Caucasian adventures (11 days/10 nights)

Baku is a city of winds, lights, interesting parks and unique museums. Each of them is not only a place for a walk and an attraction of our capital, but also a repository of a huge variety of stories and feelings. See medieval Baku

After breakfast, at the appointed time, our guide meets customers and sends them on a tour of the Old Town: you will visit various ancient castles, towers (the famous   maiden tower-symbol of Baku), palaces ( Shirvanshahpalace ), mosques (Juma mosque), baths, caravanserai and other historical monuments, and immerse yourself in history. You will see the place where the famous damn scene from the movie The Diamond Arm was filmed.

Further, on the Baku funicular, we will go up to the upland park. An amazing panorama of the Baku bay opens from the height. Driving past picturesque green spaces, thickets of shrubs, pines and firs, we look at the magnificent panorama of the city slowly unfolding in front of us: the dark expanse of the Caspian Sea, reflecting the lights of the glowing Baku evening.

The funicular takes us to the Highland Park, where the Eternal Flame monument and the Alley of Martyrs are located - the burial of the victims of Black January and those who died for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

From the upper platform of the Nagorny Park, an even more incredible view of the whole city and the bay opens up .

After the creation of the Alley of Martyrs here, there is constant silence in the park. There is no more music and rides, the former fun bypasses this place with a party, which is understandable. But it is this silence that gives the park visitors peace of mind, peace, evoked by the noise of pines and the scent of nature.

Take a walk along Baku Boulevard.

After admiring and walking along the mysterious alleys of the evening park, we will return and take a walk along Baku Boulevard, which stretches from Government House to the Baku Crystal Hall. In 2009, this embankment in the greenery of the city (officially, this is a boulevard, but the sea is next to it) marked a century. Most of all, the residents of Baku love to walk here, especially in the summer at night, when it becomes at least a little cool in the city that is sick of the heat. However, Baku Boulevard is not only people, greens, benches and the sea. It is also very interesting buildings: 75-meter parachute tower, a new building of the Museum of carpets in the form of a collapsed main exhibit, the International Center of Mugham - Azerbaijani national music, the Baku Venice canal complex, where you can ride a gondola, as well as the pre-revolutionary Puppet Theater , from which, according to legend, were removed statues of naked Greek gods, as they traumatized the child's psyche. And finally, the largest shopping mall in Baku, Park. Boulevard . All this fits on the main promenade of the city.

Breakfast. Free day. Optional excursion to Gobustan ( extra charge) .

Breakfast. Free time. Transfer to the railway station, train Baku-Tbilisi.

A meeting at the railway station (plate GEOMANDARIN), transfer to the hotel.

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, which has absorbed so many epochs and cultures that even the locals do not know all the mysteries and secrets that keep the mazes of this warm and beautiful city. Beautiful carved balconies, unique front doors, famous Tbilisi courtyards, this is all what the city is famous for.

We invite you to the author's tour of the city!

During the walking tour with a professional guide, we will climb the Narikala Fortress , see Tbilisi from a bird's-eye view, visit the fig gorge and the complex of famous sulfur baths, walk along the alleys of the famous Sharden district.

At the end of the tour we will have a tasting of famous Georgian wines in one of the city’s marani .

Breakfast.

Kakheti — how many things are there in this word! A few years ago, the whole world recognized that Georgia is the birthplace of wine.

We start our tour with a visit to the winery KTW Corporation, one of the largest wine producers, where we will explore the secret of Georgian winemaking technology.

We will make the next stop in the once famous and very developed city of Gremi, which was completely destroyed by the brutal Iranian Shah Abbas. The Archangel temple and bell tower survived to this day, and the complex is now called the “Gremi Castle.”

Next, we will invite you to lunch with a peasant family, where you will be served a traditional table from a Kakhetian hostess (extra charge).

The last point of our tour will be Signagi — the City of Love. Sighnaghi is a small town in the east of Georgia, on the mountainside, in the historical region of Kakheti. It is the center of the historical and geographical area of Kizik, located on terraces with winding, steep streets.

Breakfast.

So much has been said and written about the famous Georgian military road that every day it attracts more and more travelers from around the world.

"Better than mountains, there can only be mountains in which you have not yet been" - the familiar words of Vysotsky. Today we go to the mountains and feel the spirit of freedom.

Our first stop will be in Ananuri , a fortress that   served as the main reference for   Aragwis   Eristave , the rulers of this region.   Fortress   emerged in the XVI century and over the next two centuries served as the northern outpost of the defense of Transcaucasia, blocking the road leading from   Darial gorge.

Next, we will stop at the "Arch of Friendship" , which was built as an observation deck in honor of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of St. George.

The last point of our trip   will be Gergeti ,   located at a height of 2   170   m at the foot   Kazbek   along   Georgian Military Highway   in a Georgian village   Gergeti , right above the village   Stepantsminda . Built in   XIV century   the shrine is the only one   cross-domed temple   in the area of   Heavy. Medieval preserved near the temple   Bell tower.

Breakfast. Transfer to the border with Armenia. Meeting at the border. Drive to the mountain resort Dilijan. It is located high in the mountains (1200-1500m), covered with virgin pine forests. Walk through the old district of Dilijan.The architecture of Dilijan is interesting for its lighter and airy style using wood in the structures and facades of houses . Of interest is Sharambeyan Street , located in the historic district of the old Dilijan with a lot of restored workshops of local artisans, which recreates the spirit of the old city of the XIX century.   Inspection of the monastery complex   Haghartsin (XIII century). Haghartsin - the most secluded and cut off from the outside world monastery, including a group of monastic buildings, closely adjacent to each other. The monastery unexpectedly appearing among the thick trees creates a fabulous impression of a lost world.

Ride to the highland lake   Sevan   - one of the wonders of Armenia. This dazzling blue lake is located high in the mountains. Cold and majestic, it harbors inexplicable beauty. Not without reason many artists choose Sevan as an object of their art. Next transfer to Yerevan. Accommodation at the hotel and free time to spend the evening in Yerevan.

A sightseeing tour of Yerevan — an ancient (29 years older than Rome) and at the same time modern, beautiful city with a unique flavor, set against the backdrop of the majestic biblical Mount Ararat, sparkling with its snow-capped peaks.

Excursion to the ruins of the Erebuni Fortress, founded by the Urartian king Argishti I in 782 BC, and a visit to the Erebuni Museum (opened in 1968), which holds artifacts from the Urartian era. The fortress played an important role in the life of the Armenian state. The name of the fortress later gave rise to the name of the city — Yerevan.

Visit to a local market.

Next, a visit to a carpet factory, where Armenian traditions of carpet weaving are preserved. You will see the process of yarn dyeing using natural plant-based dyes, weaving, cutting, and finishing. You will also have a unique opportunity to participate in the process of weaving a carpet.

A short sightseeing tour of Yerevan includes getting acquainted with the city center and its landmarks: the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Parliament, the Residence of the President of Armenia, Republic Square, Swan Lake, and the Cascade complex.

The tour concludes with a visit to the world-famous Yerevan brandy factory “Ararat”, which has upheld the tradition of brandy production since 1887. During a one-hour tour, visitors will see the brandy-making process, explore the factory museum, taste several types of brandy of different aging levels, and have the opportunity to purchase genuine Armenian brandy directly at the factory store.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Ararat valley to Khor Virap church . From here a unique panorama of the biblical Mount Ararat glittering with snow-white peaks opens. There is a sacred place deep under the church: here Gregory the Illuminator spent 13 years in a dungeon imprisoned on the orders of King Trdat for spreading Christianity in Armenia. After his release in 301, Gregory the Illuminator sanctified the Armenian people, and Christianity was adopted in Armenia as the state religion. At the place of imprisonment of Gregory the Illuminator, the church of Khor Virap was built , which became a holy place for the entire Christian world, and Gregory the Illuminator was erected in the face of the saints and is considered the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The church has an entrance to the dungeon, so it is possible to go down the stairs and inspect the place of imprisonment.Not far from the church are the ruins of the ancient capital of Armenia Artashat, which is one of the few ancient cities built according to a special project. The author of the city plan was the commander of ancient Carthage, Hannibal, who fled to Armenia after he lost the war with Rome. A trip to the village of Areni - the cradle of winemaking. Visits to the winery and wine tasting of different varieties. A trip to the monastery complex Noravank ( X III-XV centuries), which is an outstanding monument of medieval architecture and a major religious and cultural center. Located among the bizarre sheer red rocks on the ledge of a winding gorge, it is an extraordinary spectacle in its beauty. The oldest monument of Noravank - Surb Church Karapet (IX - X century ). To the north of it in the XIII century. the main temple of the monastery was erected, also dedicated to this saint. The sculptor and architect of it was the famous talented architect Momik . To the north of the main temple is the tomb of the Orbelyan family . The temple is decorated with images of the Virgin and Child, God - the father, the crucifixion of Christ, as well as a large number of cross- stones of openwork. Surb Church located nearby Astvyatsatsin (Mother of God) is a highly artistic monument of memorial importance. The first floor served as a tomb, the second - a memorial temple. The western facade of the building is especially beautiful, it is decorated with console stairs leading to the second floor. Return to Yerevan.

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to the extraordinarily beautiful pagan Temple of the Sun (1st century AD) in the village of Garni. Built in the Greek style with a characteristic colonnade on all sides and located on the top of a hill divided by a deep gorge from the mountain range, it is an extraordinary spectacle in its beauty, which sometimes seems unreal. The fortress of Garni served as the summer residence of the Arshakid royal court. Destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1679, the temple was restored in 1969–1974. Part of the wall of the fortress that surrounded the temple, as well as the ruins of the royal palace and baths, have been preserved. Of interest is the mosaic floor of the waiting room and the inscription on it: "They worked without getting anything." Inscriptions in Greek have been preserved, indicating that the temple was built in 77 AD under King Trdat I (Arshakid dynasty).

Then we head to the rarest temple carved into the rock — Geghard (12th–13th centuries), translated as “Holy Spear” in honor of the spear that was once kept here — the very one that pierced Christ on the cross (now preserved in the Museum of St. Echmiadzin). The temple is located high in the mountains in the picturesque gorge of the Azat River. It is a masterpiece of Armenian medieval architecture — a complex consisting of the main church, two cave churches, and a shrine. In the first cave church, a cold spring flows from the cliff, which is still an object of worship. It is believed that this holy water heals illnesses, rejuvenates, and gives beauty. Geghard Monastery has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Demonstration of the unique process of baking Armenian bread — lavash — in a tonir (traditional oven) in a rural home.

Return to Yerevan. Transfer to the airport and departure.