Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia tour
“Stunning views really do come with the territory here and you'll have 19 days to soak them in along with some lively cities, impressive sacred sites & tasty local tipples.”
Highlights
Yerevan | views of Mount Ararat | Holy City of Echmiadzin | Geghard Monastery | Amberd Fortress | Lake Sevan | Narikala Citadel | Tbilisi | Uplistsikhe cave town | Gelati Monastery | Borjomi Gorge | Khertvisi Fortress | Sheki | Absheron peninsula | Maiden's Tower | Zoroastrian AtesgahDescription of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia tour
This thrilling tour of the Caucasus region: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, has all the elements of a classic holiday. Over 19 days you will explore sacred sites, cosmopolitan cities, beautiful scenery and enjoy a rich variety of cultural encounters. A busy itinerary sees you on the move every day, whether it be to a monastery, a local winery, or a fascinating museum. You will travel as part of a small group accompanied by a knowledgeable tour leader, and enjoy an immersive, authentic look at a region that has only in recent years reached the tourism radar.Begin in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to visit popular locations such as the Cascade and the Vernisage crafts market. Yerevan is an excellent base from which to visit must-see landmarks such as the Echmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia’s Mother Church and said to be the oldest cathedral in the world. You may even catch part of the Sunday service.
Via other well-known sites including the Temple of Garni and the Amberd Fortress you’ll continue on to picturesque Lake Sevan, Armenia’s most popular holiday resort, before crossing the border into Georgia. A guided tour of Tbilisi showcases highlights of the Old Town including the Sioni Cathedral and the State Museum.
Just a handful of the notable visits you’ll enjoy in Georgia include the fascinating Vardzia Cave Town, carved into the cliffs from the 12th century, and the Stalin Museum in his hometown of Gori. From the resort of Gudauri you’ll do a little trekking in the Kazbegi Mountains, then continue on to the highly regarded Kakheti wine region where there will no doubt be time for some tasting.
Finally crossing over into Azerbaijan, the tour takes you to Baku, with its Maiden’s Tower and Shirvanshah's Palace, and the remarkable Fire Temple nearby, on the Absheron Peninsula.
And of course this is no more than a brief summary of an utterly spellbinding trip. You would be hard-pushed to find a better way to experience the Caucasus.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
Date
Price per adult
Basis
Status
19 Sep 2020
£3327
including UK flights
7 spaces left
26 Sep 2020
£3244
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
01 Oct 2020
£3323
including UK flights
Full
03 Oct 2020
£3344
including UK flights
1 space left
10 Oct 2020
£3313
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
17 Oct 2020
£3324
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
01 May 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
04 May 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Available
08 May 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
11 May 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Available
15 May 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Available
18 May 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
22 May 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
29 May 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
01 Jun 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Available
05 Jun 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
12 Jun 2021
£3276
including UK flights
Available
19 Jun 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
26 Jun 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
04 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
07 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
11 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
14 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
18 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Departure Guaranteed
25 Sep 2021
£3301
including UK flights
Available
02 Oct 2021
£3286
including UK flights
Available
09 Oct 2021
£3286
including UK flights
Available
12 Oct 2021
£3286
including UK flights
Available
16 Oct 2021
£3286
including UK flights
Available
Go Solo & Save!
Free single room option. Book now and pay no single supplement for this trip. For new bookings made between 30 January 2020 and 27 February 2020. Selected trips and departures up to 30 November 2020.
Our top tip:
Weather is changeable - from hot Armenian summers to cooler mountain climes so pack for both!
Accomm:
16 nights hotel, 3 nights simple guest house
Solos:
Welcome; single supplement may apply for single rooms.
Included:
Accommodation, transfers, flights (if booked), tour guide, listed activities.
Meals:
18 breakfasts, 5 lunch and 6 dinners
Vouchers
Accepted
Holiday type
Small group holidays
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modelled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. If you’re heading off on a gap year your, perhaps – but for those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travellers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
What are the main benefits?
Big experiencesHave big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your holiday time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
Who is it ideal for?
Travellers who are short of timeIf you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your holiday.
Solo travellers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those travelling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travellers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Mythbuster
“I won’t get any privacy!”Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travellers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travellers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Meet a local guide
No matter how experienced your group leader, they can never make up for the knowledge gained from a lifetime in the destination. That’s why many of our trips work with local guides around the world – who invite you into their homeland with pleasure.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are a cultural treasure trove, not only for their historic sites but for their traditions and heritage. We always want to show you as much of the real country as we can so we employ a local tour leader and variety of local guides who can really bring the culture to life for you in an authentic way.In Georgia we are also working with the German government organisation ‘GIZ’ to help our partners train locals further down the supply train – from guides and drivers to hoteliers and restaurant owners. This helps to professionalise the industry in Georgia at a local level and benefits all businesses that we interact with.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
The Impacts of this Trip
Staying in small and relatively out of the way places and using local guesthouses really brings us closer to the local culture and gives us many opportunities for unique experiences.
Using local guides and crew is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. We also do this by using locally owned hotels, spreading our business to a variety of local restaurants.
In this area which was relatively isolated until recently, the income we generate is really significant to these small businesses. It is important that the people who work for us are treated fairly and confident in their work. This is why we take care to train all our local tour leaders and give them all the support they need to do their job well
Environment
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are a cultural treasure trove, not only for their historic sites but for their traditions and heritage. We always want to show you as much of the real country as we can so we employ a local tour leader and variety of local guides who can really bring the culture to life for you in an authentic way.In Georgia we are also working with the German government organisation ‘GIZ’ to help our partners train locals further down the supply train – from guides and drivers to hoteliers and restaurant owners. This helps to professionalise the industry in Georgia at a local level and benefits all businesses that we interact with.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
Community
The Impacts of this Trip
Staying in small and relatively out of the way places and using local guesthouses really brings us closer to the local culture and gives us many opportunities for unique experiences.
Using local guides and crew is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. We also do this by using locally owned hotels, spreading our business to a variety of local restaurants.
In this area which was relatively isolated until recently, the income we generate is really significant to these small businesses. It is important that the people who work for us are treated fairly and confident in their work. This is why we take care to train all our local tour leaders and give them all the support they need to do their job well
Climate
3 Reviews of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia tour
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 28 May 2019 by Jean Slater
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The monasteries in Armenia, the mountains and Tbilisi in Georgia and the history of the conflicts in the area were the most intriguing.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Read up on your history and on current events to fully appreciate the struggles of these countries.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
No question, we contributed to the economy and welfare of the people in all three of these countries and we feel that our presence encouraged responsible travelers.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This trip was beyond my expectations . We had the most incredible tour leader, Alex, for Georgia and Azerbaijan. We could not have felt more comfortable and the knowledge of this young lady was immense.
Reviewed on 11 Jul 2018 by Allan Wild
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The knowledge and passion for their countries of the tour guides in Armenia and Georgia, also the spectacular scenery, good food and excellent wine.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Explore the restaurants and choose local, not European, dishes. The local people are friendly and welcoming and always ready to give advice
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Two of the accommodations were guest houses and various meals were taken in private homes. This gave an opportunity to sample local food, much of it grown in their own gardens, and to interface with the community. The standard was simple but more than adequate and the welcome was warm.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent in Armenia and Georgia but some development of the Azerbaijan extension is required
Reviewed on 01 Sep 2011 by Deborah Orokieta
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Church going in Armenia and Georgia, visiting a sea resort in Georgia, eating excellent food in guesthouses, climbing up hills and rocks to reach an isolated church.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make sure u can stand 3-4 hour rides on a bus. Not many motorways there.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Not really, though we ate a few times in family guesthouses. The use of a coach minimizes the pollution, but that's about it. We had to buy so many plastic bottles of water that I am not sure that in that department we were green.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
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