Georgia and Armenia Tour 8 Days/7 Nights

This was a wonderful trip with Givi, our guide for our entire trip. Itinerary was well planned and included incredible scenery, monasteries, city sights. We opted for the add-on of lunches which was well worth it, with delicious meals, often with local family restaurants. Givi was knowledgeable, and a great travel guide, planning for the various excursions, making the journey enjoyable and educational. Georgian and Armenian food is wonderful, as well as the wines and the trip accommodated special dietary restrictions to make each meal rich in local cuisine. We were able to see a range of different parts of each country--the only problem being that the tour was too short! However, we were able to get a great "taste" and insight into these two countries and the experiences were a combination of experiencing the cities and the historic sights outside of the cities. So many more experiences than the photos show.

The actual tour was very good, enlightening and exposed us to cultures we knew very little about. We thoroughly explored local cuisines of both countries during our dining with the local tour guide, and he did a great job vetting food experiences given my food allergies. There were many high points of the trip, beautiful landscapes and thought-provoking experiences. However, I would only recommend this trip with the following cautions: Booking the luxury or any experience outside the basic tour does not guarantee that you will get that experience. Apparently, you book your tour and any options through Viator. Viator then secures a local tour company to book the elements of the tour. Then the local tour company secures a local guide as a service provider. In our case, we booked the tour with the maximum option of luxury class 5-star available at a cost 2 levels higher. It was like paying for a 3rd person to go. After arriving at 2am to a sub-par hotel with dated and limited amenities approaching a 2* rating at best, we were told that the loud music from the club in the hotel near our tiny room would stop around 5am and that room was the only one available. This was a night we paid extra for at the time of booking the trip due to our late arrival in Tblisi (not included in the base costs). That problem continued throughout the 4-night stay at the hotel. The second hotel was better maybe approaching a 3 star. At the end of the trip, we added a night in Tblisi at an extra cost. That was the best hotel of the three and approached the 5 -* level. As a traveler who has visited over 117 countries at varying classes of travel from standard to 5-star plus, I'm quite familiar with the hotel classification system. Recommendation - book the standard tour because that's probably all you will get. My final caution would be to check, double check and document in writing all communications and confirmations of details. While Viator sells the tour, the face of the experience is the local tour operator. You meet/talk with him when you arrive for the 1st time. With so many middlemen involved in the process, there are so many opportunities for confusion that could result in you not getting what you paid for so your documentation of the tour and any options that should be included is crucial. Georgia and Armenia are both amazing places and while the overall 5* luxury experience we paid extra for wasn't received, the tour of those countries and experiences in their respective cultures and histories were unforgettable.

First-class, five-star service from Giorgi behind the scenes and Givi as our guide/driver during the trip. We loved every minute of it and learned so much about these wonderful countries. Giorgi and Givi were a great team ensuring we were well taken care of. Givi asked for feedback each day so any adjustments could be made, but he also got to know us, and Giorgi and Givi ensured the last stop on our tour (the family winery at an artist's home) would be the best possible experience. We feel lucky to have found them online and will recommend them to all of our friends and family. The pictures we posted have had several people adding Georgia to their travel bucket lists, and asking for our itinerary because it was so amazing.

This wonderful private tour took us to the most beautiful towns in both Georgia and Armenia. We did the city tours plus all the mountain towns. Hotels were excellent with breakfast. Daily lunches were provided at various restaurants, wineries and family homes. They picked you up and dropped you off as requested. They accommodated the various meal restrictions we had. The guides were knowledgeable of the areas we visited and got us there safely. Driving in these 2 countries are challenging. If I had questions before or during the tour, they always go back to us with an answer. They provided WiFi throughout the tour. This tour is highly recommended.