Epic 23-Day Adventure: Kashmir, Delhi, and the Caucasus!
Just back from an incredible 23-day journey spanning Kashmir and Delhi in India, then onto Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia – a whirlwind adventure covering approximately 49 million memorable moments!
Airport Amnesia & Azerbaijani Kindness
Picture this: I managed to leave over $1100 in cash at the Azerbaijan airport after landing in Baku! Totally clueless, I happily went sightseeing for hours. Luckily, incredibly honest people tracked me down via phone and returned it. Faith in humanity restored!
Planning the Trip: DIY vs. Land Tour
Initially, the group received a land tour quote for the three Caucasus countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) costing $2600 per person for a group of 8, or $2350 per person for a group of 10 (excluding lunches, but including a tour guide). Since I prefer more budget-friendly travel and had read helpful tips from others, I decided to go solo. I spent around $700, plus about $2.1 million VND for the Baku-Tbilisi flight. Thanks to the advice I found online, my trip was a success. Now, I'm sharing my highlights and expenses from our autumn 2024 trip!
Kashmir (5 Days)
Our group of three explored:
- Pampore
- Apple Valley
- Aru Valley
- Betta Valley
- Baisaran Valley (the "mini Switzerland" – the horse riding here was intense!)
- Dal Lake (stayed in a houseboat)
- Beautiful Valley
- Thaiwas Glacier
- Hazratbal Shrine-Srinagar
- Pahalgam market
- Lal Chowk market
- Ahdoos Restaurant (didn't love the food)
- Café Liberty (searching for handsome men, but they were too heavily bearded for my taste!)
Costs:
- Land tour: $278 per person for our group of three.
- Horse riding, entrance fees, food (outside the land tour), and tips: Approximately 1.9 million VND per person.
Land Tour Review
We booked through Thao. I was a bit nervous beforehand because of some past issues, but honestly, despite not meeting her in person, she took excellent care of us. When minor problems arose, she was responsive and helpful. She even warned us about baggage handlers at the Srinagar airport trying to solicit tips – which we still fell for! Overall, a five-star experience.
Azerbaijan (1.5 Days - Baku)
Our group of four visited:
- Flame Towers
- Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
- Baku Boulevard
- Fountain Square
- Nizami Street
- Baku Old City
- Bibiheybat Mosque
- Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center
- Local markets
Transportation: Bolt (ride sharing) and walking.
Georgia (9 Days)
Our group of four explored:
- Day 1: The Chronicle of Georgia, Sabaduri Forest, Jvari Monastery, Marjanishvili, Mtatsminda Park (Tbilisi)
- Day 2: Ikalto Monastery, Shumi Winery, Sighnaghi (stayed in Tbilisi – consider staying overnight in Sighnaghi itself!)
- Day 3: Ananuri Fortress, Panorama Gudauri Monument, Trinity Church (stayed in Tbilisi – recommend staying at least one night in Kazbegi!)
- Day 4: Old Mtskheta, Shiomgvime (Cave of Shio), Uplistshikhe Cave Town, Borjomi (stayed in Akhaltsikhe – the road from Uplistshikhe to Borjomi was incredibly scenic, but it was pouring rain!)
- Day 5: Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle, Vardzia Cave City, Khertvisi Fortress (stayed in Kutaisi)
- Day 6: Mestia (stayed in Mestia)
- Day 7: Ushguli (stayed in Mestia – worried about heating in Ushguli)
- Day 8: Mazeri, Kutaisi (market, Bagrati Cathedral) (stayed in Kutaisi)
- Day 9: Gelati Monastery, Motsameta Monastery, Katskhi Pillar, Tbilisi (stayed in Tbilisi)
For me, Mestia and Kazbegi were the highlights of the entire four-country trip. We saw pomegranate and persimmon orchards along the road in Georgia, and the owners often let us pick fruit for free! If you have the time and energy, consider some of the longer treks.
Transportation: Rented a car through Localrent (Subaru Outback 2014 for $360/9 days, full insurance).
Armenia (5 Days)
Our group of four visited:
- Haghartsin Monastery
- Sevanavank Monastery
- Lake Sevan
- Vorotnavank Monastery
- Tatev Monastery
- Noravank Monastery
- Khor Virap
- Echmiadzin
- Garni Temple
- Geghard
- Yerevan city tour
Unfortunately, it rained for four out of our five days in Armenia, forcing us to skip some sights: Stepanavan, Sanahin, Haghpat, Zvartnots Cathedral, Saint Gayane Church, Symphony of Stones. On the bright side, we saw the first snow of the season on the way back to Georgia!
Transportation: Rented a car with a driver from Georgia through gotrip.ge (Honda Stepwagon, comfortable for up to 7 people, 2345 GEL ($869)/5 days, driver covered his own food and lodging, he was humorous, attentive, young but drove very cautiously. Caveat: Not very familiar with Armenian restaurants or attractions since he lives in Georgia. ) We didn't realize we could have obtained a permit to drive ourselves between Georgia and Armenia. Personal rating: five stars.
Georgia (0.5 Days - Tbilisi)
Our group of four revisited some places we missed in Tbilisi:
If you love taking photos, check out:
- Bridge of Peace
- The Clock Tower
- Holy Trinity Cathedral
- Orbeliani Baths
- Mtatsminda Park
- Queen Darejan Palace
We also had a list of places we didn't have time for: Sulfur Baths, Wine Gallery, Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi, 18 Galaktion Tabidze St, 17 Ivane Machabeli St, Kindli Boutique Hotel, Kafe Leila, Cafe Linville, Hotel Checkpoint. Unfortunately, Narikala Fortress was under construction when we got there.
Transportation: Bolt and walking.
If you are planning to rent a car and drive in the Caucasus, I suggest to read other travelers reviews. Driving in Georgia was fairly easy. Parking in central Tbilisi was difficult (especially during the festival). If you are renting a car, look for a hotel with parking.
Delhi (1 Day)
Our group of five visited:
- Red Fort
- Delhi India Gate
- Humayun's Tomb
- Lotus Temple
- Markets
Transportation: Hana arranged a car with a driver and a hotel room for us to rest, store luggage, and shower (around 360k VND per person).
Miscellaneous expenses (food, entrance fees, tips): Around 260k VND per person.
Important Tips:
1. Currency Exchange:
- India: Exchange in Vietnam.
- Azerbaijan: Exchange a small amount at the airport.
- Georgia: Exchange a little at the airport (TBC Bank or Intel Express for good rates), then exchange more in the Marjanishvili area.
- Armenia: Our driver took us to an exchange near the border.
2. SIM Cards:
- Kashmir: Provided free with the land tour.
- Azerbaijan & Georgia: Purchased at the airport.
- Armenia: Purchased near the border (same place as currency exchange) – the SIM was not great.
3. E-Visas, Immigration, and Insurance:
- India: indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html, two 30-day visas for $25.62 each. Easy entry and exit, although they asked a lot of questions upon arrival in Delhi. Security was strict (everything electronic had to be scanned separately). We ran into an issue with the Vietjet check-in staff in Delhi, who insisted our visas were expired and wouldn't let us board! After arguing, they allowed us to fly with the condition that we couldn't return to India on those visas.
- Azerbaijan: evisa.gov.az/en/apply-step1, one 90-day visa for $20 + $6 service fee. Quick and easy immigration.
- Georgia: evisa.gov.ge/GeoVisa/, multiple entry 120 days for $20. I used my valid Canadian visa for entry and exit (both by air and land). Only the first person was questioned on arrival (destination, duration, purpose, money, hotel booking, return flight...). We had printed all necessary documents (flight tickets, hotel/car booking, insurance, itinerary) and prepared cash.
- Armenia: evisa.mfa.am/, one 21-day visa for 3005 AMD. Easy entry and exit by land.
Insurance: AIG (957k VND)
4. Flight Costs:
- SGN-SXR (via DEL, Air India): Approximately 3,650,000 VND
- SXR-DEL (IndiGo): Approximately 2,500,000 VND
- DEL-GYD (Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately 3,900,000 VND
- GYD-TBS (Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately 2,100,000 VND
- TBS-DEL (via GYD, Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately 4,200,000 VND
- DEL-SGN (Vietjet): Approximately 2,900,000 VND
5. Accommodation Costs:
Approximately 4,700,000 VND per person (16 nights, mostly in apartments booked on Booking.com). Be careful because some apartment in Baku and Yerevan were not as they appeared online.
6. Food:
- India: Luckily, none of us got sick.
- Caucasus: Food was hit or miss. We mostly bought groceries and cooked ourselves. The ice cream was cheap and delicious!
7. People of the Caucasus:
Kind, friendly, hospitable, and loved to chat. We used Google Translate (Russian) to communicate.
