Transport

This trip includes some long travel days and some rough travelling in areas away from main tourist routes. Windy roads and rough surfaces make for some challenging travel experiences. On some long travel days we depart early in the morning to ensure we optimize our time at our next destination. If you experience travel sickness we recommend you consider medication to help ease the discomfort. Private Vehicle

Hygieneprotocol

All Intrepid travellers 18 years and older and Intrepid leaders will be required to be fully vaccinated. Travellers must provide proof of vaccination to the leader at the group meeting on day 1 of the trip. All children 5 and above must provide proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative COVID-19 test. Any high-risk customer who is unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons can apply for an exemption. Exemptions will be assessed on a case by case basis. Customers must provide a medical certificate from a medical professional.

Accommodation

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we’re arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn’t always possible which means we won’t be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available. Comfortable Hotel (13 nights), Feature Stay (2 night)

Others

Baku - Welcome Dinner at Local Restaurant Complimentary Arrival Transfer Baku - Palace of the Shirvanshahs Baku - Walking Tour with Local Guide Qobustan - Petroglyphs Qobustan - Half Day Trip Gobustan National Park Visit Sheki - Khan’s Palace Sheki - Stained Glass Workshop Visit Shamakhi - Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum & Juma Mosque Kakheti - Lunch and Wine Tasting with a Local Family Kakheti - Georgian Polyphonic Singing Pankisi Valley tour and lunch Gremi Archangels’ Complex visit Telavi - Market Tour with Tastings Tbilisi - Market Visit Tbilisi - Narikala Fortress & Cable Car Tserovani - Visit to Ikorta & Mtskheta-Mtianeti Regional Hub Meskheti - Khertvisi Fortress Vardzia - Cave Town Visit with Local Guide Gori - Stalin Museum Stepantsminda - Gergeti Trinity Church Haghpat - Haghpat Monastery Geghard - Geghard Monastery Lake Sevan - Sevanavank Monastery Garni - Temple Visit & Duduk Performance Yerevan - City Tour with Local Guide Yerevan - Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex

Meals

15 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners

Guide

All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Premium leaders are Intrepid’s most experienced, with in-depth knowledge and extensive local networks to make it a trip of a lifetime. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. When not already included in your trip, your leader will be able to recommend a local guide service who can share more detailed or specialised information at specific sites should you be interested in delving deeper.

Not included:

Optional

Optional experiences are available on this tour for an additional cost and will be provided to you with your finalised travel documents. Please contact our team of Travel Experts for more information.

Insurance

Insurance is not included. Please make sure you are adequately covered. TourRadar has partnered up with XCover so that you can travel with peace of mind. You can add TourRadar Travel Protection on the booking page for your tour.

Others

Departure transfer Entrance fees Pre and post-tour accommodation Tipping Other meals, snacks and drinks

Flights

As we have travellers from all over the world, flights before and after the tour are not included in the tour price and you need to arrange these separately by yourself once your tour is guaranteed. As we specialise in organising the best tours around the world for you, we are unable to advise on flight prices or book flights on your behalf. We recommend that you do not book your flights until your place on the tour has been confirmed.

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Baku
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Baku

Salam eleykim! Welcome to Azerbaijan. When you arrive at Baku Airport, you’ll be met by a representative and transferred to your hotel. Baku is where ancient fortified buildings stand next to Russian imperial-style squares and ultra-modern architectural wonders. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight, where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. If you arrive with time to spare, maybe walk down Nizami Street and observe its Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance architecture. After your meeting, head out for a local dinner with your new companions.
Day 2 Day 2: Baku
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Baku

This morning, embark on a tour of the city with a local guide. Visit the fortified Old City, once the Medieval capital, where your guide will weave together the history of Baku, from the rule of the Shirvanshahs to the cosmopolitan city you see today. Stop by the Shemakha Gate, Maiden Tower (visit optional), Old Market Square and end with a guided tour of the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Be sure to bring your camera as there will be some panoramic views of Baku’s varied skyline. The rest of the day is free to explore at your own pace.
Day 3 Day 3: Baky
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Baky

This morning, head out of the city on a half day trip to Qobustan, about 60 km south of Baku. Stop off along the way to view old oil rigs and learn how Azerbaijan was one of the birthplaces of the oil industry. Visit Qobustan National Park and one of the world’s largest open-air archaeological museums, where a local guide will share the stories of ancient rock art dating back some 40,000 years. The prehistoric carvings depict scenes of hunting, fishing and gathering. Return to Baku in the afternoon for free time. Maybe visit one of Baku’s most significant modern landmarks – the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid. This evening, you might like to take a walk along the waterfront to find a restaurant for dinner, keeping an eye out for the Baku Eye and Flame Towers that light up the city skyline at night.
Day 4 Day 4: Sheki
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Sheki

Leave Baku and head for the Caucasus Mountains in the northwest of Azerbaijan. Watch arid landscapes slowly give way to densely forested mountains. Along the way, you’ll stop at the Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum and the Juma Mosque in Shamakhi. When you arrive in Sheki, visit a local craft workshop where the famous shebeke (stained-glass windows with intricately carved frames) are made by hand. You’ll also visit the acclaimed Palace of Shaki Khans to see its magnificent frescoes and stained glass. Enjoy a final evening of Azerbaijani cuisine during an included dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 5 Day 5: Telavi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Telavi

Have breakfast at the hotel before driving to Lagodekhi – a town at the Azerbaijan–Georgia border where you’ll change transportation. From here, travel to Georgia’s Kakheti region, known for its winemaking. Stop for lunch in Sighnaghi, one of Georgia’s most stunning towns. Overlooking the Al-Azani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains, it’ll be a meal with a view you won’t soon forget. After, travel to you accommodation in Telavi. Your hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, as well as its own cellar showcasing wines produced by women winemakers. Have dinner with a local wine making family, which includes delicious homemade cuisine, wine and chacha (a local brandy). There will also be time to listen to unique Georgian polyphonic songs – a traditional style of music prevalent in the Kakheti region.
Day 6 Day 6: Telavi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Telavi

Enjoy a relaxing start to your morning, and then get a taste of local life during a visit to the Telavi Food Market. Wander the stalls and feast your senses on the region’s delicacies – there are specialty cheeses, wines and sweets to try! Head out of town toward the Gremi Complex, a 15th century fortress city. Explore the well-preserved church, bell tower and secret passages leading to the Intsobi river. After, drive to the Pankisi Valley. Inhabited mainly by the Muslim Kist community, you’ll take a cultural walking tour of the valley that employs local Kists to develop their skills and earn an income. Enjoy lunch in the valley, and then return to your accommodation for a free evening.
Day 7 Day 7: Tbilisi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Tbilisi

Following breakfast, drive to Tbilisi. Check into your Feature Stay hotel, a historical building once owned by a noble family. It has played host to aristocrats, famous writers and public figures, and also overlooks Georgia’s presidential palace. You’re free to explore Tbilisi at your own pace when you arrive, so you might like to wander the old districts of Georgia’s capital to see the colourful houses, patterned balconies and revamped modern architecture. Your leader will always have some great restaurant recommendations ready for dinner.
Day 8 Day 8: Tbilisi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Tbilisi

This morning you’ll head out on a walking tour with a local guide, which includes the 13th-century Metekhi Church and amazing views over old Tbilisi. Take a cable car to the ancient Narikala Fortress – a former Persian citadel with a history stretching back to the 4th century. Here, your guide will share the layered history of the fortress while you take in sweeping views across Tbilisi. Then make your way to a historic part of the city where you’ll learn a little more about Tbilisi’s past. The name translates to ‘warm place,’ which is thought to be after the bubbling hot springs the city was built around. This afternoon, maybe visit one of the local bathhouses for a dip.
Day 9 Day 9: Akhaltsikhe
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Akhaltsikhe

Today, you’ll visit Mtskheta – the ancient capital and religious centre of Georgia. Visit World Heritage-listed sites with your local guide as they share fascinating histories. After, visit the Tserovani Refugee Settlement – home to 8000 people displaced by the 2008 conflict between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia over South Ossetia. While here you’ll visit an enamel jewellery workshop run by a social enterprise offering training and employment to displaced youth and women within the settlement. Meet the artists whose pieces tell the story of Georgia, and with their guidance, maybe even design a piece for yourself. Have a light lunch, then tour the settlement to learn about the issues surrounding long-term displacement faced by thousands of Georgia’s citizens. In the afternoon, drive to Akhaltsikhe. Sitting in Georgia’s southwest, the town has long been known for its multiculturalism, which is reflected in its variety of architecture and monuments.
Day 10 Day 10: Akhaltsikhe
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Akhaltsikhe

Today, drive to the once mighty cave city of Vardzia, with a stop along the way at the 10th-century Khertvisi Fortress. Vardzia stretches over half a kilometre along the river Mtkvari and has 19 tiers of winding cobbled streets. There is a church hewn out in rock with 12th-century frescos and the complex also includes dwelling quarters, small hall-type churches, refectories and wine cellars. Tour the site with a local guide who will provide historical context and explain the rise and fall of the city, which now serves as a working monastery. Head back to Akhaltsikhe in the afternoon, where you’ll have to time to visit the Rabati Fortress. Boasting multiple watchtowers, gardens and places of worship, your leader can help to arrange a local guide to help you see it all. Alternatively, return to your accommodation for a restful evening.
Day 11 Day 11: Gudauri
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Gudauri

In the morning you’ll visit Gori – the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. Your leader will take you on a city tour before you visit the Stalin Museum. See the sites of Gori, including The Memorial of Georgian War Heroes and Gori Fortress, and delve into its artistic side to see traditional ornamental mosaics. After, drive the renowned Georgian Military Highway, which eventually leads to the Georgia–Russia border. On the way, you’ll visit the Ananuri architectural complex – two churches and a fortress that overlooks the Zhinvali water reservoir. Your leader will explain how the carvings on the churches are some of the best surviving examples of Georgian art. Take a scenic drive through the Caucasus Mountains and arrive at your hotel in Gudauri, where you’ll have dinner with the group.
Day 12 Day 12: Gudauri
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Gudauri

Enjoy a scenic drive from Gudauri along the Tergi River before arriving in Stepantsminda. From here, head into the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, hop in 4WDs and take the mountain road to Gergeti Trinity Church, 2170 m above sea level. Weather depending, you may catch a glimpse of Mt Kazbegi. On the way back to Gudauri, stop at the small village of Sno to explore the local version of Easter Island – a park with half a dozen massive stone heads representing famous figures of Georgian history. Return to Gudauri this afternoon for some free time – the perfect opportunity to enjoy the mountain air and views. Your hotel has many facilities, including a wellness centre.
Day 13 Day 13: Dzoraget
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 13: Dzoraget

Have breakfast in Gudauri before driving to Sadakhlo – a village at the Georgia–Armenia border. On the way to the border, stop in Tbilisi to break the journey and have lunch. Continue to Armenia and after completing all the formalities, begin the Armenian leg of your adventure with a visit to Haghpat Monastery, listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Haghpat stands as an example of one of the most outstanding works of medieval Armenian architecture and your leader will give you an introduction to the country’s history and design. Continue to Dzoraget, where you’ll spend the night surrounded by views of the Debed River.
Day 14 Day 14: Yerevan
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 14: Yerevan

After breakfast, you’ll meet your Armenian driver and local guide and drive to the reflective waters of Lake Sevan, nicknamed ‘The Pearl of Armenia’. Sevan is one of the largest fresh-water high-altitude lakes in the world. Visit Sevanavank Monastery, which overlooks the water on the Peninsula. Move on to the village of Garni to visit the first century Garni Temple, where your guide will explain how it was built by the Armenian King Tiridates and dedicated to Mithra, the God of the Sun. Be treated to a special local performance in the temple and hear the sounds of the Duduk – a flute-like instrument originating in Armenia and currently listed on the UNESCO in-tangible Cultural Heritage List. Travel northeast of Garni, higher up the gorge of the Azat River, to the magnificent Geghard Monastery. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed site is partly carved out of a mountain and surrounded by cliffs. In the afternoon, drive to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, where you’ll spend the next two evenings.
Day 15 Day 15: Yerevan
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 15: Yerevan

This morning your local guide will introduce you to the sights and sounds of Yerevan on a tour of the city. Established in 782 BC, Armenia’s capital is one of the oldest cities in the world. Nowadays, the city’s liveliness comes from its ancient culture mixed with a modern lifestyle. Visit the Armenian Genocide Museum to learn the tragic history of this region, then the afternoon is free for reflection or further exploration. Tonight, join your group for a final dinner at a local restaurant. Armenian cuisine is built on a foundation of fresh local produce and meat. Maybe try some khorovats (a barbecued kebab) or spas (a refreshing yoghurt soup).
Day 16 Day 16: Yerevan
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 16: Yerevan

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you would like to spend some more time in Yerevan, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time to organise additional accommodation.

+13

16 days tour

Premium Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Premium Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia

Day 1: Baku

Day 2: Baku

Day 3: Baky

Day 4: Sheki

Day 5: Telavi

Day 6: Telavi

Day 7: Tbilisi

Day 8: Tbilisi

Day 9: Akhaltsikhe

Day 10: Akhaltsikhe

Day 11: Gudauri

Day 12: Gudauri

Day 13: Dzoraget

Day 14: Yerevan

Day 15: Yerevan

Day 16: Yerevan

Experience Style

Accomodation level

Experience Type

Physical Rating

Age range

Who talk about us:

Best cities to travel to

America

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania