10 DAYS JEWELS OF CAUCASUS

Arriving into Baku in the morning, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Explore the winding alleys of old mosques, caravanserais and overhanging wooden balconies in the Old City of Baku, including the Icheri Sheher which date back to the 15th century, Maiden Tower, Shirvanshah Palace Complex, medieval Market Square and Caravanserai. Visit Synyk Kala Minaret, the city’s oldest building completed in 1093.

You will visit the famous house of the Nobel Brothers at Villa Petrolea and enjoy an exclusive black caviar tasting with champagne at the Nobel Museum, usually not open for the public.

Get ready to travel back in time to ancient Baku. Visit the rock art engravings of Gobustan, one of the country’s oldest oil fields in Absheron Peninsula, the Ateshgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple and the pink salt lake of Masazir Golu.

On your return, make a photo stop at Heydar Alive Cultural Centre before continuing to the Museum of State Carpet. Conclude the day with a panoramic view of Baku city and the Caspian Sea.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight from Baku to Tbilisi. The Georgian capital is endowed with Eastern Orthodox churches, ornate art nouveau buildings and Soviet Modernist structures. Our specialist walking tour with a local architect or art historian will unravel the jewels as we stroll down Rustavali Avenue, Metekhi Church of the Virgin, Sioni Cathedral and the Museum of Janashia State (closed Mon).

Drive 30km or around 45 minutes to Mtshketa. This ancient capital features 7th century Jvari Church perched on a cliff overlooking the city, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro monastery complex, with its shrine to St Nino.

Continue 50km or around 1 hour to Gori, infamous as the birthplace of Josef Stalin. Visit the Museum of Stalin and proceed to Uplistsikhe cave town. At the end of the day, drive 110km or around 2 hours back to Tbilisi.

One of the most unique sights in Georgia, we will visit David Gareja is a rock-hewn monastery complex set at a semi-desert landscape, just 75km or around 2 hours from Tbilisi. Visit the historical Manavi village where the ancestors have produced wine for centuries, where we will experience wine tasting at Giuaani Winery.

Drive northward 50 km or around 1 hour to the 16th century Ananuri Castle, followed by 55km or around 1 hour for lunch at Gudauri’s mountain ski resort. Another 50km or around 1 hour leads us to Kazbegi. Walk up to Tsminda Sameba Church, perched in a solitary spot high above the village.

Today, we cross the border into Armenia. From Kazbegi, it is around 284km or 5½ hours to Sanahin and Haghpat Monastery Complex, both are UNESCO-listed. These monastic complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, blending elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region. Thereafter, head 30km or around 1 hour to Dzoraget, nestled along the scenic Debed river among forest-covered hills. Spend the rest of the time at leisure.

This morning, drive 130km or around 2 hours to Sevanavank Monastery, perched on a hill overlooking Lake Sevan. Head to Noratuz, the cemetery of thousand Kachkars (cross-stones), believed to bring salvation to human souls. Drive another 95km or around 1½ hours to Yerevan.

Set out this morning to Khor Virap Monastery, set against the stunning view of Biblical Mt Ararat. Thereafter, we visit the pagan Hellenistic Temple of Garni and Geghard, a monastery carved out from a mountain.

Uncover the city’s heart-breaking past at the Memorial Park and Museum of the Armenian Genocide (closed on Monday). Continue to the ancient Zvartnots ruins and Echmiadzin Monastery, believed to be the world’s oldest cathedral in the world. Afterwards, we transfer to Yerevan Zvartnots Airport, where you will board your night flight home.