NAGORNO KARABAKH

Day 1:

• Arrival at your convenience in Yerevan
• We’ll then start a Soviet Yerevan tour, we’ll see one of the other mother motherland monuments this time overlooking Yerevan and surrounded by military equipment such as tanks, APC’s and missiles.
• Inside is a museum to the Nagorno-Karabakh war which we’ll visit.
• Armenian dinner and overnight in Yerevan

Day 2:

• After breakfast, we will depart for the city of Goris on
  Morning departure to; the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, Stephanakert, by private transport which will be taking a scenic route crossing the stunning mountains of Armenia.
• After crossing the Nagorno Karabakh border, we’ll pull over to check out a burnt out tank from the civil war now discarded on a mountain road.
• On the way, we’ll stop at the wacky village of Vank to see Titanic and Seastone hotels, strange places built by a local eccentric billionaire, and a really weird treat of the trip. Nearby is also a Soviet monument surrounded by discarded weapons and mortar from the recent civil war.
• Visit the Gandzasar monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the world, tracing its roots to 600 AD, it survived multiple bombing attempts by Azerbaijan during the conflict.
• Explore ancient cemetery around the monastery.
• Evening arrival in Stepanakert where we will check into our hotel before heading out for an evening meal.
• Overnight in Stepanakert

Day 3:

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Visit the foreign affairs department and get our Nagorno-Karabakh visas. It is optional to have it in your passport, as this stamp means you cannot enter Azerbaijan on the passport in use.
• We will then do a walking tour of the quirky town of Stepanakert, taking in the parliament, the museum of the republic, Soviet relics and a local weapons shop where, if we’re lucky, we can take photos holding Kalashnikovs and other weapons.
• Visit the extremely disturbing museum to fallen soldiers in battles during the war with Azerbaijan.
• The museum contains a variety of objects and photographs and tells of horror stories about the war.
  A stop at the brand new but never properly used Stepanakert airport
• We’ll then drive to the small town of Sushi, decimated in the civil war and ethnically cleansed of Azeris, it’s now an eerie shell of its former self. There are still many Azeri mosques here which are of course abandoned, we can explore these and even climb to the top of the minarets.
• We’ll stop at another destroyed Soviet era tank on the way as well as checking out a bullet riddled Soviet WW2 monument.
• We’ll return to Stephanakert to have dinner at Yureni – a traditional Karabakh restaurant, then visit the local nightclub for some evening drinks in one of the only nightclubs in Nagorno Karabakh.
• Overnight in Stepanakert

Day 4:

• After breakfast, we check out and begin our departure to Yerevan
• On the way, we’ll visit the famous Papik and Tatik monument also known as ‘we are the mountains’, a Soviet era monument reminiscent of something from Easter island which is dedicated to the mountains and the people of this region.
• Stop at the Armenian Stonehenge, twice as old as the English one.
• Roadside lunch on the way to Yerevan.
• Evening arrival in Yerevan and check into a hotel before dinner in a traditional Armenian Restaurant.
• Night in the town in Yerevan. Yerevan is a very young party town and will provide for a great night out!
• Overnight at the hotel.

Day one:

• Meet up in Tbilisi in the morning or early afternoon, grab some local Georgian breakfast / lunch and discuss the tour plan.
• I will then show you the best sights in Tbilisi, visiting the ancient fortress that dominates the skyline, ancient monasteries and the stunning old town.
• We will grab some traditional Georgian food at a local cafe.
• We then head to the suburbs, to the functioning headquarters of the Georgian Communist party and the site of Stalin’s old hideout and secret propaganda printing press.
• We then head to the dry bridge flea market, where you will have the chance to buy some awesome antiques, jewellery and Soviet relics at very low prices.
• We grab dinner and some drinks overlooking the beautiful Tbilisi skyline.
• Overnight in Tbilisi.

Day two:

• At 09:00, our driver will meet us at the hotel in Tbilisi
• We cross the border and start the journey to the land of ancient traditions and oldest temples: Armenia!
• Drive to Lori region and visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites Haghpat and Sanahin* monasteries.
• Two stunning examples of Armenian traditional architecture which were erected in 10-13th centuries. Standing on a hillside, Haghpat beautifully overlooks the Debed River. The location of the monastery was chosen to protect the peace and seclusion of its monks. The complex consists of several structures. The biggest one is the Cathedral of Surb Nishan with a beautiful fresco depicting Christ Pantocrator.
• Continue to the 10th-century Sanahin monastery, famous in the Middle Ages for its calligraphy and illumination school. The name of Sanahin can be translated as “this one is older than that one” presumably meaning that Sanahin was built earlier than its neighbour Haghpat. There are numerous khachkars (Armenian cross-stones) on the territory of monasteries dating back to 11-13 centuries.
• Both Haghpat and Sanahin were important educational centres of medieval times.
• We will also see some colossal Soviet monuments on the way, from war memorials to fighter jets.
• After sightseeing, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. You will have a chance to taste traditional local dishes and get an insight into Armenian cuisine.
• Cross the border back to Tbilisi around 5pm.
• We grab dinner and some drinks overlooking Tbilisi before we jump in a taxi to the train station.
• We grab supplies and board our train for the overnight journey to the frontier town of Zugdidi, located on the war torn border of Abkhazia.
• Overnight on the train.

Day three:

• We arrive in Zugdidi in the early hours.
• We will grab breakfast at a nearby cafe and wait for the border to open.
• Take a taxi to the tense border zone, you can grab a beer or coffee at the nearby border cafe and I will deal with local security forces, waiting times are unpredictable.
• When we receive clearance, we will board a horse and cart to cross the war-torn bridge that is the heavily militarised zone between the two countries. This is also one of the most heavily militarised borders in Europe. You will see guns pointed at either side and the iconic and ironic monument of a twisted barrel pistol on the way pointed at Abkhazia…
• We then clear Abkhazian / Russian security forces formalities, again, waiting times are unpredictable but I will deal with all formalities and questions and I will have our visa clearance prepared.
• We will then grab a local bus to the capital of Sukhumi and check into the hotel, depending on our arrival time, I will head to the foreign ministry and collect our visas this day, or the next if we are too late.
• We head out for some local Abkhazian food and some drinks overlooking the Black Sea.
• Overnight in Sukhumi.

Day four:

• We’ll get breakfast in a nearby cafe, with bullet holes in the ceiling from wedding celebrations.
• We then do an intensive tour of war-torn Sukhumi: We will visit the waterfront, WW2 bunkers, the eerie, battle-scarred parliament building and climb onto the roof if possible to take in the unbeatable view. Inside the walls are stained with blood from the massacre that occurred here very recently.
• Visit the military sanitorium with its Russian army outpost, Cosmonaut training centre and Soviet relics, we will see the monkey sanctuary, the war-damaged suburbs and then visit a military shop to buy some fantastic souvenirs and Abkhaz flags if you wish.
• Dinner and drinks overlooking the Black Sea.
• Overnight in Sukhumi

Day five:

• We grab breakfast and grab a taxi to Novi Athon, see the stunning monastery and explore some of the deepest cave systems in the world.
• We will then visit the tropical park and photogenic abandoned train station that was the scene of fierce battles in the latest war.
• After lunch in Novi Athon, we will visit the military museum dedicated to the recent civil war.
• We then take a taxi to Gagra.
• Gagra is often described as the Russian Riviera because it has been the favourite Summer destination for generations of Russians. Gagra hosts some of the most spectacular landscapes in Abkhazia because the mountains and beaches sit side by side.
• We will explore Gagra, seeing the abandoned holiday villas of the Soviet elite, the abandoned Soviet cinema and the football stadium that witnessed a horrific massacre during the recent civil war.
• Overnight in Gagra.

Day six:

• We make an early start for our tour of Lake Ritsa, one of the deepest lakes in the Caucasus.
• Surrounded by mountains with heights of up to 3,500m. Joseph Stalin frequently visited the lake and fell in love with Ritsa so much that he had a Summerhouse built on the banks, which still stands today and which we will visit weather permitting. The road to Ritsa is breath-taking. Weather permitting we will take a boat trip out on the lake.
• We will then take a tour of the private summer house of Stalin.
• Overnight in Gagra

Day seven:

• Head back to the border via Sukhumi.
• We will stop at some sights related to the war on the way back and if there is time we’ll stop at a natural Sulphur spring for a refreshing break.
• After crossing the border we’ll return to central Zugdidi and enjoy an evening meal whilst we wait for our train.
• Night train back to Tbilisi.

Day eight:

• Early morning arrival in Tbilisi
• End of tour