Golden Eagle: Caspian Odyssey

Upon arrival at Yerevan International Airport you will be met and transferred to the five-star Alexander Hotel, where we stay for two nights. Boasting a prestigious central location the Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is located in the heart of Yerevan’s historic quarter and allows guests a relaxing stay in luxurious surroundings. Even the hotel’s facade with a history dating back to the 18th century presents a unique glimpse into the country’s fascinating past. Armenia's colorful capital blends imposing Soviet tower blocks with wine bars and 19th-century churches. Here, visit the world’s oldest cathedral, home to important Christian relics such as a fragment of Noah’s Ark. Tonight, we will enjoy a Welcome Dinner at an authentic local restaurant – the perfect opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and look forward to the journey across six captivating countries of the South Caucasus region and Central Asia.

Yerevan's skyline is dominated by the meringue-like peak of Mount Ararat, a symbol of the city's rich history. Here, visit the rock tombs of the Geghard Monastery and first-century pagan temple of Garni. This evening we head to the Armenia Wine Company, located close to Yerevan. Here we have opportunity to explore Armenian wine making technology, walk through the factory cellars, learn about the evolution of Armenian wine making history at the special museum and try the premium wines followed by an authentic and exclusive dinner.

Continue your exploration of Yerevan at The Cascade, a vast staircase and arts center that is emblematic of the country’s reclaimed statehood. After lunch we continue our way, by coach, to Armenian-Georgian border in Bagratashen driving through the spa town of Dilijan well known for its forest landscapes and medicinal mineral water before we make a coffee & brandy stop at Avan Dzoraget Hotel. nestled amongst the forest-covered hills and rocky slopes of the Caucasus Mountains.This evening we arrive into the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where we stay for the next three nights at the Paragraph Freedom Square, a Luxury Collection Hotel.

Cool and cosmopolitan, Georgia’s capital is the cultural heart of the South Caucasus. Today’s walking tour delves deep into the labyrinthine alleyways of Kala, the city’s most storied neighborhood, as well as a visit to the Janashia Museum, which traces the history of Georgia all the way back to prehistoric times.In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant accompanied by a traditional Georgian dance performance.

Gori, one of Georgia’s oldest cities, is the birthplace of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The city’s museum offers haunting insights into his early life. Nearby, explore the ancient rock-hewn cave city of Uplistsikhe and UNESCO-listed holy city of Mtskheta before settling into a performance of Georgian polyphonic singing.

Georgia’s terrain has lent itself to 8,000 years of winemaking, and a visit to a traditional winery reveals how the country’s vintners age their wine in ceramic egg-shaped vessels called qvevri. A seamless private jet journey to Baku offers views over the blonde planes of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s capital hugs the Bay of Baku with its historic Old Town, Icherisheher, at its heart. The 12th-century walls cosset the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvan-Shahs, as well as a host of mosques and small cafes serving pomegranate wine. Tonight, we visit the magnificent Villa Petrolea. Nearly 150 years ago, before the Nobel Peace Prizes were created, the Nobel brothers themselves played a key role in Baku’s first ‘oil boom’. The mansion that they built as their residence in the early 1880s has been preserved, restored, and turned into a fascinating museum. It is here we will be privileged to have a guided tour and treated to champagne, canapes, and a sumptuous dinner within its historic walls.

The inhabitants of Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape daubed scenes of hunting and fishing on the walls of the craggy caves they inhabited just after the last Ice Age; viewing brings the distant past thrillingly to life.

Arrive by private flight to what appears to be a mirage — a modern city plonked between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag. After a tour of its National Museum and Kipchak Mosque, board your home for the next week: the magnificent Golden Eagle.

Turkmenistan Nisa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides a glimpse into the world of the Parthian Empire. Your journey continues to Darvaza’s burning gas crater, known as the "Door to Hell," the 230-foot-wide fiery belly button of the Kara Kum.

Synonymous with the Silk Road, 2,500-year-old Khiva dazzles with its labyrinth of ancient walls, rambunctious bazaars and curvaceous minarets. Lying at the crossroads of Mongolia, Russia, China and Persia, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is an entrancing layer cake of ages and cultures.

It may have buildings embodying 1,000 years of history, but Bukhara is far from a living museum. Between monuments such as The Ark and Kalyan Mosque gold mararekets, street sellers and plazas where locals sip saffron tea in the shade of mulberry trees.

Another Silk Road legend, Samarkand is made up of mosques, madrassas, minarets and mausoleums that sing of the power this city once held. Today’s tour includes Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Ulag Beg observatory, and culminates in a light show in Registan Square.

In this Uzbek capital rebuilt by the Soviets, visit an unassuming library that holds one of the most sacred relics of Islam: the world’s oldest Koran. Then peruse the Museum of Applied Arts before a farewell dinner on the Golden Eagle

Nestling at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains among wild apple forests, the former capital of Kazakhstan is filled with quirky sights including 21 Soviet theaters, Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral, a 19th century Russian Orthodox Church made entirely of wood.Overnight we stay for one night at the Ritz-Carlton, Almaty.

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to the airport for your onward journey.