CAUCASUS PEARLS 15 DAYS Small Group Tour To Azerbaijan-Georgia-Armenia BOOK 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE SAVE 10% € 2061 Starts from baku every second tuesday The route is open from May to October. Choose the date and join the group in Baku. Combined group tour to 3 South Caucasus countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia is special itinerary. Three expert guides will work for you –one local guide in each country . Get acquainted with 3 different cultures, see diversity of traditions and visit the most unique and spectacular sights of these countries. MAIN HIGHLIGHTS & SITES: AZERBAIJAN • Narikala Fortress & Mosque Samtskhe region • Legvtakhevi Waterfall • Borjomi Spa-Resort Baku • Sulfur Bathhouse District • Borjomi- NP • Panorama of the City & Baku Bay • Sharden & King Erekle II street • Akhaltsikhe Town from Mountain park • Sioni & Anchiskhati Basilica • Rabat Castle 14-18th cc • The medieval sight of the Old City • Vardzia Caves 12th c 11-19 cc, Kartli region • Karvansaray Complex 14-15 cc. • Gori J. Stalin Museum ARMENIA • Mosques 11-19cc. • Uplistsikhe Caves 1st C • Old bath, narrow small streets, • Gyumri town Art Shops & Handicraft Workshop Mtskheta CITY • Echmiadzin • Giz Galasi Maiden Tower • Svetitskhoveli of 12th c • Zvartnoc • Gobustan NP of rock painting • Jvari Monastery of 6th c • Yerevan city • Matenadaran museum KAKHETI province SHEKI • History museum • Signagi town & museum • Diri-Baba Mausoleum • Geghard Monastery • Tsinandali • Sheki Fortress • Garni Pagan Temple • Shumi • Sheki Khan Palace • Khor Virap Monastery • Telavi town • Karvansaray • Armenian Wine Village Areni • Batonis Tsikhe Museum • Alban Church in Kish Village. • Noravank monastery • Lake Sevan KHEVI • Dilijan town & Sharamberyan Str • Ananuri Castle 16-17th c GEORGIA • Sanahin Monastery • Gudauri Ski-Resort 2119m • Haghpat Monastery Tbilisi CITY • Stephantsminda Town, Kazbegi • Holy Trinity Cathedral • Gergeti Holy Trinity Church 14th c DAY TO DAY ITINERARY 1 DAY Baku In the morning Georgian Holidays will organize a pick up interesting sites: Palace of the Shirvanshahs (15th c.), from the hotel and our tour will start at 10:00 AM with medieval caravanserai and bathhouse, old mosques, art Baku sightseeing. First, we will visit Mountain Park with shops, and finally – Maiden tower, 12th century monument panoramic views on the city and Baku Bay. After taking that is listed under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. a walk in the alley we drive to the old city to visit several Overnight in Baku. 16 www.georgianholidays.com 2 DAY Baku-Sheki 5 DAY Tbilisi city tour After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to the north-west – On day 5 we start Tbilisi city tour by visiting the Holy to town of Sheki. We are going to make a few stops along Trinity Cathedral (Sameba), one of the tallest Orthodox the way to visit two interesting historical monuments: Christian churches on earth. Our next stop is at Metekhi 15th century mausoleum of Sheikh Diri-Baba in Gobustan Platuau, where we visit Metekhi church constructed th town, and 8th century Juma Mosque in Shamakhi town. in the 5 century. Metekhi church is located on the In the evening, we get to Sheki. In the evening we are cliff overlooking river Mtkvari and the old Tbilisi. From going to make a short Sheki city tour to sightsee Sheki Metekhi we move down to the old city and take walk fortress, Palace of Shaki Khans, old caravanserai and on the streets of Shardeni, Iron Row, Cotton Row and mosque. Erekle II with lots of outdoor cafes, bars, restaurants, art galleries, souvernir stores and handicraft shopping 3 DAY Sheki-Sighnaghi spots. We continue our way until we cross the glass After breakfast we drive to Kish – a village located 5 km Bridge of Peace and get to the Rike Park. From here from Sheki – to sightsee the main attraction of the village we head to the Narikala fortress – ancient fortification – the Church of Kish. Church has an extraordinary history ovelooking Tbilisi from the hill, which can be reached by as its existing building is estimated to be built in the 12th a aerial cable car. century on much older pagan cultic site, and belonged to From Narikala we walk back to the old city to pay a visit Caucasian Albanian, Georgian and Armenian churches in to the following sites: the National Botanical Garden different times through history. of Georgia, Jumah Mosque, Legvtakhevi canyon and On day 3 our Azerbaijan tour ends as from Kish we drive waterfall, and Abanotubani – historical sulfur bathhouse to Georgia-Azerbaijan border near Lagodekhi. Tour guide district of Tbilisi. Tbilisi city tour finishes at the Meidan will assist the group with border procedures. On the Square. border we change the transport and from now on local 6 DAY Tbilisi-Mtsketa-Ananuri-Gudauri Georgian guide will lead the tour. From the border we After breakfast at the hotel we drive to the north to drive to Sighnaghi – a town in a traditional wine-making Mtskheta – historical capital of Georgia. Mtskheta, Kakheti region in the east Georgia. Surrounded by located at the confluence of the two rivers of Mtkvari medieval curtain walls, Sighnaghi is located on Gombori and Aragvi, is famous for its two UNESCO World Heritage mountain range, overlooking Alazani river valley. We Sites – Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli are going to sightsee Sighnaghi Museum and its rich Cathedral (11th century). After Mtskheta sightseeing tour collections, such as the ethnographic and archaeological and our visit to the handicrafts, souvenir shops and wine exhibitions, and collections of the works of prominent cellars located in the center of the town, we continue Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani. Afterwards we can our way to the north and drive through Georgian Military take a walk in Sighnaghi. Highway towards the mountainous Khevi province. On our way to Gudauri ski-resort we make a stop at Zhinvali 4 DAY Sighnaghi-Tsinandali-Telavi-Tbilisi reservoir and visit Ananuri Architectural Complex. After breakfast we leave Sighnaghi and drive to the Ananuri once served as a fortress and residence of local village of Tsinandali. In Tsinandali we are going to pay feudal lords – Eristavi of Aragvi. a visit Aleksandre Chavchavadze House Museum. In the evening we arrive at Gudauri (2196 m), Kazbegi Aleksandre Chavchavadze was a famous 18th century Municipality. Georgian aristocrat, military figure and poet, whose residence, garden and wine-cellar functions as a museum 7 DAY Gudauri-Kazbegi-Tbilisi and attracts lots of visitors nowadays. From Tsinandali On day 7 after breakfast we leave for Kazbegi town we drive to Shumi to take a look on Shumi winery and from Gudauri. On our way at the Cross Pass (2379 wine museum “Vazioni”. Visitors can taste local wine and m), we make a stop at the red travertine hill and taste snacks. local mineral water. After our arrival in Kazbegi we set Our next stop is Telavi – major town of Kakheti region. off for Mount Gergeti trek. Mount Gergeti is famous for In Telavi we can visit medieval fortress that served as its Holy Trinity Church – built in 14th century, church is a residence of the Kings of Kakheti – Batonistsikhe. We overlooking Kazbegi town while standing under the make a short Telavi tour and afterwards depart for Tbilisi Kazbegi peak (5033 m) and glacier. After our trek to through the Gombori pass (1620 m). Mount Gergeti is finished we come back to Kazbegi town and leave for Tbilisi. www.georgianholidays.com 17 8 DAY Tbilisii-Gori-Borjomi -Akhaltsikhe From Yerevan we set off to see the Temple of Garni and Geghard monastery (founded in the 4th c.). The Temple After breakfast we depart for Samtskhe-Javakheti region. On our way we drive through Kartli province, of Garni is an ancient pagan temple with Greco-Roman where our first stop is at Gori town. In Gori we are going colonnaded architectural style. Destroyed by the th to visit the museum of Joseph Stalin, which consists earthquake in the 17 century, this pre-Christian temple of Stalin’s memorial house, exposition building, and his was rebuilt in the 20th century during the Soviet times. room with various personal belongings. From Garni we can take a walk along the canyon of Azat From Gori we get to Uplistsikhe cave complex – another river and get to Geghard, which is located close from the well-known site near Gori. Uplistsikhe represents ancient Temple of Garni. Geghard monastery is listed among the cave complex and one of the oldest urban settlements in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Georgia, dating back to the 1st millenium BC. It is also Finally, we drive back to Yerevan. possible to visit a small museum nearby and watch an 8-minute movie about Uplistsikhe. 13 DAY Yerevan-Sevan-Sanahin-Tbilisi Our next stop is at Borjomi – a spa-resort located in On day 13 after breakfast at the hotel we take a trip to Mtkvari ravine. Borjomi is famous for its mineral water Khor Virap Monastery in Ararat Province. Khor Virap is ‘Borjomi’. After a walk around town and Borjomi Central one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Armenia due Park, we depart for Akhaltsihke and arrive there in the to the local beliefs, according to which St. Gregory the evening. Illuminator, who is credited with converting Armenia to 9 DAY Akhaltsikhe-Vardzia-Armenia-Gyumri Christianity, was imprisoned in this place for 13 years After breakfast we start our journey to historical by the Armenian King. Visitors can also observe view on Samtskhe region and its administrative centre – the Mount Ararat – national symbol of Armenia, from the Akhaltsikhe (translated as “new castle”) town. We are monastery going to visit the most remarkable site of Akhaltsikhe – From Khor Virap we continue our way to southeast Rabati Castle, a medieval fortification complex. During direction and get to the wine village of Areni, located in Rabati excursion we are going to take a look at the Vayots Dzor Province and famous for its red wine.