Visit 4th century monasteries in the Caucasus region

The Caucasus monasteries are an amazing sight. You'll find them all around Armenia, Georgia and even Azerbaijan, in the most breathtaking locations. The whole region is simply stunning, well worth a spot in everyone’s bucket list – Experiencing the Globe #CaucasusMonasteries #Armenia #Georgia #Azerbaijan #CaucasusRegion #TravelExperiences #BeautifulDestinations #Wanderlust #Backpacking #SoloFemaleTravel #MeetTheLocals #IndependentTravel #BucketList

What was I thinking having only one experience on my list about the region, focusing just in the Caucasus monasteries? I’m so happy I decided to spend a month going around all 3 countries of the region –Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, enjoying wine, mountains and monasteries!

Basic facts: which countries and territories make up the Caucasus?

What’s the Caucasus, you ask? This little region trapped between Europe and Asia, is, at the same time, part of both and of neither. Because of its strategic position, surrounded by Turkey, Russia and Iran, it has always been seen as a place to conquer. Passed around from Persians, to Ottomans, to the Russian empire, it finally reached independence, as 3 countries of the 15 successors of the USSR (plus a few disputed territories).

What I find fascinating is that the identities and cultures of each of these countries survived throughout all the invasions. Each of them has its own language, religion, traditions, cuisine, art… and they are completely different from the other ones. Another thing that amazed me was the geographical diversity. You can’t believe you’re in the same country when in a few hours you can go from tea plantations to over 5000 meters peaks.

But logistics are a nightmare when you start planning a trip around the region. There’s no crossing between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to historical territorial disputes. During my visit, the Azerbaijani province of Nagorno-Karabakh, although self-proclaimed independent with the name of Artsakh, it was under Armenian control, and people could only enter through Armenia, from the city of Goris to Stepanakerk. Today Azerbaijan controls it, but rivalries are still latent, which means you might have issues getting in the country if you visit Armenia first.

Another complicated territory is the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. It’s an exclave of Azerbaijan, meaning it’s part of the country but geographically disconnected from it. As a clause of the ceasefire that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, the Zangezur Corridor was opened in Armenian territory to connect Nakhchivan with the rest of Azerbaijan. However, to visit it, you must fly from Baku or Ganja, or you can travel overland from Iran or Türkiye.

There’re two territories in Georgia that are disputed with Russia, although both declared a de facto independence. Abkhazia you can visit, from both Georgia and Russia (even though the Georgian border was closed when I tried to go), but you can’t exit through a different country than the one you entered from. The other one is South Ossetia, whose borders have been closed to tourism for years (although I know of people who were willing to bribe Russian border control to enter).

So, to put it simply, the most logical route for me was Azerbaijan –> Georgia –> Armenia (+ NK). I knew I’d be arriving overland from Tabriz in Iran to Baku, and departing from Yerevan. The rest was a mystery: Me, my backpack, and 30 days to explore. My advice today would still be to start in Azerbaijan, including Nakhchivan, then cross into Georgia, including a stop in Akhazia (if the border is open), and finish the tour in Armenia.

A month is way too much for one blog post (especially with the crazy number of photos I take), so I wrote one per country. Here you can go through the journal of my 30 days journey in the stunning Caucasus region:

Best of Armenia, from the Pink City to stunning monasteries – Experiencing the Globe
Best of Armenia, from the Pink City to stunning monasteries
Georgia: Mountains, Monasteries and Wine – Experiencing the Globe
Georgia: Mountains, Monasteries and Wine
Azerbaijan, travel off the beaten path – Experiencing the Globe
Azerbaijan, travel off the beaten path

Caucasus monasteries

As my aim was to visit the monasteries of the Caucasus –and although I got carried away with the mountains and wine– I’ll leave you a photo essay of the ones you cannot miss! I should have included more of the region on the list, but I can assure you that the monasteries were not a mistake. Only seeing some of them was well worth the trip!

Khor Virap monastery, Armenia – Experiencing the Globe
Khor Virap monastery, Armenia
Geghard monastery, Armenia – Experiencing the Globe
Geghard monastery, Armenia
Sevanavank, Sevan lake monastery, Armenia – Experiencing the Globe
Sevan lake monastery, Armenia
Tatev monastery, Armenia – Experiencing the Globe
Tatev monastery, Armenia
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia – Experiencing the Globe
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia
Bodbe monastery, Georgia – Experiencing the Globe
Bodbe monastery, Georgia
Davit Gareji monastery, Georgia – Experiencing the Globe
Davit Gareji monastery, Georgia
Gergeti Trinity Church, Kazbegi, Georgia – Experiencing the Globe
Gergeti Trinity Church, Kazbegi, Georgia
Vardzia, Georgia – Experiencing the Globe
Vardzia, Georgia
Church of Saint Elishe, Kis, Azerbaijan – Experiencing the Globe
Church of Saint Elishe, Kis, Azerbaijan

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The Caucasus monasteries are an amazing sight. You'll find them all around Armenia, Georgia and even Azerbaijan, in the most breathtaking locations. The whole region is simply stunning, well worth a spot in everyone’s bucket list – Experiencing the Globe #CaucasusMonasteries #Armenia #Georgia #Azerbaijan #CaucasusRegion #TravelExperiences #BeautifulDestinations #Wanderlust #Backpacking #SoloFemaleTravel #MeetTheLocals #IndependentTravel #BucketList


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By Coni from Experiencing the Globe

20 thoughts on “Visit 4th century monasteries in the Caucasus region”

  1. Who knew this unknown region could have so much to offer? It goes straight up to my (never-ending) list!

    1. It is a gorgeous place, totally worth a place on anyone’s list! (and i get how it can spin out of control –my list has 201 travel experiences in it!)

    1. I loved Georgia! I could have spent the whole month only there, easily. Hope you and your sister get to go soon! And don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions on the region 🙂

  2. Such a detailed guide with amazing photographs. I would love to travel to the Caucasus region and explore its monasteries and mountains. Definitely sounds like the visas and border crossings are complicated and confusing so I really appreciate your suggestion for the most logical route to explore the region.

    1. The region is a jigsaw indeed, but it’s easy to navigate if you know about the political situation. I’m happy the post helped you! And that you enjoyed the photos ❤️

    1. It’s so hard to pinpoint this region in the map. The people there will tell you that they’re Europeans, but there’s so much influence from Asia as well! The important part is that I got you interested 🙂

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