The Best of Georgia and Armenia

Both guides were excellent and added depth to the holiday experience with their knowledge. The itinerary should be reviewed - I love monasteries partly because of their location but I'm sure there is a more varied experience that could be offered.

Being across two countries, we had two leaders for our tour. Both were excellent, albeit in different ways. Both exhibited a fund of knowledge about their respective nations and both added greatly to the enjoyment of our travels.

Both Leaders (Laura and Alex) were EXCELLENT!

2 countries 2 tour leaders, both absolutely fantastic. Sharing the love for their countries with infectious enthusiasm.

Excellent guides in both countries…. Alex in Georgia and Armin in Armenia. I’d recommend an extra day in Tbilisi … lots to see.

This was another thoroughly enjoyable Explore trip to a fascinating part of the world in terms of its rich history and present-day geopolitical relevance. The group we were travelling with bonded very quickly and were great company throughout the trip. Both tour leaders, Armene (Armenia) and Alex (Georgia) were excellent, communicated their knowledge and love of their respective countries with infectious enthusiasm and were genuinely lovely people. Both drivers also did a great job on sometimes less than perfect roads. There were multiple highlights but worth special mention would be both capital cities, Yerevan and Tblisi, the basalt rock formations along the Garni River Gorge, the spine-tingling medieval choral music at Geghard Monastery, a performance of La Traviata at Yerevan Opera House that wildly exceeded expectations, the amazing 12th-C cave settlement remains at Vardzia, hiking in the spectacular Kazbegi Mountains, plus all the amazing regional food and drink we sampled throughout the trip. Georgia's reputation as a bit of a foodie heaven is entirely justified. I would not hesitate to recommend this trip!

The tour was very full and we saw a huge amount of the two countries and enjoyed the hospitality and food of several families and small businesses. We also spent many hours travelling in a not very comfortable minibus but this enabled us to stay in most hotels for at least two nights rather than changing everyday. The highlight for me was walking in the mountains, The cave town and beans in a clay pot which is so much more tasty than it sounds.

I loved every minute of my time in these incredible countries. The history, the scenery, food and wine was amazing. The Explore tour leaders in both Armenia (Roza) and Georgia (Alex) were superb, so knowledgeable and passionate about their countries and ensured everything worked smoothly. I loved the mix of historical sites, foodie experiences and walking tours, whether in towns or in the countryside. The itinerary is busy, as the trip notes said, so well prepared and really felt it was great value for money. I would highly recommend this trip to others and clients (I am a travel agent). Could easily go back to Georgia just for the food !

Great trip covering little known Armenia which is a lovely country along with the better known Georgia. Saw a large range of sites from churches and monasteries to the Black Sea coast and wonderful mountain scenery. Great guides, excellent food and wines. Go before these countries get on the tourist map,

This was a great trip and a good chance to see what both Armenia and Georgia have to offer as well as learning a lot about both countries on the way. Both our guides were excellent and knowledgable, the accommodation was very good. Lots of churches and monasteries and wine tasting but we travelled all over and I really felt I’d seen the best of the two countries.

The tour was an excellent introduction to both countries. The group really merged together and I think we all got the very best from our guides. The itinerary was fairly varied, the hotels we stayed in were of a good standard and the meals included, often taken in private houses, were excellent.

An enjoyable trip to 2 interesting countries. Excellent, knowledgeable tour leaders. Good food & wines. Varied itinerary but personally would prefer more walking & fewer churches/ monasteries.

The trip was well organized with knowledgeable guides who were happy and prepared to share the history and culture of their country. Most of the accommodations were more than adequate. A few were very basic but the places we were had very little choice of where to stay. Food was very good and plentiful.

I enjoyed this tour as has been the case with others with Explore. We had excellent guides and although there were variations in luxury and comfort all the hotels were acceptable. This includes the Soviet style Blue Sevan. My only real complaint was the obsession with churches and religious places. I estimate that we vistied 22 churches and religious places and this, to me, was clearly over the top. It contrasted with the with the much more interesting and informative meetings with local people and the enjoyment of their hospitality. They provided insights into the what life was like in both countries - notably the challenges of the 1990s and ever present fear posed by Russia.

Wonderful trip seeing all the highlights of these interesting countries. Travel times were usually not too long, food was wonderful, accommodation always central, tour guides fantastic. Busy itinerary but not exhausting and fine for older participants like myself who love exploring but don’t want to walk miles.

Brilliant tour leaders . Hotels in Georgia not so good towards the end of the holiday likewise with the food at these hotels. Itinerary very good but would have liked more time in Armenia.

Great trip. One recommendation we were lucky to stay longer in Batumi leaving at 6.30 pm and missing the not so good buffet at hotel.

Great trip . Lots of churches monesteries, castles etc. And plenty of wine tastings! Two great guides.

Some people have complained of too many churches and too many long journeys but this is what you get if you want to fully explore a country. I loved all the monasteries and castles, they were mostly in spectacular locations which were worth visiting in itself. Generally there was a lovely mixture of visiting monasteries, castles, cities, towns, villages, seaside and mountains. Maybe more time in Tbilisi would be good and some of the hotels were too basic (although comfortable) with too many mediocre buffets but generally I loved it and cannot complain. Tour leaders were also excellent (Laura and Lexie) who always did their best to keep everyone happy.