How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Both Laura and Nick were very good.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Do some historical research before travelling.

A great tour of the Caucasus’s highlights, that would otherwise be hard to reach independently. Sights visited vary between historical, cultural and natural, and include most major attractions with the exception of isolated Svaneti, Georgia. The knowledgeable local guides, local cuisine and home stays added to the overall experience of our group (18 people, aged 30 - 70). Obviously more time would have been welcome at some sites, but this is the best way to see the three countries in the time given. I can highly recommend this trip in this fascinating area of the world. (GFA - 1st September 2010)

We went in the height of summer and it was baking hot in Yerevan and Tblisi, but the mountains of Georgia were still chilly. I've been on trips in the past where homestay options were unpleasant and grim, but these were a real treat. One of the highlights has to be trying to converse with the matriarch at one of the homestays, using the group's very limited knowledge of Russian. The warmth and hospitality was fantastic, although the mountains of food and gallons of home-made wine were rather challenging!

Be careful, when entering Azerbaijan, that you don't have anything that is obviously Armenian with you. When we crossed the border the guards were looking for Lonely Planet books and they confiscated Armenian souveniers. (GFA -8th January 2009)