A Well Balanced Tour of the Caucasus The tour days were not strenuous nor too laid back. Meals supplied and on your own were well apportioned based on the tour day's activities. We had a good opportunity to try the local cuisines of the three countries visited which is important to me since I'm a foodie and the wine tastings were interesting as well.
The road less travelled - South Caucasus We really didnt know much about this area which has a rich and long history. Everything was beautifully organized with excellent, comfortable hotels, all including breakfast; a number of lunches and a few special dinners too, a range of cultural, historical, geological and archeological places to visit and the occasional day off to relax and do things on our own. We really appreciated that! Excellent and varied local food. The itinerary was well thought out. Although we could have stayed longer and seen more, this 2 week tour hit the highlights. Some of those highlights: Baku Azerbaijan, our first stop, a modern city right on the Caspian Sea, the 3 Dubai-like flame towers with a light show every night, the stunning architecture of the Heydar Aliyev Center. Walking on the beautiful wide lively 100 year old Baku Boulevard along the Caspian, with many locals also enjoying the view, the vendors, the food, the artwork. It was really nice to stay right across the street from it, with a view of the Flame towers too. Riding in Ladas to walk around rare mud volcanoes - wow. Gobustan cave paintings. Georgia: wine tasting in caves, overnight at the luxurious Akhasheni wine resort, Tbilisi, visiting Gergeti Holy Trinity Church high in the Caucasus mountains (stunning!), the rock cut cave town Uplistsikhe, Unesco World Heritage site. Armenia: Views of Mt. Ararat from everywhere, in Yerevan the fabulous Cascades multilevel art gallery going up a steep hill via escalators or walking.
Fascinating area of the world I would warmly recommend the Caucasus as a trip for people interested in history, culture, beauty and food. We were especially impressed with Georgia, its natural sites, hospitality and culture. Tbilisi was charming, the visit to the wine resort was the cherry on the cake and the trip to the Kazbegi mountain, where we lucked out on an amazing sunny day, was exhilarating. We also tremendously enjoyed Baku, mostly as a centre for modern architecture, which was one of our main interests. Food was wonderful throughout and we were offered even more dinners and lunches than initially included in the itinerary. Our guides were very knowledgeable and personable.
