South Caucasus

Arrive at Baku Airport and transfer to your hotel | Settle in and meet up with your group in the evening.

Shah Palace Hotel (or similar)  – This 4-star hotel is brilliantly located in historic Baku Old City. Luxuriously decorated, its architecture combines stunning classical and national patterns.

Take a guided tour of the walled historical centre of the capital. Wander the beautiful Palace of the Shirvanshahs and later visit the National History Museum.  (B)

Shah Palace Hotel (or similar)

Take time to explore the Heydar Aliyev Centre and its museum, gallery and vast array of exhibitions | Drive to Highland Park for panoramic views of the city and its spectacular coast | Tonight, visit the memorial flame and Baku’s famous trio of Flame Towers.  (B)

Shah Palace Hotel (or similar)

After an early breakfast drive south to the Gobustan National Park | Be guided through its ancient petroglyphs, museum and mud volcanoes | Marvel at the Fire Temple of Ateshgah, home of Zoroastrian fire worship | A last stop at the Flaming Mountain before returning to Baku. (B)

Shah Palace Hotel (or similar)

Rise early and head west to Sheki | En route, wander through the ancient family graveyard of the Shirvanshahs at Shamakha | Travel through stunning mountains, then wander the ancient village of Lahij | In Sheki, be guided through the ornate Sheki Khans Palace. (B)

Yukari Karavansarai Hotel (or similar) – A landmark, renovated 18th-century caravanserai in Sheki. Rooms and furniture are simple, but the building itself is extraordinary. Rooms have a private bathroom and there is a bar and restaurant.

Cross into Georgia and enjoy lunch with a local Georgian family in the village of Sabue | Watch the unique qvevri wine-making process, then enjoy a drink of fine Georgian wine produced by the Begaso Family | Be guided over the Gremi Archeological complex built during the 16th-century before overnighting in Kakheti.  (BL)

Babaneuris Marani Hotel – Boutique Winery (or similar) – Nestled in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains and surrounded by its own vineyards, this cosy 4-star hotel and winery has beautiful views, a pool and a restaurant.

Explore the expansive Bodbe Monastery, a major pilgrimage site to Saint Nino just 2km from the royal town of Sighnaghi | Enjoy lunch overlooking the stunning Alazani Valley, then wander the old cobblestone streets of Sighnaghi – also known as the City of Love | Settle into your Tbilisi hotel for your three-night stay.  (B)

New Tiflis Hotel (or similar)

Embark on a guided walking tour of the city, including all the major highlights | Explore the many charming coffee houses and bars and soak up the city’s vibrant atmosphere | Wander the sprawling Open Air Museum of Ethnography to learn more about the country’s cultural anthropology | Enjoy the local’s warm hospitality, traditional cuisine, and dancing!  (2B, 1D)

New Tifliss Hotel (or similar)

Drive north through breathtaking mountain scenery | View the 6th Century Jvari Church | Wander through UNESCO-listed Mtskheta, the former capital and one of the country’s oldest villages | Take a 4WD to the sublime Gergeti Trinity Church, with magnificent Mount Kazbegi looming behind | Snap a million photos before returning to relax in Gudauri.  (BD)

Marco Polo Hotel (or similar) – Generously appointed, this 4-star mountain chateau hosts everything you need for a luxurious stay – including a restaurant and pool.

Reflect on Georgia’s bloodied history as you wander the old castle complex of Ananuri – and then at the Stalin Museum in Gori | Clamber over the ancient rock-hewn cave town of Uplistikhe, a former centre for pagans, Arabs and Christian Kings | Settle down for an unforgettable dinner with a local South Ossetian family.  (BD)

Hotel Gino Wellness Mtskheta (or similar)

Heading south, cross into Armenia | Explore the ancient Hagpat Monastery built during the 10th and 14th centuries | In Vanadzor, be entertained by a local artist accomplished in the medieval Christian Armenian art of crafting khachkar, the Armenian cross-stone | Arrive to Dilijan. (B)

Hotel Casanova (or similar)

Stroll the ruins of Sevanavank Monastery on the edge of Lake Sevan – the largest body of water in the Caucasus region | Stop to enjoy a tour of the Megeryan carpet factory, where rugs are available to buy | This afternoon visit the peaceful but sombre Armenian Genocide Memorial to remember the 1.5 million Armenians exterminated during and after WW1 by the Ottoman government | Spend your first night in Yerevan.  (BL)

Double Tree by Hilton (or similar)

Rise early and visit the Temple of Garni, the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia | Next to Geghardavank – The ‘Monastery of the Spear’ – where the spear that wounded Christ on the Cross was allegedly stored for 500 years | Marvel at UNESCO-listed Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, originally built in the early 4th century.  (B)

Double Tree by Hilton (or similar)

Drive to the Ararat plain and to the Khor Virap Monastery, backdropped by the magnificent Mount Ararat | Arrive at the 13th Century Armenian monastery Noravank, with its Holy Mother of God Church | In the village of Areni, sample local wines made from fruits such as pomegranate and apricot | Spend your final night in Yerevan.  (B)

Double Tree by Hilton (or similar)

Breakfast concludes your tour | Taxis to the airport are available, or Byroads can organise a transfer on request.  (B)