FROM THE HIGH CAUCASUS TO MOUNT ARARAT – AN ODYSSEY THROUGH

GEORGIA AND ARMENIA

With Phil and Allie Dunnington

16.Sept -2. Oct 2012

Day One: Sunday 16.9.

Arrival at Tbilisi International Airport, where our representative will meet you. Thirty-minute shuttle ride

to the hotel. After check-in - dinner in the hotel depending on the time the flight arrives or rest (most flights arrive

late night) and leisure time.

Day Two: Monday 17.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Tour around Tbilisi (Old City).

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia and the largest city in the country. According to the chronicles, its history

dates back more than 1,500 years. Tbilisi is situated along the banks of the River Kura. The old town, its historical

centre, nestles at the foot of Mount Mtatsminda (Holy Mountain). It has retained Tbilisi’s special charm, which is

distinguished by narrow streets lined with 2-3-storey buildings of stone and brick adorned by exquisitely carved

wooden verandas, passageways, and balconies. The buildings date back to the mid-14th-beginning of the 20th

centuries.

The Anchiskhati Basilica (6th century) is the oldest church in Tbilisi. It was named after the icon of the Saviour. The

Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, named after a world renowned artist playwright, goes on tour all over the

world and enjoys invariable success. We continue our tour through narrow old-world alleys toward King Irakly II

Street. Situated on the southern hills Narikala fortress (7th century) offers splendid views over the city and the

sulphur bathhouse districts. This is a legendary place where the nobility caroused in the olden days, and the town

matchmakers surreptitiously looked for potential brides.

The Metekhi Church (13th century) is located on a cliff that rises above the Mtkvari River. The church and the

monument to the city founder King Vakhtang Gorgasali are symbols of Tbilisi. We climb from Metekhi along the

narrow alleys of the old town to the Avlabar district where the Holy Trinity Cathedral is located. It is one of the

largest Georgian Orthodox church complexes in the world. The cathedral was built in 2004. It is decorated with

incredibly beautiful frescos and displays a collection of ancient Georgian icons.. After lunch - leisure time. Dinner in

a Georgian restaurant offering delicious national cuisine. Options (for those who are willing to continue

sightseeing) – visit to The Georgian National Ethnography Museum.

Day Three: Tuesday 18.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Tour Alazany Valley via David Gareji cave monastery.

David Gareji monastery complex (60 km away, travel time—1 hour 30 min) was established in the 6th-12th

centuries that stretches for 60 km along the Georgian-Azerbaijani border. The St. David Lavra is considered to be

the main monastery of the David Gareja complex. This Lavra was founded in the mid-6th century by St. David

Garejeli, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers who settled in the natural cave of Gareja. In many of the monastery’s

churches, 8th-14th-century frescos have survived. After the excursion to David Gareji we’ll travel to Alazani Valley.

Alazani Valley is the homeland of the Georgian wine industry. We’ll go to the old town of Sighnaghi (60 km from

David Gareji and 115 km from Tbilisi), which is situated on the top of a mountain range that rises above the Alazani

Valley. In the Middle Ages, the town was a major trade centre, and its buildings were designed in the South Italian

classicist style. Today, it has been entirely resorted in its original appearance.

We’ll continue with a visit to the local museum of history and ethnography that features a collection

of exhibits of household items, work tools, ornaments, and weapons found during archeological digs in the

Alazani Valley. They date from the 5th century BC to the 19th century. The museum also exhibits paintings by

famous Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani. After excursion - leisure time. Dinner in the hotel

Day Four: Wednesday 19.9.

Breakfast in the hotel.

For Pilots – morning flight over Alazani Vallay Start - aprox. at 06.30, landing – 09.30. Launching positions

according to weather conditions: around the town of Gurdjaani with landing in the valley. After the flight

pilots and teams will join the “not flying” group.

Sightseeing in the Alazani Valley. You will visit the museum-estate of Prince Chavchavadze in Tsinandali.

This is where the first wine factory in Georgia is located, the cellars of which store a unique collection of wines

of the mid-19th-beginning of the 20th century (40 km from Signaghi).

Then we shall drive to Iqalto (6th century) and Alaverdi (9th century) and visit the monasteries which were

major spiritual and scientific centers of Georgia in the Middle Ages. (25 km from Tsinandali). Folk Dinner will be

served in Auntie Nunu’s wine museum in the Alazani Valley. The museum features a collection of wine-making

items, beginning from the middle of the first century BC. Samples of ordinary and collectors’ wines are exhibited

here, as well as different brands of chacha (grape brandy). The museum excursion begins by showing you how to

make a traditional Georgian delicacy called churchkhela (nuts covered with a thick layer of congealed grape juice

on a string). Then you are shown how to make shoti, Georgian bread baked on coals in clay ovens. This is followed

by the preparation of a traditional Georgian dish called khinkali. After the dinner return back to Sighnaghi (60

km).

Day Five: Thursday 20.9.

Breakfast in the hotel.

For pilots – morning. flight over Alazani Vallay Start - aprox. at 06.30, landing – 09.30. Launching positions:

around the town of Sighnaghi with landing in the valley. After the flight pilots and teams will join the “not flying”

group.

Travel to Lagodekhi National Park which is located (30 km from Sighnaghi) on the southern slope of Eastern

Caucasus has untouched natural ecosystems with beautiful lakes and splendid waterfalls. The National Park is

a home to many endemic species of flora and fauna including rare plant species. The Park also presents a shelter

for brown bear, wolf, lynx, chamois, roe deer, red deer, East Caucasian goat and wild boar, as well as a variety of

birds such as lammergeyer, golden eagle, peregrine falcon and Caucasian snow cock.

We’ll spend there all day traveling by feet or horseback, having a picnic lunch and return back to Sighnaghi in the

evening. Dinner in the hotel.

Day Six: Friday 21.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer from Sighnaghi to the town of Mtskheta (140 km, 2 h. 30 min). After check in our

hotel we tour around Mtskheta. Mtskheta is the ancient capital of Georgia, this is where Georgia’s conversion to

Christianity began. The Svetitskhoveli Church (11th century) and the Jvary Monastery (6th

century) are the main

shrines. After lunch - leisure time. Dinner will be served in a restaurant of the National Air Club of Georgia,

Natakhtari airfield (5 km from Mtskheta)

Day Seven: Saturday 22.9.

Breakfast in the hotel.

For pilots – morning flight in Mukhrani Vallay. Launching positions (according to weather conditions and winds):

Jvary Monastry, Bazalety Lake, Mukhrany Vil. with landing in the valley. After the flight pilots and teams will

join “not flying” group.

Tour to Shatou Mukhrani Winery and Dionice Tample (3 AD) in Mukhrani Valley

Chateau Mukrani is a leading wine producer in Georgia. At the winery, the Chateau is renovating a historical

castle of a Georgian royal family and turning it into a high-standard event center and wine-tourism destination.

Lunch at Chateau Mukrani Vinery. Sightseeing continue. Return to Mtskheta. Leisure time. Dinner at leisure.

Day Eight: Sunday 23.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Tour of town of Gori (Stalin museum) and Uplistsikhe cave settlement

(50 km. from Mtskheta, 45 min drive).

Uplistsikhe is a cave settlement that emerged at the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. In pre-Christian times,

Uplistsikhe was a pagan center. After Christianity was adopted in the town, Christian churches began to be built.

King Bagrat III was crowned in Uplistsikhe in 975. It was here that the word “Sakartvelo” the country’s self-

designation was first pronounced In the 13th century, in the aftermath of Genghis Khan’s attack on Georgia,

Uplistsikhe fell and ceased to exist.

For Pilots – morning flight around Uplistsikhe. Start at 06.30, landing at 90.30. Launching positions (according to

weather conditions and winds): around Uplistsikhe After the flight pilots and teams will join “not flying” group.

Lunch in a tavern in Gori. Then we return back to Mtskheta. Leisure time. Supper in the restaurant in Mtskheta

with Georgian cuisine.

Day Nine: Monday 24.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Natakhtari airfield, flight to Svaneti Region (1 h.)

Svaneti is a high-altitude area of Georgia. It is situated in an alpine zone located in the northwest of Georgia on the

southern slopes of the Greater Caucasian Mountain Range at an altitude of 2,500 m above sea level. It is more

than 3,000 sq. km in area. Its center is the village of Mestia.

The main mountain peak in Svaneti is Ushba (4,690 m). It is not far from the village of Mestia. This is where the

River Inguri has its source. The glaciers of Ushba feed hundreds of streams that flow into the river. The Inguri is

extremely powerful; in the mountains, it stretches for 120 km, with an altitude drop of 2,400 m. It rushes

tempestuously downward through rocky gorges and eventually runs into the Black Sea.

Svaneti is a historic province that has retained its primordial nature. Its distinguishing features are snow-topped

mountains and ancient turrets. These towers were built in the 12th-13th centuries. There is nothing else like them

anywhere else in the world. They are free-standing four-sided (5x5 m) stone fortresses up to 25 metres high. They

have five floors, blind walls, and the entrance is no lower than 5 m from the ground. The Svan towers are

inaccessible fortresses. With supplies of food, water, and ammunition, people could stay safe there for years.

The Svans are known for their bravery. They never waged wars of conquest, but nor did they ever cede their land

to anyone. Throughout Svaneti’s many-millennia history, its territory has never been conquered by enemies. The

Svans have always been a free people who did not recognize any lord. So there has never been slavery or feudal

law here, and noble titles were only provisional.

The story of the Golden Fleece belongs to Svaneti mythology. The ancient Greek historians told of the gold-

panning Svans who lived in the Caucasian mountains. The mountain streams were rich in invisible gold dust and

the Svans would gather it using sheep fleeces. This is precisely how King Aeëtes’ Golden Fleece came into being.

The ethnography museum in Mestia has exhibits of antique Svan totemic sculptures and amulets that confirm the

reports of the Greeks. For the past 1,500 years, the Svans have been Orthodox Christians. You will find medieval

stone churches decorated with ancient frescoes in their villages. When we reach Mestia, we check into our nice

lodge hotel. We’ll go on an excursion to the ethnography museum of Mestia. Excursion (by car or horseback)

around Mestia. After picnic lunch sightseeing continues. Evening— ceremonial initiation as mountain-dwellers,

during which the initiate is presented with a Svan felt hat.

Day Ten: Tuesday 25.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Excursion (by car or horseback) around Svaneti, climb to the glaciers near the village of

Uzhguli. Picnic lunch. Sightseeing continues. Supper in the hotel.

Day Eleven: Wednesday 26.9.

Breakfast in the hotel. Flight back to Natakhtari airfield. Transfer to hotel in Tbilisi.

After check-in, leisure time, shopping. You may visit to the famous flea market called “Dry Bridge”. At one time,

the River Kura ran under the bridge. But at the end of the 19th century, its channel was diverted several hundred

meters and the bridge was left “dry.” Here you will find souvenirs to suit every taste. You will also find antiques

here: olden-day weapons, military awards, jewelry, carpets, and crockery. Dinner in a Georgian restaurant.

Day Twelve: Thursday 27.9. Morning Breakfast in the hotel. Departure to Armenia, Yerevan (by mini bus, 260 km, 5 h, 30 min) During your stay in Svaneti balloons were transported to Armenia and prepared for flights (if we get permissions to fly in Armenia).

Armenia

Day twelve: Thursday 27.9.

Arrive at the border to Armenia, immigration (visa on arrival), change vehicles and visit beautiful lake Sevan. Take a

walk at the lake shore and admire the scenery. Head for Yerevan and check in hotel city center.

Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the

altitude of 1,900m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2, the lake itself is 940 km2,

and the volume is 34.0 bln cubic meters. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is

drained by the Hrazdan river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Before human intervention dramatically

changed the Lake Sevan ecosystem, the lake was 95 metres deep, covered an area of 1,360 km² (5% of Armenia's

entire area), had a volume of 58 km³ and a perimeter of 260 km.

Day Thirteen: Friday 28.9.

Excursion to Armavir Region. Afternoon Yerevan city tour. History Museum, shopping.

Echmiadzin Monastery: Echmiadzin is the center of the Armenian Church. It is where the Catholicos of all

Armenians lives and the location of the Echmiadzin Cathedral. The cathedral, built in 480, is located in a walled

compound with gardens and various structures. The word ‘Echmiadzin’ means ‘The coming of the only-begotten’,

and the cathedral was built on the very spot where Grigor Luysavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) dreamt Jesus

himself descended from heaven to show him where he wanted the church to be built.

Day Fourteen: Saturday 29.9.

Maybe a flight in the morning? Drive through picturesque Avan Canyon and visit the ancient temple of Garni and

the monastery complex of Geghard. Stop on the way back for a taste of famous Yerevan Brandy.

Garni Temple is on the road to Geghard and both can be comfortably seen on the same day. Halfway to Garni however, take a few minutes to look at the Charents Arch. The arch itself is not what you stop for, but for the great view of Ararat which it frames on a clear day. When you get to Garni, it will remind you of a somewhat plain Parthenon. It was built in the first century A.D. by the Armenian King Tiridates with the money he received after visiting Emperor Nero in Rome. The temple was destroyed in 1679 in an earthquake, but was reconstructed in Soviet times.

Geghard Monastery- the monastery of Geghard is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury.

Day fiveteen: Sunday 30.9. Another day with a possibility to fly. Visit Khor Virap and catch a glimpse of Mt Ararat. Wander around the monastery complex of Noravank set within a canyon rich with rare flowers.

Khor Virap Monastery: Khor Virap (meaning ‘deep pit’) monastery is a 7th century Armenian monastery in the

Ararat plain in Armenia, very close to the border with Turkey and the closest point in Armenia to Mount Ararat, the national symbol of Armenia. Khor Virap is significant in Armenian history because it is the where Saint Gregory the Illuminator (the patron-saint of Armenia) was imprisoned in a deep dungeon for 13 years by the then pagan Armenian King Trdat III. According to Armenian legend, the King contracted a vile disease turning him into a wild boar. After releasing Saint Gregory from the dungeon, the King was healed by Saint Gregory and converted him to Christianity in 301 AD, making Armenia the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.

Noravank Monastery: Noravank (meaning "New Monastery" in Armenian) is a 13th century Armenian Apostolic

Church monastery, located 122 km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river, nearby the city of

Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery.

The monastery is best known for its two-storey S. Astvatsatsin church, which grants access to the second floor by

way of narrow stones jutting out from the face of building. The monastery is sometimes called Amaghu-Noravank,

Amaghu being the name of a small recently destroyed village above the canyon, in order to distinguish it from

Bgheno-Noravank, near Goris.

Day Sixteen: Monday 1.10. Leave Yerevan and drive back up north. Stop at the Haghartsin monastery near Dilijan, then proceed to the border, change vehicles and drive to Tblisi. Check in for a last night in Tblisi.

Haghartsin is a 13th century monastery located near the town of Dilijan in the Tavush Province of Armenia. It was

built between the 10th and 14th century (in the 12th under Khachatur of Taron); much of it under the patronage

of the Bagratuni Dynasty. St. Astvatsatsin Church in Haghardzin (1281) is the largest building and the dominant

artistic feature. The sixteen-faced dome is decorated with arches, the bases of whose columns are connected by

triangular ledges and spheres, with a band around the drum’s bottom. This adds to the optical height of the dome

and creates the impression that its drum is weightless.

Day seventeen: Tuesday 2.10

Spend another day at your own leisure in Tblisi or head back to the airport for your flight back home.

END OF YOUR JOURNEY