"SHORT CAUCASUS" - (Aze+Geo+Arm)

Combined group tour to two South Caucasus countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. You start the journey from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Sheki and continue the way to Georgia, visiting Sighnaghi, Bodbe, Tbilisi, Mtskheta. After that continue tour to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Three highly-qualified and friendly guides will work for you. They will take you to the most remarkable historical and architectural monuments, UNESCO World Heritage Sights, special highlights, they will help you to choose delicious food and finest wines. Get acquainted with two different cultures, see diversity of the traditions and visit the most unique and spectacular sights of these countries. The group is “Guaranteed to Run” after two people book the tour.

ACCOMMODATION: 7 Nights/ 8 Days

2 Nights in Baku , 1 Night at the train Baku-Tbilisi, 2 Nights in Tbilisi, 2 Nights in Yerevan

TOUR PROGRAM:

DAY 1. Welcome to Baku

Arrival to Baku. Transfer to hotel and check in. (Overnight in Baku).
Meals included: None

DAY 2. Baku city tour

Breakfast at the hotel.
Baku city tour:
Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress” – is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country and even of the Middle East. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. The Maiden Tower (the 12th century) and the Shirvanshah palace (the 13th-16th century) are well-known historical monuments also locate in Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments of Icheri Sheher: mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths. There are a lot of souvenir shops where you can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets.
Walking down to Nizami Street (old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques), Fountain Square, shopping center “Park Boulevard”, etc. Baku Boulevard is the second largest one in Europe where tourists can get a boat to make a trip along Baku Bay and to be introduced to the interesting facts and legends of the largest lake in the world better known as Caspian Sea.
Baku panorama viewing from the Upland Park, and have the opportunity to have a look at Baku hotel complex «Flame Towers Baku» – a new business card of the city (Overnight in Baku).
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

DAY 3. Gobustan – Ateshgah - Yanardag (approx. 90km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out from the hotel
Tour to Gobustan - the national museum in the open air, the rarest monument of the world culture included into the UNESCO heritage list, one of the first centers of human civilization. Ancient images on the walls and caves, rocks and boulders. Their story covers the Upper Paleolithic period until the Middle Ages. There are located the remains of the great prehistoric cromlech (a circular composition of vertical stones, Azerbaijani analogue of Stonehenge). There are approximately 6000 drawings in Gobustan – petroglyphs describing people and animals. Visiting Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Museum equipped with innovative technology, touch screens provided with special multimedia programs, educational and entertaining games, interactive displays, 3D video, etc.
Visiting Mud Volcanos. Azerbaijan is the first in the world by the number of mud volcanoes. 350 out of 800 mud volcanoes in the world are located here! The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan occupied the 5th place in the international contest of “Seven natural Wonders”, and on September 15, 2004 the largest mud volcano of the world located in Azerbaijan was registered in the Guinness Book of Records.
Visiting an ancient Zoroastrian temple of flame – Ateshgah. The temple ages back to the 17-18th centuries and was built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community in Baku.
Visiting Yanardag (literary “burning mountain”) to observe natural burning flame outlets at the surface.
Transfer to Baku.
20:00 Transfer to Tbilisi by train. Night at the train.
Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 4. Tbilisi city tour

10:00 morning Arrival at Tbilisi.
Tbilisi city tour : Holy Trinity Cathedral ‘Sameba’, which is the main Christian Orthodox cathedral in Georgia. Continue onwards to see the Metekhi Church of Assumption which rests upon the top of the hill. The church was built by the Georgian King St Demetrius II between 1278-1284.
Abanotubani –(Literally “bath district”) , there we will see one of sights of the old city – the well-known Sulfuric Baths which were reflected in Marco Polo, A. S. Pushkin and Alexandre Dumas's memoirs .
Fortress “Narikla” –moving up by the ropeway
Legvtakhevi – beautiful pedestrian street with little waterfall.
Continuing the tour, you will visit Shardeni Street and Meidan Square, which are known for their outdoor cafes, galleries and souvenir shops where you can enjoy a refreshing drink before continuing on to Rustaveli Avenue. The avenue starts at Freedom Square and extends for about 1.5 kms. Rustaveli is often considered the main thoroughfare of Tbilisi due to the large number of governmental, public, cultural, and business buildings located along and near the avenue.
Next travel on the Tbilisi Funicular to Mtatsminda Park, which is located at the top of Mount Mtatsminda and overlooks the city. The park has carousels, water slides, a roller-coaster, funicular and a big Ferris Wheel at the edge of the mountain which offers splendid views.
14:00 Check in at the hotel. Free time to rest.
15:00 Excursion in the former capital city of Mtskheta, being the religious center of Georgia. visiting its UNESCO Heritage monuments , which are in the UNESCO Heritage list.
Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities of Georgia (in Kartli province of Eastern Georgia), near Tbilisi.
Mtskheta was a capital of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC - 5th century AD. Here Georgians become converted to Christianity in 317 and Mtskheta still remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.
Jvari Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery of the 6th century near Mtskheta (World Heritage site), Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, eastern Georgia. The name is translated as the Monastery of the Cross. For another, Jerusalem-located Georgian monastery with the same name.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, built in the 11 th century. Though the site itself is even older dating back to the early 4th century and is surrounded by a number of legends associated primarily with the early Christian traditions. Svetitskhoveli, known as the burial site of Christ's mantle, has long been the principal Georgian church and remains one of the most venerated places of worship to this day. The church counts UNESCO world heritage sites.
Departure to Tbilisi (Overnight in Tbilisi).
Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 5. Tbilisi - Bodbe - Signaghi - Tbilisi (approx. 250km)

Breakfast
Departure to region Kakheti .
Visit Monastery Bodbe – The monastery now functions as a nunnery and is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Georgia, due to its association with St. Nino, the 4th century female evangelist who preached Christianity in Georgia.
Visit Town Sighnaghi- “the city of Love” one of the most beautiful and oldest town in Georgia, which is located on the east part of Georgia. Walls of Sighnaghi fortress miraculously survived and now surround the old part of the city. The wall has 28watchtowers, with a magnificent view over Alazani Valley and Caucasian mountains.
Visit a Farmer’s house to see a unique wine-cellar. We will taste several sort of Georgian homemade wine and chacha(vodka). Enjoy your lunch with homemade delicious food and wine . The housewife will cook for us delicious Georgian traditional cuisine and you also will have a chance to participate in cooking process_master classes on making Churchkhela and baking Georgian bread “Shoti”. Host will explain a wine making technology, which is the one of the oldest in the world.
Departure to Tbilisi (Overnight in Tbilisi).
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 6. Sadakhlo – Bagratashen – Dilijan – Sevan - Yerevan

After breakfast at the hotel, say good bye to the fairy tale city of Tbilisi and drive Georgia – Armenia border Sadakhlo, fulfill border crossing formalities and start an unforgettable tour in Armenia. A pleasant drive accompanied with luxurious nature will take us to Dilijan to enjoy the 19th century appearance of the town. This wonderfully forested region is rich in mineral waters. Some of them are compared with Wichi in France and Davos in Switzerland. Dilijan is “the Switzerland of Armenia.” On the way to Dilijan pay a visit to Haghartsin Monastery, situated near the densely forested region of Dilijan. Then we will have a short walk along the azure Lake Sevan. Lake Sevan has a unique combination of great size, high mountain location, and comparatively “soft water”. Lake Sevan is one of the greatest freshwater high-mountain lakes of Eurasia. It is located at about 2000 meters above the sea level. We will then explore the summer residence of the Favorite Armenian King Ashot the Iron (Ashot Erkat) – Sevanavank Monastery (9th century). (Overnight in Yerevan.)

DAY 7. City tour - Garni – Geghard – Yerevan

After breakfast at the hotel, we will have a city tour in the pink city of Yerevan.
We will start walking in the most pleasant Republic Square with Government buildings, History Museum and Marriott Hotel surrounding it. We will appear in the richest avenue in Yerevan – the Northern Avenue with many brand shops, luxurious cafes and restaurants.
Our next stop – the Opera and Ballet House and the Swan Lake – face the Northern Avenue.
Walking around Cascade Monument. Later we will taste the legendary Armenian cognac in the Yerevan Brandy Factory to learn the history and techniques of cognac production in the homeland of cognac. We will then explore the top tourist attractions of Armenia: Garni Temple (a pagan temple built in 1st century, the only survival of the Hellenic epoch in the whole territory of the Caucasus). We can also watch the process of “lavash” baking in the traditional underground oven “tonir”.
Then we visit to the Monastery of Geghard (UNESCO). The monastery was first recorded in a document of 1250. Geghard is famous due to the relics, among which the most important one is the spear which had wounded Christ on the Cross presumably brought there by the Apostle Thaddeus. Transfer to Yerevan. (Overnight in Yerevan.)

8 DAY. Transfer to the Airport

After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to airport.

THE PRICE FOR ONE PERSON IN DBL/TWIN ROOM

Room type	Double	Single
2 Pax
4 Pax
6 Pax

PRICES INCLUDE:

Professional Guide Service;
Transportation during whole tour & 4X4 private vehicles to Gergeti
Entrance fees to in Georgia : Tsinandali, Stalin’s Museum, Uplistsikhe
Narikala camble tickets
Entrance fees in Azerbaijan: Shaki Khan Palace
Entrance tickets to all museums and attractions
Lunch, Wine degustation & master class in Wine Cellar (baking bread, making churchkhela/ degustation desk (cheese, churchkhela, Georgian sweets, walnut)
1 Dinner at the hotel in Gudauri, 1 dinner at the hotel in Bakuriani
1 Lunch at the restaurant in Azerbaijan
Accommodation at hotels 4/5* with Breakfast

PRICES NOT INCLUDE:

Early check-inn or late check-out
Flight tickets
Visa fee
Travel & Medical insurance
Entrance tickets: Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre - 9 USD pp; Shirvanshah Palace - 9 USD pp; Maiden Tower - 9 USD pp

* Prices can by change according to dollar exchange at the time of booking.

* The hotels can be replaced with similar ones.

* Company has the rights to change excursion days and sequence of tourist sites, according to the weather and/or other force-majeure situations.