HERITAGE OF CAUCASUS: Georgia and Azerbaijan. NEW tour!

Tour start date(s):	10-09-2026
Duration:	8 days/ 7 nights
Location:	Baku (arrival, 4 nights) – Krasnaya Sloboda – Khinalug – Bibi-Heybat – Gobustan – Ateshgah – Sighnaghi – Bodbe – Mtskheta – Gori – Uplistsikhe – Tbilisi (3 nights, departure)
Price (including tax):	DBL 1920 USD, SNGL 2490 USD (flights not included)

A JORNEY YOU VILL NEVER FORGET 

• Small group: 6–15 travelers;

• Comfortable transportation: minivan or Sprinter;

• Licensed guide escort throughout the entire program;

• 12 major excursions without physical difficulty;

• Accommodation in 4-star hotels in Baku and Tbilisi (only two hotels — minimal packing & transfers);

• Half-board (two meals daily);

• Welcome dinner with music & folklore show;

• Wine & chacha tasting;

• Authentic Khachapuri & Khinkali cooking master class;

• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Icheri Sheher, Mtskheta, Gobustan (rock art), Khinalug;

• Unique cultural & natural experiences: mud volcanoes, eternal flames, ancient cave cities, iconic monuments.

Day 1 — Arrival in Baku

Arrival at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Meeting with your guide and transfer to a 4-star hotel in central Baku.

At 17:00 we depart for a combined bus-and-walking tour of evening Baku.

A festive welcome dinner awaits you at a traditional restaurant, where you will experience the rich Azerbaijani cuisine influenced by Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Persian traditions. Legend says Baku has 365 types of dolma — one for every day of the year!

Meals: Dinner with musical folklore program
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Baku

Day 2 — Sightseeing Tour of Baku

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure at 9:00 AM for a full-day tour of Baku.

We begin from the panoramic terrace of Highland Park, offering spectacular views of the city and the Caspian Sea.
We then visit the former industrial district Black City, today transformed into the elite White City. We view the Villa Petrolea — the historic Nobel Brothers’ residence.

Next, we enter the winding streets of the Old City — Icheri Sheher, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Highlights include:

• Maiden Tower

• 44 medieval architectural monuments

• Palace of the Shirvanshahs (15th century)

We will see locations where iconic films were shot (Amphibian Man, Tehran-43, The Diamond Arm), view the mansions of the last Baku khans, the Taghiyev residence, and the picturesque “Baku Venice.”
Visit to a signature boutique of one of the oldest wine & cognac producers.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Baku

Day 3 — Krasnaya Sloboda & Khinalug: the Mountain World of Azerbaijan

After breakfast, we depart by bus.

We visit Krasnaya Sloboda, home to Mountain Jews for over 300 years. Their traditional community structure — the kagal — has preserved religious, social, and cultural practices across generations.

City tour includes:

• Juma Mosque

• Mausoleum (17th century)

• 19th-century synagogue

• Red Bridge connecting Krasnaya Sloboda with Guba

• Forest tunnel

We then see the natural wonder known as the Mysterious Minaret.

Next, we travel to Khinalug, a remote mountain village at 2300 meters, mentioned by Pliny the Elder. This 5000-year-old settlement developed unique customs and its own language due to centuries of isolation.
The mountain road offers views reminiscent of the Grand Canyon.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Baku

Day 4 — Gobustan, Mud Volcanoes, Bibi-Heybat, Ateshgah & Yanar Dag

After breakfast, we head to the Gobustan National Reserve, one of Azerbaijan’s icons.
We explore ancient dwellings, burial mounds, and petroglyphs of prehistoric Absheron tribes.

Azerbaijan hosts over one-third of the world’s mud volcanoes, and we will visit some of the most dramatic ones near Gobustan.

We also see:

• The world’s first drilled oil well (1846)

• The first oil pipeline

Lunch with fresh Caspian fish is served on the shore of Baku Bay.
We continue to the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

Next, we visit the Ateshgah Fire Temple, once revered by Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Sikhs. You will learn about Zoroastrian symbolism and the ancient fire cult.

On Yanar Dag, the “Burning Mountain,” you will witness an astonishing natural eternal flame, burning since ancient times.

We conclude at Masazir Lake, one of the world’s eight natural pink salt lakes — an ideal spot for remarkable photos.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Baku

Day 5 — Arrival in Tbilisi. Old Town, Abanotubani & Narikala

Transfer to Baku Airport and flight to Tbilisi (not included).
Upon arrival, meeting with the guide and start of the Tbilisi tour.

According to legend, King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded Tbilisi after discovering healing hot springs. The name Tbilisi means “Warm City.”

We explore:

• 16th-century domed sulfur baths (admired by Pushkin and Dumas)

• Metekhi Church and the tomb of St. Shushanik

• Narikala Fortress (4th century)

• Sharden Street — cafés, boutiques, galleries

• Meidan Bazaar — handmade crafts & souvenirs

In the evening, enjoy a Georgian feast with a folklore show (included).

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Tbilisi

Day 6 — Kakheti: Sighnaghi, Bodbe & Wine Country

After breakfast, we depart to Sighnaghi, the City of Love, where marriages are registered 24/7 — while divorces are granted only once a month and only on the 13th.

We walk atop the Sighnaghi Fortress, one of the largest in Georgia, and admire panoramic views of the Alazani Valley.

Nearby, in a cypress grove, stands the Bodbe Convent, where St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia, is buried (347 AD).

We continue to one of Kakheti’s finest wineries for:

• Tasting of five wines

• Wines made in ancient qvevri clay vessels

• Tasting of two types of chacha (grape pomace spirit)

Next, we join a fun and delicious cooking master class to prepare traditional khachapuri and khinkali, enjoyed together outdoors with wine.
In warm seasons, guests may swim in a pool overlooking the vineyards.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: 4★ hotel in central Tbilisi

Day 7 — Mtskheta, Gori & Uplistsikhe

After breakfast, we travel to Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia and a UNESCO site dating back to the 5th century BC.

We visit Jvari Monastery, overlooking the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers — the view immortalized in Lermontov’s Mtsyri.
We discuss the history of Christianity in Georgia and the place where St. Nino erected the first cross.

Lunch stop at a traditional restaurant serving hearty Samtskhe–Javakheti cuisine.

Next, we drive to Gori, birthplace of Joseph Stalin, and visit the renowned Stalin Museum, home to over 60,000 artifacts.
The highlight is Stalin’s armored railway carriage, used during the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences — open for viewing.

We continue to the ancient cave city of Uplistsikhe (“Fortress of the Lord”), founded in the 10th century BC.
Carved directly into the rock are:

• dwellings

• temples

• wine cellars

• granaries

• bakeries

• an ancient theater

We walk along stone paths, visit the 9th-century church, and descend into the secret tunnel once used for water supply during sieges.
A spectacular view of the Kura River valley crowns the day.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Tbilisi

Day 8 — Departure from Georgia

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Tbilisi Airport and departure.

TOUR INCLUDES:

• 4★ hotels: 4 nights in Baku & 3 nights in Tbilisi;

• Half-board (breakfast + lunch or dinner);

• Welcome dinner with musical show in Baku;

• All entrance tickets;

• Licensed Russian-speaking guide on all excursions;

• Transportation by comfortable minivan/Sprinter according to the program;

NOT INCLUDED:

• Travel insurance, flights, guide gratuities;

• Anything not listed in the “Tour Includes” section;

• Drinks and wine (paid on the spot);

• Hotel city taxes (2–3 EUR per night);

• Headsets (required for groups of 12+ participants);