Caucasian Food: Shared Tables and Distinct Flavours Across Three Countries

Caucasian Food: Shared Tables and Distinct Flavours Across Three Countries In Sheki’s old quarter, a halva-maker layers rice-paper-thin dough by hand — rishta, laid eight or ten sheets deep around a filling of hazelnut, cardamom and coriander, the whole tray finished with a saffron pattern before the syrup goes on. A few days and one […]

Caucasus Tours for Older Travellers: What a 22-Day Small-Group Journey Involves

Caucasus Tours for Older Travellers: What a 22-Day Small-Group Journey Involves Caucasus tours cover a lot of ground — three countries, two mountain ranges and a genuine change of culture and script at each border — and it’s reasonable to want a clear picture of what that actually means day to day before booking. Odyssey […]

Sheki Khan Palace and the Silk Road: Craft, Trade and Caravanserais in Azerbaijan

Long before Baku’s skyline filled with glass towers, the city’s real gateway to the world was a walled quarter of narrow lanes and merchant houses called Icheri Sheher. Our small group tour of the Caucasus opens here, in the old town, before tracing the historic road west to Sheki — once a wealthy staging post […]

Gobustan Petroglyphs and Mud Volcanoes: Reading Azerbaijan’s Earliest Landscapes

Gobustan’s boulder fields, carved with Stone and Iron Age rock art, overlook the coastal plain that runs down to the Caspian Sea. South-west of Baku, the Absheron Peninsula thins into a dry, cratered plain where boulders carved more than five thousand years ago still catch the low afternoon light. The Gobustan petroglyphs are one of […]

Caucasus Itinerary for Mature Travellers: From Baku to Yerevan

Caucasus Itinerary for Mature Travellers: From Baku to Yerevan Tbilisi’s old town at dusk, with the Kura River and the Caucasus foothills beyond — roughly the midpoint of the route this itinerary follows. A good Caucasus itinerary is not three country guides stitched together — it is a single route with its own logic, and […]

Walking tours for active travellers – tips for seniors

Walking tours for active travellers – tips for seniors Why walk? Because for the traveler , as a couple or solo traveler , walking tours are a great tour to access sites off the beaten track. Exploring on foot, on a guided walking holiday, as a preferred travel style gives you access to more authentic […]

Sheki, Azerbaijan

Sheki, Azerbaijan Sheki is often the last stop in a small group tour of the Caucasus as it sits close to Azerbaijan’s border with Georgia. The city, situated in northern Azerbaijan and one of its oldest cities, was once on the path of the great Silk Road. By the 19th century, Sheki was the main […]

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan, the centre of the city sitting on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan is perhaps a country in the Caucasus region that travellers do not think to include on their list of places to visit, but Azerbaijan puts itself decidedly on the map, especially with the […]

Juma Mosque Azerbaijan

The Juma Mosque of Shamakhi (Juma Masjid) is the largest mosque in Azerbaijan

Palace of the Shirvanshahs Azerbaijan

The Shirvanshahs came from a single family, the Yazidid dynasty, an Arab family who broke free from the Persian Abbasid caliphate. They ruled longer than any dynasty in the Islamic world, this the palace.

Ateshgah (Fire Temple) Azerbaijan

Zoroastrianism, the main religion during Persian rule, puts great importance on fire, which is believed to be a source of knowledge. Azerbaijan with oil and gas reserves was always on fire.

Among the Mountains: A Guide to the Nations of the Caucasus

The three nations of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – have long been regarded as the ‘lands in-between’ – in-between Europe and Asia, Russia and the Middle East, Christianity and Islam. They have passed between a succession of rulers – Persian, Turkish, and Russian. This article will provide a basic overview of the landscape, nations, and pre-modern history of the Caucasus.

10 Unimaginable Destinations: The Definitive Guide

10 Unimaginable Destinations In this article we will look at ten unimaginable destinations scattered all across the globe. Although much of the mystery of travel may seem diminished in the age of online search engines and low air-fares, there are still many distinctive and unusual travel destinations in the world that remain unexplored by all […]

Visiting Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Visiting Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia: The South Caucasus Visiting Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in one trip makes logistical sense as the countries sit next to each other south of the Caucasus Mountains but their deep, historical connections also make it imperative for travellers to visit all three to get a clearer picture of the region. In […]

Books to read about the Silk Road | Guide for Senior Travellers

Best books to read about the Silk Road – a list for senior travellers The linking of Asia to Europe via Eurasia for conquest and trade since at least 120BC is a unique part of the worlds history. Along this collection of interconnecting pathways, tracks and roads people invaded other nations as well transported knowledge, […]