You drive in a 4×4 off-road vehicle across the Caucasus from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea from Baku in Azerbaijan to Batumi in Georgia.
A tour that gives you unimagined new vivid travel impressions of the two very different Caucasian cultures.
Our guests have successfully completed this trip many times since 2016 and they rave about the experiences on this tour from Baku-Tbilisi – Batumi and a fascinating journey through steppes, mountains, forests and gorges from sea to sea.
You can do this tour on any dates you wish. We prepare you our individual tour package and proposal with the rental cars, hotels, local guides and your route.
Recommended travel time is from End of March to Mid November. Contact us!
Overview
The tour starts in Baku, Azerbaijan. You discover the ancient rock carvings in Gobustan and head to the Greater Caucasus to Shahdag and Khinaliq. You continue to the old stops on the ancient silk-road Shamakhi and Sheki and change cars at the Azerbaijani – Georgian border near Lagodekhi and go into the famous Georgian region Kakheti. From Kakheti you head to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, continue to the Greater Caucasus mountains at Stepantsminda. Then you go to the Western Georgian region Imereti, which is famous for the hospitality. Your tour ends at the Black Sea coast in Batumi from where you can fly conveniently back home.
Highlights of the tour
- Baku, the jewel at the Caspian Sea
- The prehistoric rock carvings at Gobustan
- Shahdag and Khinaliq in the Greater Caucasus
- Sheki at the crossroad of the ancient silk-road
- Kakheti region in Georgia
- Tbilisi, the booming capital of Georgia
- Stepantsminda and Gergeti in front of Mount Kazbegi
- Kutaisi and Imereti
- The Black Sea coast and Batumi
Itinerary
At 10.00 a.m. you will meet your friendly Azerbaijani guide to explore the metropolis on the Caspian Sea. Panoramic view of the city from Martyrs’ Avenue and explore the old town. Visit to the Palace of Shirvanshah and
Walk along the promenade on the Caspian Sea. Lunch and drive with your guide to the famous sights of the Absheron Peninsula with the fire temple Atashqakh.
9.00 a.m. Collection of the rental car at the hotel
Your first destination will be Gobustan 60km south of Baku. You can also test the rental car on this route and get used to it. You should start straight away so you’ll be there by 10:00 am. Here you will visit the state historical open-air museum of prehistoric rock carvings. In 2007 the sites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The drawings from the Stone Age represent e.g. people, animals and hunting scenes and can be viewed in up to 20 caves.
In the afternoon you drive north along the Caspian Sea via the Baku bypass to the edge of the Greater Caucasus to the beautiful Lake Chanlibel near Quba.
Distance: 270 km / travel time: 3.5 hours
Today you drive to the small mountain village of Khinaliq, at 2350 meters the highest village in the country. Enjoy the beautiful mountain panorama and plan a picnic along the way -you can buy fresh produce in Quba.
Distance: 100 km / travel time: 3 hours
Drive back along the Caspian Sea to Shamakhi. Optional: photo stops en route at Beshbarmag and Shurabad.
Continue to Shamakhi, where stands one of the country’s most important mosques, the Juma Mosque, built by the Arabs in the 8th century.
Distance: 250 km / travel time: 3.5 hours
Drive west along the Greater Caucasus mountain range. You should definitely take a trip to the picturesque ancient village of Lahic and see the traditional crafts of the coppersmiths there. There are also spices, skins and many other locally produced products.
Continue to Sheki – believed to be one of the oldest settlements in the Caucasus and known for the impressive 18th-century Khan’s Palace and caravanserai, which indicate an important trading center on what was then the Silk Road. Restaurant tip: Saki Khan Sarayi in the city center
Distance: 230 km / travel time: 4.5 hours
Discover beautiful Sheki and do not forget to visit the palace of the Khan.
In the afternoon you can drive to the nearby village of Kish. An early Christian Albanian church was extensively restored here by the Norwegian state under the leadership of Mr.Thor Heyerdaal. The Kingdom of the Albanians existed here between the 1st and 8th centuries until the Arab invasion. The skeletons in the tombs are unusually large. A 35-year-old woman was 2.20 meters tall. Men were significantly larger. Thor Heyerdaal’s research led to his theory that Norwegians migrated to Scandinavia from the land of Aser. Distance: 25 km / travel time: 0.5 hours
In the morning you can visit the lively bazaar of Sheki. Then make your way to the Georgian border (about 2 hours drive). Here you return your rental car around 1:00 p.m. and cross the border on foot. On the Georgian side your rental car will be waiting for you from 1:30 p.m. Continue to the fertile wine agricultural region of Kakheti and enjoy the splendid views to the Great Caucasus chain. You spend the night at a nice hotel with a pool. Distance: 190 km / travel time: 4 hours
Drive via Tianeti to the Jinvali Reservoir and further along the old Georgian Military Road to the Greater Caucasus. Hike in Stepantsminda to the famous Trinity Church of Gergeti at 2,170 meters or drive up by car.
Distance: 180 km / travel time: 4 hours
Drive through the beautiful Sno Valley to the mountain village of Juta. Hike on the Chaukhi massif with some easy river crossings to Lake Chaukhi. Optional you can rent horses here and go for a ride. Feel the freedom and peace of the Caucasus. In the afternoon we can upon request organize a Khinkali cooking master class.
Distance one way: 28 km Juta / travel time: 0.45 hours
Today you head back on the Georgian military road to the old Georgian capital of Mtskheta, a major UNESCO World Heritage Site. You have plenty of time to see the city and the monastery of Dshwari (Jvari). Continue to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
Distance: 150 km / travel time: 3.5 hours
Drive West to the ancient trading and cave town of Uplistsikhe near Gori. You need 1,5 hours to visit the marvelous place. Continue over the Rikoti Pass to western Georgia to Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia. Walk through the old town with the White Bridge, the pretty city park and the nearby Bagrati Cathedral. If you wish, you can have dinner in the Palaty restaurant on the Weißen Brücke 2nd floor, we gladly reserve it for you.
Distance: 230 km / travel time: 4 hours
Today you are going to the Black Sea. At Shekvetili you can visit the famous park of Old Trees. Continue south along the coast. Arrive in Batumi. In the evening you can explore the pretty old town, the harbor and the majestic boulevard. Drop off the rental car at your hotel in the evening
Distance: 160 km / travel time: 2.5 hours
Our services
Included services
- • Travel planning, organization and execution
- • Individual travel documents
- • 2x airport transfer (Baku/Batumi)
- • 2x guided city tour (Baku/Tbilisi)
- • Overnight stay in a double room
- • Meals according to the program
- • 1x tasting in Georgia
- • Medium-sized off-road vehicles for rent, e.g. 4x4 Nissan Qashqai or NissanXTerra or similar.
- • Including insurance and all kilometers, other drivers included
- • National liability insurance (50,000 USD) and comprehensive insurance 100% for Georgia
- • Customary liability insurance OSAGO (approx. 10,000 USD) and fully comprehensive insurance with a deductible of 100 EUR for Azerbaijan
Not included services
- flight tickets
- tips
- optional tour guides in Sheki, Kutaisi
- optional services like cooking classes or horse riding
