John Noble - Lonely Planet Georgia Armenia & Azerbaijan

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With breathtaking natural beauty, wonderfully hospitable people, quaintly charming architecture and cosmopolitan capitals, the three small South Caucasus nations are just waiting to be explored.

Tsminda Sameba Church (), Kazbegi, Georgia
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Few travellers are prepared for this regions beauty. The Great Caucasus strides from the Black Sea to the Caspian in a sequence of dramatic icy peaks, green river valleys and quaint, remote villages. Further south the Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Plateau are geographically complex areas of rugged mountains, lush valleys, rocky gorges and arid semideserts. Beautiful architecture is often perched in the most picturesque locations throughout.

Azeri babushka dolls
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This region, smaller than the UK, takes in three distinct countries (two Christian, one Islamic); three breakaway territories; at least 16 local languages; and a melange of Russian, Persian, Turkish and other influences. But common to them all are deep-rooted traditions of hospitality. Travellers are warmly received everywhere, and the enjoyment of tasty, fresh local food and wine with your local hosts is something you wont quickly forget.

In the Great Caucasus, Georgias Svaneti, Kazbegi and Tusheti regions and Azerbaijans Quba hinterland are strung with spectacular walking and riding routes, good for day trips and (in Georgia) village-to-village treks. Theres excellent walking in Caucasus foothill areas and the Lesser Caucasus in Armenia and southern Georgia. Thousands of pilgrims ascend Azerbaijans holy mountain, Babada, every year, while around 5000 mountaineers reach the top of Kazbek, one of Georgias handful of over-5000m peaks. You can set your adrenalin pumping by rafting on several of Georgias rivers, paragliding in its skies, or delving underground in Armenias many caves.

Forts, monasteries, mosques, churches and excavations pepper the region; history buffs will love disentangling their Bagratids from their Bolsheviks. The cities boast well-presented museums and classy concerts, dance and theatre; smaller regional museums show local culture and notables.

South Caucasus travel weaves you between cosmopolitan, modernising capitals and slow-paced countryside where most families live off their land. Social attitudes remain traditional, with family networks supreme and most women marrying early. This is a cultural crossroads where Europe meets Asia and tomorrow mingles with yesterday, where tourism infrastructure is improving but travel still presents a few challenges. It is perfect for those who like to explore beyond the beaten path and enjoy a warm local welcome at the end of a days journey.

Tbilisi Old Town

Nowhere better blends the romance of Georgias past with its striving for a new future than Tbilisis Old Town (). Winding lanes lined by rakishly leaning houses lead past tranquil old stone churches to shady squares and glimpses of the ultracontemporary Peace Bridge spanning the Mtkvari River. Casual cafes and bohemian bars rub shoulders with trendy lounge-clubs, folksy carpet shops, new travellers hostels and small, quirky hotels. The aeons-old silhouette of Nariqala Fortress supervises everything, while Georgias 21st-century Presidential Palace, with its egg-shaped glass dome, looks on from over the river.

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Svaneti

The mysterious mountain valleys of Svaneti () sit high in the Caucasus, surrounded by spectacular snowy peaks, alpine meadows and thick forests a paradise for walkers in summer. Long isolated and insulated from the outside world, Svaneti has its own language and a strongly traditional culture, symbolised by the 175 koshkebi (ancient stone defensive towers) that stand picturesquely in its villages, and the 1000-year-old frescoes in its churches. Accessible only by a long road trip until recently, Svaneti also has daily small-plane flights from Tbilisi.

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Geghard Monastery

Half cathedral, half cave, Geghard () is a spooky, dimly lit sanctuary, where voices bounce off walls, sunbeams shoot through the narrow windows and droplets of water ooze through the walls. Ancient khatchkars (carved stone crosses) surrounding the church, and crosses carved into the 800-year-old walls, are testament to centuries of pious visitors. Walking through the church you half expect to find Indiana Jones busting the stone floor open to reveal lost treasures.

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Kazbegi Area

Just a couple of hours drive from Tbilisi, the small town of Kazbegi () is the hub of one of the regions most spectacular, yet easily accessed, high-mountain zones. The sight of Tsminda Sameba Church silhouetted on its hilltop against the massive snow-covered cone of Mt Kazbek is Georgias most iconic image. Numerous walking, horse and mountain-bike routes lead along steep-sided valleys and up to glaciers, waterfalls, mountain passes and isolated villages just ideal for getting a taste of the high Caucasus.

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Yerevan Street Life

Street life in Yerevan () is slow-paced, often involving long hours spent lingering over coffee or beer in the citys numerous outdoor cafes. The cafe scene gets going in late afternoon and builds to a crescendo by evening, ending some time before dawn. The cafe crowds mass around Opera Sq, the Ring Park or Republic Sq, occasionally passing by Northern Ave to preen and parade their latest fashions.

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