument, Rasul-Zade Street. In the old town we Maiden Tower, Shirvan Shah’s Palace, Caravanserai and market square with numerous art studios and souvenir stalls. An excellent round-up to the city tour will be visit to the richest bank of Azeri carpets – National Carpets Museum.
In the afternoon take a short tour to cave museum of Gobustan with ancient petroglyphs, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the evening we take an overnight train to Tbilisi, Georgia.
Day 3: Tbilisi
Meet at Tbilisi Central – railway station and transfer to the city center to take a tour around Tbilisi.
Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia is an elegant mixture of eastern and western cultures. Venture out in the old winding streets to explore this exotic city and later indulge yourself to sit in the small cozy café and enjoy the picturesque views over the old town. The tour will take you from the century old churches to the amazing panoramic views and famous bath district which attracted lots of people during the centuries.
Day 4: Tbilisi/Mtskheta/Uplistsikhe/Tbilisi
Today you’ll visit Mtskheta – the ancient capital of Georgia and see UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century). Svetitskhoveli is known as the church where the part of Jesus’ Robe is buried and is the holiest church in Georgia.
We have a lunch at a local winery with home-made dishes and wine. Try Georgian cheese-bread Khachapuri and delicious eggplants with walnut-sauce.
Continue to Gori. Photo stop at the Museum of Stalin. Transfer to Uplistsikhe Cave Town and enjoy a cave walk. The town is dug in the sun-stone plateau and is of beautiful golden color. Initially there had been more than 500 caves, but during the existence of 3000 years it has lost much of it. Return to Tbilisi.
Day 5: Tbilisi/Kazbegi/Tbilisi
Travel to the Great Caucasus Mountains along the Georgian Military Highway.
Stop to see Ananuri Fort with beautiful Churches located at the lee of the Great Caucasus Mountains and on top of Jinvali Water Reservoir. The setting is really magnificent and the carving of the church an unexpected discovery.
Continue over the serpentine road of the Cross Pass so named by Russian Emperor Catherine II. The Cross Pass is also the watershed and rivers on the other side of the Cross Pass flow to Russia. You descend from 2395m – the highest point of the Cross Pass to 1700m, Kazbegi.
Lunch will be served at a local family where we can participate in making local dish – Khinkali, dumplings staffed with minced meat.
You can take a leisure 3hr round-trip walk to Gergeti Trinity Church and enjoy crystal clear air or hire a local 4WD to drive up the church. The walk is magnificent and offers passing the meadows and the tiny forests, but if you prefer to relax, you’d better take a 4WD tour. The views from the top are fabulous and the church is definitely worth visiting.
In a clear weather, lucky enough, we’ll see Mt. Kazbegi – the ice-peak, glacier that never melts.
After the tour we return to Tbilisi.
Day 6: Tbilisi/Georgia-Armenia border/Dilijan/Sevan/Yerevan
In the morning we head to Georgia-Armenia border Sadakhlo and after border formalities continue our tour to Armenia.
Visit charming hill-town of Dilijan with old Abovyan street. Dilijan is referred as Switzerland of Armenia. Continue to the world’s second largest fresh water lake Sevan.
In the late afternoon arrive in Yerevan.
Day 7: Yerevan/Echmiadzin/Yerevan
Today we explore the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Visit Republic Square and Cascade, an open-air museum of modern art with massive stairways leading up to the Victory Park providing a fantastic overlook to the entire downtown from above. Take a chance to visit Opera House which enchants the visitors by its beauty. Freedom Square is behind it, surrounded by parks which have been taken over by outdoor cafes, and finally Swan Lake. In the afternoon visit Brandy Factory and taste famous Armenian brandy.
In the afternoon discover Echmiadzin home of the mother cathedral.
At our dinner we’ll have traditional Armenian dishes including Tolma, minced meat rolled in grape leaves.
Day 8: Yerevan/Garni/Geghard/Yerevan
Drive to Kotayk province to explore Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery.
The “Symphony of Stones” – this is Garni, dating back to the 1st century AD and it’s the only pagan temple that remained after the adoption of Christianity.
We have a chance to observe local “Lavash” bread baking at underground bakery called “Tonir”.
Continue to the strategically located Geghard Monastery – UNESCO World Heritage Site and beautiful stone artwork. Return to Yerevan.
Day 9: Departure
Transfer to the airport and departure.
