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Field notes and planning guides from the people who actually run the trips — mountain passes, wine country, and how we plan around the weather.
When the Jvari Pass closes — and what we actually do about it
The 2,395 m pass on the Military Highway can shut in an hour in a December storm. Here is how we plan around it so your trip never gets stranded.
Eight thousand years of wine: a first-timer’s Kakheti
Qvevri cellars, walled Sighnaghi and long lunches under the Caucasus. What to expect on your first day in Georgia’s wine country.
Baku in three layers: walled city, oil boom, flame towers
Azerbaijan’s capital stacks three cities on the Caspian. Read them in order and the skyline suddenly makes sense.
Halal, vegetarian, Jain: eating well across the Caucasus
Every diet is planned in, not improvised. How we handle food requirements across Georgia and Azerbaijan.
10 days in Georgia — a first-timer's route
A balanced first trip: Tbilisi and the wine country, the high Caucasus at Kazbegi, then the caves of Imereti and the Black Sea — with room to slow down.
Qvevri wine explained
Georgia ferments wine in clay vessels buried in the ground — an 8,000-year-old method, and the source of its amber 'orange' wine. Here's how it works and where to taste it.
Svaneti: Europe's highest villages
Medieval stone towers, glacier valleys and Ushguli — one of the highest permanently inhabited places in Europe. What to know before you go to Upper Svaneti.
Georgia + Azerbaijan in two weeks
Two Caucasus countries, one trip: Tbilisi and the Georgian mountains, then Baku, Sheki and the Caspian. How the route works, and how you cross between them.
Is Georgia Muslim-friendly?
Georgia is a Christian country, but it's an easy place to travel as a Muslim — halal food, mosques and respectful hospitality. What to expect, and what we arrange.
Flying to Georgia on a budget — the Kutaisi guide
Europe's cheap way into Georgia is Kutaisi, not Tbilisi — low-cost flights, then an easy hop to Tbilisi or the Batumi coast. Here's how to make it work.
Georgia in August: escaping the Gulf heat
August is high summer — hot on the lowlands, but cool and green in the high Caucasus. How Gulf and other travellers plan a comfortable August trip.
Sheki & the Silk Road
A caravanserai town in the Azerbaijani foothills, a khan's palace of stained glass, and the sweetest halva in the country. Why Sheki is worth the drive from Baku.
Beyond Baku: Gobustan, Lahij and Xınalıq
Ancient rock art and mud volcanoes, a coppersmiths' village, and one of the highest old villages in the Caucasus. Three trips that show the Azerbaijan beyond the capital.
Batumi vs Baku: two seas, two moods
Georgia's Black Sea resort and Azerbaijan's Caspian capital both mix old towns with bold skylines — but they feel very different. How to choose, or do both.
Travel insurance for the Caucasus: what to check
Georgia and Azerbaijan are easy, safe places to travel, but the mountains and the roads mean insurance is worth getting right. What to look for before you go.
A Georgian food guide: khachapuri, khinkali and the supra
Cheese bread, soup dumplings, walnut sauces and a feast led by a toastmaster — an easy guide to eating well in Georgia, and what not to miss.
Azerbaijani food: plov, dolma and qutab
Saffron rice, stuffed vine leaves, thin herb-filled flatbread and endless tea — a short guide to eating well in Azerbaijan, and where its food comes from.
Kobuleti vs Batumi: which Black Sea town?
Georgia's coast has two very different resorts — buzzy Batumi and quiet, family-friendly Kobuleti. How to pick, or split your time between them.
Tusheti, Vardzia and Sighnaghi: beyond Tbilisi
A remote 4×4 highland, a cave city carved into a cliff and a walled town above the vineyards — three trips that show the Georgia beyond the capital.
10 days in Azerbaijan — a first-timer's route
Baku and the Absheron fires, the Silk Road town of Sheki, mountain Gabala and the Caspian — a balanced first trip through the Land of Fire.
Azerbaijan's wine country: Ganja, Gabala and the Madrasa grape
Azerbaijan has a long, interrupted winemaking history and a modern revival in the west. Where to taste it, and the local grapes worth knowing.
Cheap flights to Baku — the budget guide
Baku is well connected and increasingly cheap to reach — low-cost carriers from Europe, the national airline and short Gulf hops. How to find the fare.
The Land of Fire: Yanar Dag, Ateshgah and Absheron
Azerbaijan calls itself the Land of Fire, and the Absheron peninsula shows why — an ever-burning hillside, a fire temple and the flames behind the country's name.
Gabala: Azerbaijan's mountain resort
Cable cars, a green lake, ski slopes and ancient ruins in the Greater Caucasus foothills — why Gabala is Azerbaijan's favourite mountain escape.