Caucasus – Travel to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan

The trigger to explore the Caucasus region arose when Indigo announced direct flights to Tbilisi and Baku in 2023. After Subbu and I successfully completed our Central Asia trip last year, we decided that our next adventure would be to the Caucasus region.

What is Caucasus?

The Caucasus, specifically the South Caucasus in this context, encompasses the countries of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, which were once part of the Soviet Union and are now sovereign nations. This region is bordered by Iran, Turkey, and Russia. Positioned at the crossroads of the Russian, Ottoman, and Persian empires, the current state of these countries is deeply influenced by this historical legacy.

Challenges

This trip came with many challenges, as these countries have a history of conflicts and tensions. Armenia and Azerbaijan are bitter adversaries, having fought several wars—the most recent in 2023, when Azerbaijan achieved a decisive victory and reclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh region, causing over 100,000 Armenians to flee. There was no way to cross directly between these countries, and there were reports that visiting one could lead to increased scrutiny during immigration in the others.

Georgia has also faced its share of turmoil, recently experiencing protests over a law that polarized the country between EU and Russian influences. Georgia itself lost 20% of its territory in wars with Russia. Additionally, Georgia has a history of deporting Indian travellers upon arrival.

Despite these concerns, a closer examination revealed that while logistics needed to be carefully managed, there were no significant safety issues in these countries.

Visa

All three countries offered e-visa options for tourists, making the process straightforward. There was no need to send passports to distant New Delhi, simplifying the travel preparations. I will explain the process for each country in separate posts.

Planning

Since these countries were so close to each other, it made sense to visit them in one trip, saving on airfare and avoiding repeat travel. We had a total of 15 days, so we needed to plan the itinerary to fit within that timeframe.

We chose to travel in August, considering the weather and our work holidays. Flight tickets were booked three months in advance, but it was a bit tricky. Tbilisi and Baku had cheaper flights due to direct connections with India. Ideally, the route from Tbilisi to Yerevan and then to Baku, or vice versa, would have made the most sense. However, the geopolitical situation prevented us from crossing directly from Armenia to Azerbaijan. So, our initial plan was to start in Baku and end in Yerevan, with Georgia in between. But after finding cheaper flights in the reverse direction, we adjusted our plan accordingly. The final itinerary was Yerevan (Armenia) -> Tbilisi (Georgia) -> Baku (Azerbaijan).

 

We booked Air Arabia from Bengaluru to Yerevan and IndiGo from Baku to Bengaluru. We traveled from Yerevan to Tbilisi by van, crossing the border into Georgia by land. However, we couldn’t do the same between Georgia and Azerbaijan, as Azerbaijan kept its land borders closed after the pandemic (it seems to be the only country that hasn’t reopened its land borders since). So, we had to book a flight from Tbilisi to Baku, with Azerbaijan Airlines being the only option.

Hotels

Hotel booking was straightforward. I used Booking.com for all our reservations, selecting hotels based on their ratings (above 7), price, and location. All reservations included a flexible cancellation policy with the option to pay at the hotel, which proved helpful when we needed to modify our plans in Azerbaijan at the last minute.

Local transport

We relied on public transport as much as possible inside and between cities. Taxis were also affordable, and we used YandexGo in Armenia and Georgia, and Bolt in Azerbaijan. These services were very convenient, with no cancellations and reasonable prices.

For day trips outside the cities, we booked tours through GetYourGuide, which worked out very well.

Language

Each country has its own language and script, and English is not widely understood by the general population. However, in the hotel and travel industry, most people do speak English, so it wasn’t as challenging as it was in Central Asia.

Network

As usual, I enabled international roaming on my phone. It worked well in most areas. All hotels we stayed had Wi-Fi.

Currency

Each of the three countries had its own currency. We brought some US dollars in cash but primarily used credit cards whenever possible, as it was the most convenient and cost-effective option with no markup fees or additional charges like GST or TCS.

In some instances, cash was necessary. We exchanged currency when needed and, in a couple of places, used a debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Food

Food was not a problem. Many restaurants had vegetarian options. There are Indian restaurants in cities, but they usually cost more, and most of them aren’t owned by Indians.

Safety

We felt very safe in these countries. Even late at night, we had no problems. People were friendly, and nothing bad happened. I’d say these countries are much safer than many Western cities, especially in the U.S., which can be very unsafe.

Why travel to these countries?

These countries have a rich history and beautiful nature to explore. Cities have European vibe. They are close to India and cheaper compared to Western countries. Since they are not yet popular with tourists, we didn’t encounter large crowds, even in August.