Byzantine Silk Road of the TransCaucasus Including 13-Day Special Train Journey through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia 06 - 21 October 2020 Dome, Echmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia © Shaun Dunphy JOURNEYS THAT TAKE YOU TO FAR HORIZONS Our adventure begins in Istanbul, heart of the old Silk Road, to become acquainted with this vibrant melting-pot of East meets West culture and history before a flight to Baku on the sunny plains of the Caspian Sea from where we embark on our journey by private chartered train through the Azerbaijani steppes and the snow-capped southern Caucasus mountains in Georgia, to subtropical Batumi on the Black Sea, following a Byzantine trading route from the old Silk Road. To complete this special trip, our trans-Caucasus train journey is complemented by a TOUR LEADER visit to Armenia, the oldest Christian country in the world, shaped by distinct cultures and great powers throughout history. Relle Mott has led small Along with Ottoman mosques and bazaars, Byzantine monasteries, groups for the Friends Crusader fortresses, and Silk Road caravanserais, we will visit the Tsbilisi through Uzbekistan, and Batumi Botanical Gardens to get to know the plants of this Western China, and Japan, biodiversity hotspot. sharing her love of plants, new cultures and The trans-Caucasus experience is enhanced by excellent regional food: destinations with like- Khachapuri and Khinkali dumplings, sturgeon with pomegranate, local minded travellers since chicken with green walnuts, and of course – Georgian wine! 2013. Horticulturist Relle has been associated with the Tour Highlights Royal Botanic Garden • Journey on exclusively chartered special train Sydney for many years: as a • A unique and spectacular route from Baku on the Caspian Sea, member of the Education & through the Caucasus mountains, to Batumi on the Black Sea Community Programs • First-class service from English-speaking tour manager and local team, a volunteer guide, guides throughout journey, and your tour escort Relle Mott and a supporter through • 1 night in a hotel in the Caucasus mountains with view of 5,000 Foundation & Friends. Her metre Mount Kazbek background is in • Vardzia, a gigantic cave city that once housed up to 50,000 education: as an people environmental education • Historic city of Goygol, a former German settlement in specialist at RBGS, a Azerbaijan teacher at Ryde TAFE • Tbilisi and Baku, two colourful and complementary metropolises Horticulture College, and a • Insight into local life with visits to a Georgian religious service, secondary Japanese vineyard, bazaar and artisanal handicraft centre language teacher. She has • UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Vagharshapat and Zvartnots had a 40 year connection • Visit the Botanical Gardens of Tbilisi and Batumi with Japan, and regularly • See the Bosphorus, the Caspian and the Black seas of Eastern leads her own walking tours Europe on historic pilgrimage trails in that country. Travelling with Relle is fun – well- planned itineraries to amazing destinations create unforgettable experiences. When at home she is a keen gardener, sailor and potter, with an ongoing fascination with the plant hunters of Asia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Flight from Istanbul Ananuri Castle Complex Day 1 Tue 06 Oct Arrive Istanbul at the station, where our train sets off westward by starlight through the Azerbaijani steppes. Meet and transfer to hotel. Welcome dinner tonight. Overnight: On board (B, L, D) Overnight at hotel in Istanbul. (D) Day 6 Sun 11 Oct Shaki & Goygol Day 2 Wed 07 Oct Istanbul The city of Shaki lies at foot of the forest-covered Caucasus Today we get our bearings on Istanbul and its historic role in Mountains and doubles as a unique open-air museum. Here the Silk Road with visits to the Hagia Sophia built in AD 537 we witness the city’s many caravanserai, trading posts that and the Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman Sultans. To served as stops along the Silk Road. Later, we visit the experience the first of our three seas and get a different Khan’s Palace, where brilliant decorative carvings, stained perspective on Istanbul, we take a boat on the Bosphorus. glass and frescoes evoke a fantastic medieval world. Look (B, L) for bargains at an artisanal handicrafts centre and at a local bazaar. On the train route south from Shaki, the Day 3 Thu 08 Oct Istanbul Azerbaijani landscape begins to turn green. In the We continue our journey through Istanbul history with the afternoon, we reach the city of Ganja, and travel to the Roman-era Hippodrome, the famed Ottoman Sultanahmet nearby city of Goygol, known for its nineteenth-century (Blue) Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar which was once the German settlements. Here we see carefully restored villas, hub of Mediterranean trade. We finish the day with a visit to the Lutheran church of St. John and the home of the last the modern Taksim Square. (B, D) German settler, Viktor Klein, who passed away in 2007. Later we head to the Azerbaijan–Georgia border, where the Day 4 Fri 09 Oct Istanbul-Baku ochre, earthy steppes gradually transform into green hills. Transfer to airport for flight to Badu. Arrive in Baku, the Next stop: Georgia’s vibrant metropolis Tbilisi. capital of Azerbeijan, known as the City of Winds. In the Overnight: On board (B, L, D) evening, we take in views of the city’s breathtaking skyline on the Caspian Sea, which includes the spectacular Flame Day 7 Mon 12 Oct Tbilisi Towers, a symbol of the city’s modernity. Sturdy churches, colourful wooden houses on the banks of Overnight: Hotel Sapphire Inn (or similar) (B, D) the Kura River, classical villas - this is Tbilisi, capital of Georgia and straight out of a fairy tale. From here, we Day 5 Sat 10 Oct Baku travel by vehicle along the historic Georgian Military Road, In the morning, we explore the historical centre of Baku, which reaches an altitude of approximately 2,300 metres. with its gorgeous mosques, the Maiden Tower, and the The view of the mediaeval Ananuri Castle fortress complex Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its backdrop of snow-capped peaks is breathtaking. contrasting with the city’s ornate Art Nouveau buildings and However, another stunning view awaits of the 5,000 metre its futuristic architecture. In the afternoon, we take an Mount Kazbek awaits us from our hotel terrace in excursion on the Absheron Peninsula to see a Zoroastrian Stepantsmindal! On a green ridge just in front of this fire temple and Yanar Dag, a flame that burns continuously immense peak sits the comparatively small 14th century due to a seepage of natural gas. In the evening, the Gergeti Trinity Church, which can be visited via Jeep friendly crew of our special train give us a hearty welcome excursion. Overnight: Hotel Porta Caucaisa (or similar) (B, L, D) Old Town of Tbilisi Cave City of Vardzia Day 8 Tue 13 Oct Tbilisi footprint. Orthodox churches, synagogues, and mosques - On the way back to Tbilisi, we stop at the mediaeval Jvari the city’s stunning architecture is a testament to its diversity. monastery high above the Aragvi River and marvel at the The Batumi Botanical Garden is a subtropical paradise former capital of Georgia, Mzcheta, a UNESCO World whose terraces on the steep coast provide an amazing Heritage Site. In Tbilisi, we have an optional visit to the view of the seashore. National Botanical Garden of Georgia. Overnight: Hotel Radisson (or similar) (B, L, D) Overnight: Hotel Builtmore (or similar) (B, L, D) Day 12 Sat 17 Oct Gyumri Day 9 Wed 14 Oct Gori Today is a transit day, with a long but beautiful bus trip to Today our train departs Tbilisi through the country’s fertile cross the Georgia–Armenia border through the lowlands, soon arriving In Gori, birthplace of Joseph Stalin, mountainscapes of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range to the once General Secretary of the Soviet Union, whose Gyumri, Armenia’s second oldest city. personal railroad car is displayed in a museum. In nearby Overnight: Hotel Villa Kars (or similar) (B) Uplistsikhe, once a Byzantine Silk Road trading post, we exlore a sixth-century town built into a cave complex. We Day 13 Sun 18 Oct Lake Sevan experience Georgian wine tasting at a historic wine house. Today we visit the idyllic spa town of Dilijan, the Sevan Georgia’s wine regions are more than 7,000 years old, Monastery and 2,000-metre-high Lake Sevan - known as the placing then among the world’s oldest. In the afternoon, Pearl of Armenia - a highlight of our journey. Overnight in our train reaches Borjomi, a famous deep valley resort town Yerevan. that once provided the entire Russian Empire with mineral Overnight: Hotel Imperial (or similar) (B, L, D) water. Its beautiful villas, boutique hotels and its curative health spas draw visitors from near and far. Day 14 Mon 19 Oct Temple of Garni & Cave Monastery Overnight: On board (B, L, D) After a guided tour of the impressive manuscript repository Matenadaran, we visit Garni Gorge, the amazing Greco- Day 10 Thu 15 Oct Akhaltsikhe & Vardzia Roman Temple of Garni and the medieval Geghard cave From the small city of Akhaltsikhe, over which the Rabati monastery, one of the most beautiful monasteries in the Castle looms, we take a guided tour of Vardzia, a twelfth- Caucasus. Before lunch we view a bread-making century cave monastery. Reminiscent of a honeycomb, demonstration of traditional unleavened Armenian there are more than 3,000 cave dwellings for up to 50,000 flatbread Lavash. We make our way back to Yerevan, people built into the rockface. The brilliance of the frescoes Armenia's capital. of legendary Queen Tamar in the cave cathedral have not Overnight: Hotel Imperial (or similar) (B, L) lost their intensity.