We are Kaukasus-Reisen
Kaukasus-Reisen was founded in Tbilisi in 2001 — by Heiner Buhr, a painter and traveller from East Berlin, and his Georgian wife Teona. We have been organising trips through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan ever since. Not as a side project. As a life’s work.
Heiner arrived in Georgia in 1996, initially to teach German in Rustavi. He never left. He married Teona in 2000, and together they built what has become one of the most experienced specialist travel companies for the South Caucasus. Our office is in the heart of the Old Town of Tbilisi, five minutes from Freedom Square.
Heiner and Teona Buhr with their children at Alaverdi Monastery — Kakheti, Georgia 2022
25 Years on the Ground
We have been organising tours in this region since 2001. That means we have driven these roads in every season, slept in these guesthouses, sat at these tables, crossed these borders. We know which mountain pass closes in October, which winery is worth an extra night, and which border crossing runs smoothly — and which doesn’t.
Our team works across all three countries. We have colleagues and partners in Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan who we trust completely — people we have worked with for years, in some cases for decades. When something goes wrong on the road — and occasionally it does — there is always someone reachable who knows exactly what to do.
We witnessed the 2008 Russo-Georgian war firsthand, driving guests out of Gori as Russian troops advanced. We have been through political upheavals, border closures and a pandemic. Kaukasus-Reisen is still here. Our guests come back. Some have travelled with us three or four times.
Who We Are
Heiner grew up near Checkpoint Charlie in East Berlin. He served in the East German Army, studied art in Dresden, spent time in Smolensk and Amsterdam, and eventually followed a path that led him to the Caucasus. He is a painter as well as a tour operator — and both things inform how he looks at this region: with curiosity, with attention to detail, and with a genuine love for what is difficult to explain in a brochure.
Teona is Georgian, from Tbilisi. She reviews all our Georgian-language materials, knows the region’s culture from the inside, and has been part of building Kaukasus-Reisen from the very beginning.
Steffi Born has been part of our team for many years and handles tour planning and guest communication with the thoroughness and warmth that our guests consistently mention in their reviews. She is the person most of you will hear from first.
Our wider team includes guides, drivers and local partners in all three countries — people who share our commitment to showing travellers something real, not something staged.
Our team in Tbilisi — Tako, Steffi, Maka, Heiner, David, Vera, Eka and Natia at Arutin-Saiatnova Street 17
What We Offer
We specialise in self-drive tours and guided small-group trips through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Our tours are designed for travellers who want to go beyond the obvious — who are willing to take an unpaved road to reach a mountain village that most people have never heard of, who want to eat at a family table rather than a tourist restaurant, and who understand that the best journeys take time.
We offer individual tour packages including rental cars with full insurance, hotel bookings, airport transfers, city tours with English-speaking guides, and 24/7 support throughout your journey. All our self-drive tours come with detailed route plans, maps, tips and direct contact to our team in the field.
Tours are available in German and English. Guide services are available in German, English, Russian, Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani.
A Selection of Our Tours
Self-drive tour Azerbaijan and Georgia — 15 days from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea
Self-drive tour Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia — 23 days through all three countries
Self-drive tour Georgia — 14 days through the heart of the Caucasus
Self-drive tour Armenia — 14 days through the oldest Christian country in the world
Self-drive tour Azerbaijan — 12 days through the Land of Fire
Cattle drive Tusheti — 9 days on one of the great adventures of the Caucasus
Breakfast in the Caucasus — a guided journey through Georgia
The Caucasus Is Worth It
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are not easy to summarise. They are ancient and modern, generous and complicated, breathtakingly beautiful and occasionally exasperating. They are three countries that share a mountain range and very little else — different alphabets, different religions, different histories, different wines.
We have spent over 25 years trying to understand this region and share it with others. We are still not finished.
If you are thinking about travelling to the Caucasus — write to us. We will put together something worth making the journey for.