This journey to the cradles of different cultures has been updated for the 2024 season. We have planned a little more time in places where it is particularly beautiful and sights await us.

The journey leads quickly via the Balkans with the capital cities of Zagreb, Belgrade and Sofia to Istanbul. From here, the gateway to Asia, it goes along the Black Sea coast to Batumi in Georgia. A detour to Svanetia and you are already inland, in the capital Tbilisi. Georgia also offers impressive mountains in the Greater Caucasus and hospitable wineries in Kakheti.

From Tbilisi you can also visit Armenia, with Lake Sevan and the capital Yerevan, one of the oldest cities in the world. As the country that was the first to commit itself to Christianity, sacred things will also be on display here. The Armenians are considered good traders, but they tend to act quietly. That comes from the time when the Persians, Russians or Ottomans were in charge. Another relic from the times of foreign rule is the cultivation of ancient traditions by artists and poets.

From the Lesser Caucasus, the last part of the journey leads back through Turkey. Anatolia can keep up: deep green valleys, plateaus and mountains - the best known are probably the Ararat and the volcano Nemrut. Hike on the huge Lake Van, see the evidence of millennia-old cultures and be impressed by unusual natural phenomena such as the Goreme Valley in Cappadocia. In Ankara, the trip ends with the option to further explore on your own or have a well-deserved rest. You will meet particularly hospitable, poor, simple, but not unhappy people. Some of the living conditions, traditions and infrastructure are the same as they were hundreds of years ago.

No time for Anatolia? We also have the 63-day section "Black Sea Coast-Caucasus" on offer.