Armenia and Georgia awaits!
I hope the excitement is growing because soon enough you’ll be in the fascinating Caucasus region, exploring two fascinating countries with deep histories, incredible landscapes, endless wonders and absolutely wonderful food (and wine)! This document provides some additional information about the trip to help you get prepared…
Population: 3,000,000
Capital City: Yerevan
Religion: Christianity
Official Languages: Armenian, Russian
Population: 4,300,000
Capital City: Tbilisi
Religion: Christianity
Official Languages: Georgian, Russian
As with any type of travel, it’s always good to be prepared for transportation delays and potential obstacles due to any number of unforeseen circumstances. It’s not a guarantee of course but it’s good to be aware that when it comes to travel, things often don’t go 100% according to plan. If there are any hiccups, the best thing is to just take it as it comes, stay positive and turn it into a rewarding adventure!
The food safety standards in both countries is very high and as a result, you won’t have to worry about food cooked in unhygienic conditions. The food will be completely safe to eat throughout the tour.
The tap water in Armenia is also of very high quality and fully drinkable as it comes straight from the mountains. The tap water in Georgia, while drinkable, is heavily chlorinated and for taste purposes, it’s better to drink bottled water.
Typical food: From dumplings to roasted eggplant and stuffed pumpkin to kebabs and stuffed grape leaves, stews and an incredible variety of breads, cheeses, sweets, wine and liquors…there’s a reason why the cuisine of this region, fused together from Persian and Turkish influences, is often labeled ‘the most underrated food in the world.‘
Apart from the standard Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccinations that travelers should get regardless of where they travel, the CDC does not recommend any other vaccinations for travel to this region. Please consult with your doctor about any vaccination needs.
In order to participate in this tour, you will need to have travel/medical insurance that covers you throughout the trip. These days it is quite inexpensive for such insurance and well worth the peace of mind it brings. My recommendation for travel insurance is Safety Wing.
They provide excellent coverage at affordable rates and they offer some of the best customer service in the industry.
During this trip you can expect quite pleasant weather, warm during the day and cooling down to a nice level in the evenings. August/September is an ideal time to visit these countries as there should also be very little rain.
Here are the average temperatures of each destination on the tour:
Yerevan
85F/29C high – 58F/14C low
Areni
86F/30C high – 56F/13C low
Goris
73F/23C high – 52F/11C low
Dilijan
75F/24C high – 52F/11C low
Tbilisi
80F/27C high – 59F/15C low
Gori
76F/25C high – 56F/13C low
Stepantsminda/Kazbegi
65F/18C high – 43F/6C low
For the most part, taking comfortable, light clothing is the best idea.
Just keep in mind that, in this region, shorts are not usually worn by local women and are less common with men than in North America or other parts of Europe. While they are acceptable, you’ll most likely stand out, especially away from the capital cities. Also, long pants will be needed in order to enter some religious sites on the trip.
*Laundry – It is easy to have your laundry washed while in Armenia and Georgia. Almost every hotel offers this service and it costs around $.50 US cents per piece.
– Pants (3 pairs – comfortable, lightweight)
– Shirts (4-5 short-sleeve shirts, 3-4 long-sleeve shirts – loose fit, comfortable)
– Shorts (1-2 pairs)
– Underwear/Socks
– Sandals and shoes (sneakers or hiking shoes)
– Swimsuit (there may be opportunities to go for a swim)
– Sarong or light towel
– Warm clothing (sweaters and a jacket for cool nights)
– Toiletries and medicines (bring sufficient amounts of any medication you take)
– Small daypack
– Gadgets (camera, Kindle, mobile phone, etc)
– Chargers and plug adapter (see below)
– Earplugs (if you’re a light sleeper, bring a few pairs)
– Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
If you have any questions about other items you were thinking about bringing, just send me an email and I’ll be happy to let you know if such an item is necessary for a trip to this region.
And in terms of what you should carry, a suitcase or a backpack, it doesn’t really matter much. The most important thing is that you don’t overpack as moving around with your luggage can be tiresome and the less stuff you have, the more thankful you’ll be once the tour begins.
Feel free to bring whatever gadgets you need, however, do keep in mind that the more expensive gadgets you bring, the more you’ll have to watch out for them, not necessarily to protect them from theft, but to protect them from getting banged up while on the move.
Armenia and Georgia both use a standard two-pin European plug (Type “C”, with a voltage of 220V. You can easily purchase such a plug adapter from Amazon for just a few dollars.
As long as the charger on your device says 110-220V, you won’t need an electricity converter (you’ll only need the adapter) and your devices will charge without any problem.
Both countries offer reliable internet connections in the cities and main towns. All accommodations will have Wifi access but in smaller towns and villages, the connections might not be as consistent or fast. If you wish to have a solid data connection with you at all times, you can purchase a local SIM card upon arrival in Armenia. The cost is approximately $10 USD and that would give you about 4 GB of data. You would then do the same in Georgia and the price there is similar. The process for purchasing SIM cards is very quick and easy and Masha will be happy to assist.
Armenia and Georgia are both extremely safe for travelers and both enjoy very low crime rates. In general, you’ll find the people of both countries to be very hospitable and kind and the chances are high that you’ll feel perfectly safe at all times. It is simply recommended that you use the same common sense you would use at home, such as keeping your bags zipped up while walking around, not leaving any of your belongings unattended and not venturing off into dark or desolate areas you’re not familiar with. Apart from that, there is not much to worry about in this region as the people are typically genuine, honest and wonderfully welcoming.
*While there are some disputed territories in this region, the trip will not enter or go anywhere near these areas.
Yes! Some days will be full of planned activities and some days will be split between planned activities and free time so that you can enjoy a destination at your own pace. With that said, your guide Masha will always be available to offer personal recommendations and suggestions as to things you might want to do or see, places to eat and other interesting activities that you might want to check out when there is free time.
Armenia: $1 USD = 478 dram
Georgia: $1 USD = 2.7 lari
*Both countries use their own currencies.
*Credit cards are accepted in major cities.
In terms of spending money, you should estimate an average of $10 – $25 USD per day for all of your needs (i.e. meals not included in the tour, laundry service, extra activities you choose to do on your own).
As for exchanging money, the best method is via ATM machines which can be found in all cities and towns in both countries. This method ensures you’ll get the best exchange rate and you won’t have to carry around a large amount of cash. However, please check with your bank to make sure they don’t charge high foreign ATM fees.
If your bank fees are too high, you can also exchange USD, GBP or Euros at money exchange offices located in most cities and towns. On the days the trip visits smaller villages, you would want to make sure you already have local currency.
There is no need to exchange money at home. You will always get a better rate in the actual destination and you won’t have to pay any commission to your bank.
For both countries, tipping is similar to the rest of Europe. While not required in restaurants, leaving some extra dram or lari is always appreciated and 5-10% would be a good amount if the service is good (if it’s not, no tip is necessary). In some places, a service charge is already added to the bill and that would be the tip for the staff.
For your driver and a local guide, a tip of about $5 per day would be common and that would be split among the two of them.
Armenia
Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world. Archeologists have found marks of human settlements dating back to 90,000 BC in the territory of modern Armenia. Armenians are descendants of Hayasa-Azzi tribes indigenous to the Armenian Highland and of Armens, an Indo-European ethnic group that migrated to the territory in the second millennium BC. Though it’s known as Armenia to the outside world, locals actually call the country Hayastan, and refer to themselves as Haya people.
The first significant state was established on the territory of Armenia around 1,000 BC as the Kingdom of Ararat. Yerevan – the capital of the country – was founded by the Urartian King Argishti I in the 8th century BC. This makes Yerevan one of the oldest capitals in the world.
For centuries, Armenia was a part of the Great Silk Road, one of the major centers of trade between China, Persia and the Greek and Roman Empires. In early times, the country’s main exports were wine and horses. Later came jewelry, carpets and ceramics.
Due to its geopolitical location, the territory of modern Armenia has been in the middle of wars between Armenians, Persians and Turks, and later Romans. There were short periods of independence, which would usually end with another war with foreign conquerors. Between the 4th and 19th centuries, the territory of Armenia was ruled by Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, Turks and Arabs at one point or another.
In 301 AD Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Prior to this conversion, Armenians were predominantly Zoroastrian. It is one of the few places in the world where archeologists still find remains of Zoroastrian temples and shrines.
Persia then ruled Armenia until the early 19th century, when parts of Eastern Armenia were slowly taken over by the Russian Empire in a series of Russo-Persian wars. Western Armenia was under Ottoman rule from the mid-15th century until the end of the First World War. The period of 1915-1921 is considered to be the darkest period in the nation’s history – The Armenian Genocide. The genocide of Armenian nationals was carried out in a series of massacres, during which 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives.
After the Russian and Turkish Empires collapsed at the end of the First World War, parts of Armenia entered a very short period of independence. It ended very quickly with the Soviet Union entering the war between Armenia and Turkey and taking over the territory of modern Armenia in 1922. The country became a Soviet republic and stayed under Soviet rule until 1991, when the USSR collapsed. Since then, it has been an independent nation.
Georgia
The region of present–day Georgia was settled sometime between 6000 and 5000 BC by a neolithic culture. Archaeological excavations revealed a number of ancient settlements that included houses with galleries, carbon-dated to the fifth millennium BC, especially in the Imiris-gora region of Eastern Georgia.
Between 2100 and 750 BC, the area survived invasions by the Hittites, Urartians, Medes, Proto-Persians and Cimmerians. Two core areas of future Georgian culture and statehood formed by the end of the eighth century BC, the Kingdom of Colchis in the west and the Kingdom of Iberia in the east.
Colchis is the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in the Greek myth and may have derived from the local practice of using fleeces to sift gold dust from rivers.
The Georgian Kingdom of Iberia also became one of the first states in the world to convert to Christianity.
During the fourth and most of the fifth centuries, Iberia was under Persian control. The Kingdom was abolished and the country was ruled by governors appointed by the Shahs. By the late seventh century, the Byzantine-Persian rivalry for the Middle East had given way to Arab conquest of the region.
The rebellious regions were liberated and united into the Georgian Kingdom at the beginning of the eleventh century. This kingdom reached its zenith in the twelfth to early thirteenth centuries, and is termed Georgia’s Golden Age. But the kingdom was taken over by the Mongols in 1236 and eventually disintegrated in the fifteenth century as the Persian and Ottoman Empires battled for control. Fighting between partly autonomous regions, rebellions, and Persian and Turkish invasions weakened the area, reducing the population to 250,000 inhabitants at one point.
In 1783 Russia and the Kingdom of Iberia signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, according to which the kingdom received protection by Russia and soon after, Russian troops defeated the Persian army and saved Tbilisi from conquest. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared independence in the midst of the Russian Civil War but were soon defeated by the Russian Army once again. Georgia was then incorporated into the Transcaucasian SFSR, uniting Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan under Soviet rule.
A dissident movement would begin in the 1960s. By the 1980s, reforms were finally made and Georgia developed a multi-party system that favored independence. The country staged the first multi-party parliamentary elections in the Soviet Union on October 28, 1990.
The Georgian SSR was the first Soviet Republic to seek independence and after Soviet troops killed several people at a peaceful demonstration in Tbilisi in 1989, the ensuing anti-Soviet movement led to elections where the anti-Soviet party won an overwhelming majority of the parliamentary seats.
On April 9, 1991, shortly before the collapse of the USSR, Georgia declared independence.
