South Caucasus & Turkey

Itinerary

• Days 1-4: Baku (Azerbaijan), Shemakha, Lahij, Sheki

  Explore Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital and a bustling business center for the Caspian oil industry. Wander the narrow stone streets of its UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town, stroll modern Fountain Square, and tour the royal Shirvanshah’s Palace complex. Then travel outside the city to discover Azerbaijan’s deeply traditional village culture. In Maraza, climb to the landmark Diri Baba Mausoleum.  On the outskirts of Shemakha, drop in at a farm to learn how locals make yogurt and butter. In Lahij – an ancient, almost untouched village – see a coppersmith forge samovars using medieval techniques passed down from the Middle Ages. In Sheki, visit a local artist who creates vivid stained glass windows called shebeke, and then tour the Khan’s Palace where such windows were used in abundance.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The winding streets, mosques, and tiny shops of Baku’s walled Old Town
  • Vivid hand-loomed carpets at the State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and Applied Folk Art in Baku
  • The 15th century Diri Baba Mausoleum, adorned in decorative carvings
  • Meeting the locals, including dinner with a family in Lahij and visits to a dairy farm, a coppersmith’s workshop, and a glass-maker’s studio
  • The mosaic-covered Khan’s Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Days 5-6: Signagi (Kakheti Region, Georgia)

  Cross the border into Georgia and enter the region of Kakheti, Georgia’s wine country. Take a walking tour of the vineyards of Pheasant’s Tears Winery, which uses traditional methods and organic grapes to produce some of the country’s most esteemed wines. Continue to the charming town of Signagi to experience Georgia’s exceptional cuisine and hospitality at a “Georgian Table” feast. The following day visit three characteristic villages: Panaani, Machkhaani, and Magaro. Have a homegrown, home-cooked lunch in the beautiful garden of a local resident, and then visit the 9th century Bodbe Monastery.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Touring and tasting at Pheasant’s Tears Winery
  • The narrow streets and intricate wooden balconies of the hill town of Signagi
  • A Georgian Table feast, accompanied by a performance of traditional songs in a centuries-old, distinctly Georgian polyphonic style
  • Lunch with an enterprising local who cultivates and cooks all of her own food
  • The gardens and frescoed basilica of Bodbe Monastery
• Days 7-8: Omalo, Dartlo (Tusheti Region)

  Take an adventurous drive into the mountains of Tusheti, Georgia’s most remote region. The one narrow road, open only from June through October, provides unbeatable views and some spine-tingling curves. Bed down in Omalo, Tusheti’s largest village, and the following day visit idyllic Dartlo, a village of only a handful of families. While in the mountains, sample Tusheti’s singular culinary achievement, khinkali – juicy meat-and-spice dumplings – washed down with home-brewed beer at a local festival.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Crossing 9,500-foot Abano Pass on the winding Tusheti mountain road
  • A picnic amid spectacular mountain scenery
  • Indulging in khinkali dumplings and local beer
• Days 9-10: Tbilisi

  Descend from the mountains and make the drive to hip, picturesque Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital and by far its largest city. Explore the narrow streets of the red-roofed Old Town, and then head to the art nouveau Sololaki District for lunch and a wine tasting. Visit the Georgian National Museum to examine some of the country’s most significant archaeological finds, including 1.8-million-year-old Homo erectus skulls.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The beautiful drive to Tbilisi through the Kakheti lowlands and the green Gombori Mountains
  • The elaborately carved balconies of Tbilisi’s Old Town
  • The National Museum’s extensive, eclectic collection
  • More exceptional food and wine
• Days 11-13: Kutaisi, Mestia

  Head to Kutaisi, Georgia’s second-largest city (though just a tenth the size of Tbilisi), stopping along the way at the workshop of a ceramicist who makes qvevri, the 200- to 900-gallon earthenware vessels used for fermenting Georgian wines. Tour the city, best known as the site of Jason’s mythical quest for the Golden Fleece, and visit the UNESCO-listed 12th century Gelati Monastery. Then it’s back up into the mountains – this time in the region of Svaneti, which has earned a UNESCO World Heritage listing for its remarkably preserved medieval appearance and its massive watchtowers. As a result of their isolation, Svanetians are considered the “most Georgian of all Georgians.” Get a chance to meet some of them at lunch in a local home in the town of Mestia, and then visit its first-rate ethnographic museum.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The frescoes and mosaics of Gelati Monastery
  • A demonstration and explanation of how qvevri wine vessels are made
  • The steep, remote mountains of Svaneti, studded with medieval watchtowers
  • Lunch with locals in Mestia
  • The amazingly high-quality medieval icons and gold altar crosses of Mestia’s ethnographic museum
• Days 14-16: Batumi, Akhaltsikhe, Vardzia

  Drive down from the mountains to the Black Sea for a stop in Batumi, an important port and resort city where 19th century oil barons’ homes contrast with a modernized waterfront. Back inland, cross the pastures of the Ajara region, stopping for lunch at a local farm, before reaching the 1,000-year-old town of Akhaltsikhe. It once sat at a junction of the old Silk Road and today features ruins of an ancient fortress and a renovated Old Town. Then explore Vardzia, a remarkable medieval city consisting entirely of caves built into a rock face.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The tropical-resort ambience of Batumi, where cafes spill out onto the broad, tree-lined streets
  • Akhaltsikhe’s medieval Christian, Jewish, and Islamic structures – a testament to the multicultural influences brought by the Silk Road
  • Exploring the network of hundreds of caves that makes up Vardzia
• Days 17-21: Phoka, Gyumri (Armenia), Yerevan

  Pay a visit to the delightful Phoka Nunnery, where the nuns make cheese and chocolate by hand, before crossing into Armenia. From the city of Gyumri explore the mountainside Ashtarak region, visiting 13th century Saghmosavank Monastery and having a home-cooked Armenian meal in the beautiful wine cellar of a 170-year-old house.

  The tour’s final stop is the Armenian capital of Yerevan, a city older than Rome. Explore its mix of old and new: medieval shrines hidden behind imposing Soviet-style facades; the narrow lanes of the Old Town; Republic Square; the giant, modern Cascade stairway; and, above town, 167-foot-tall Mother Armenia statue, with a museum housed in its base. A day trip goes to the remote little monastery of Khor Virap, which has fantastic views of Mt. Ararat. Along the way, visit the workshops of a carpet weaver and a master craftsman of traditional reed instruments. A farewell dinner features Armenian food, folk music, and dance.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Handcrafted chocolates, cheeses, and beeswax candles made at Phoka Nunnery
  • 13th century Saghmosavank Monastery (Monastery of the Psalms), built of red and black stone
  • Experiencing Armenian cuisine and hospitality in a beautiful mountainside home
  • Yerevan’s Cascade, a massive, magisterial staircase in the center of the city, adorned with waterfalls and a world-class sculpture garden
  • The view of looming, snow-capped Mt. Ararat from Khor Virap monastery
  • A visit to the studio of Karen Hakobyan, one of the finest makers of the duduk, a traditional Armenian reed instrument