23 Days Across India (Kashmir, Delhi), Azerbaijan (Baku), Georgia, Armenia: A Budget Adventure
Around RM 49,000 spent exploring these amazing places!
Can you imagine forgetting over USD 1100 in cash at an airport? That's exactly what happened to me at the Azerbaijan airport! Luckily, some honest folks contacted me and returned it within hours. Truly grateful for the good people around!
Before the trip, a tour group offered us a land tour of the 3 Caucasus countries for USD 2600 per person (group of 8) or USD 2350 per person (group of 10), excluding lunch and with a guide. Being a budget traveler and after reading online travel tips, I decided to go solo. I spent about USD 700, plus RM 210 for a Baku-Tbilisi flight. Thanks to the information I gathered, my DIY trip went smoothly. So, I'm sharing my itinerary and expenses from my Autumn 2024 trip.
Kashmir (5 Days)
Places we visited (group of 3): Pampore, Apple Valley, Aru Valley, Betta Valley, Baisaran Valley (mini Switzerland – the horse riding was intense!), Dal Lake & houseboat stay, Beautiful Valley, Thaiwas Glacier, Hazratbal Shrine-Srinagar, Pahalgam market, Lal Chowk market. We tried Ahdoos Restaurant but didn't quite enjoy the food. We also checked out Café Liberty, hoping to see some handsome guys – but all we found were beards!
- Land tour: USD 278 per person (group of 3)
- Horse riding, entrance fees, meals (outside the land tour), and driver tips: Approximately RM 1900 per person
- Land tour review: We booked with Thao. I was a bit nervous because of some past issues, but even though we didn't meet her in person, she took great care of us. When we had a minor problem, she sorted everything out efficiently and was always on our side. At the airport, she warned us not to let anyone touch our luggage, but we still got tricked into paying a tip. Overall, I give her tour a 5-star rating.
Azerbaijan (1.5 Days in Baku)
Places we visited (group of 4): Flame Towers, Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Baku Boulevard, Fountain Square, Nizami Street, Baku Old City, Bibiheybat Mosque, Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, local market.
- Transportation: Bolt & walking
Georgia (9 Days)
Places we visited (group of 4):
- Day 1: The Chronicle of Georgia - Sabaduri Forest - Jvari Monastery - Marjanishvili - Mtatsminda Park, overnight in Tbilisi
- Day 2: Ikalto Monastery - Shumi Winery - Sighnaghi, overnight in Tbilisi (Consider staying in Sighnaghi)
- Day 3: Ananuri Fortress - Panorama Gudauri Monument - Trinity Church, overnight in Tbilisi (Stay at least one night in Kazbegi!)
- Day 4: Old Mtskheta - Shiomgvime (Cave of Shio) - Uplistshikhe Cave Town - Borjomi, overnight in Akhaltsikhe (The road from Uplistshikhe to Borjomi was beautiful, but it rained heavily when we passed by)
- Day 5: Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle - Vardzia Cavetown - Khertvisi Fortress, overnight in Kutaisi
- Day 6: Mestia, overnight in Mestia
- Day 7: Ushguli, overnight in Mestia (We stayed in Mestia because we were afraid of the cold in Ushguli)
- Day 8: Mazeri - Kutaisi (Market, Bagreti Cathedral), overnight in Kutaisi
- Day 9: Gelati Monastery - Motsameta Monastery - Katskhi Column - Tbilisi, overnight in Tbilisi
In my opinion, Mestia and Kazbegi were the highlights of this trip! During our visit, we saw many pomegranate and persimmon orchards and were even allowed to pick and eat the fruit for free. If you have the time and energy, try some of the treks. It's probably more fun than our sightseeing tour!
- Transportation: Rented a car via localrent.com (Subaru Outback 2014 for USD 360/9 days, full insurance)
Armenia (5 Days)
Places we visited (group of 4): Haghartsin Monastery, Sevanavank Monastery, Sevan Lake, Vorotnavank Monastery, Tatev Monastery, Noravank, Khor Virap, Echmiadzin, Garni Temple, Geghard, Yerevan city tour.
It rained on 4 out of 5 days, so we had to skip some places like Stepanavan, Sanahin, Haghpat, Zvartnot Cathedral, Saint Gayane Church, and Symphony of Stones. However, we were lucky to see the first snow on the way back to Georgia.
- Transportation: Hired a car with a driver from Georgia gotrip.ge (Honda Stepwagon, large and clean, can fit 7 people with minimal luggage, GEL 2345 (USD 869)/5 days, driver takes care of his own food and accommodation, funny, attentive, young but drives carefully)
Georgia (0.5 Days in Tbilisi)
We visited some places we missed before:
If you love taking photos, visit these places in Tbilisi: Bridge of Peace, The Clock Tower, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Orbeliani Baths, Mtatsminda Park, Queen Darejan Palace. I also had a list of other places but didn't have enough time: Sulfur Baths, Wine Gallery, Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi, 18 Galaktion Tabidze St, 17 Ivane Machabeli St, Kindli Boutique Hotel, Kafe Leila, Cafe Linville, Hotel Checkpoint. I really wanted to see the view from Narikala Fortress, but it was under maintenance.
- Transportation: Bolt & walking
If you're planning to rent a car in the 3 Caucasus countries, check out some detailed reviews. Things might be slightly different now, so adjust accordingly. Driving in Georgia was easy and smooth. The only problem was finding parking in central Tbilisi. In Armenia, the mountain roads were foggy, but our driver drove very slowly and carefully, following the lines on the road. Finding parking in Yerevan was also difficult.
Delhi (1 Day)
Places we visited (group of 5): Red Fort, Delhi India Gate, Humanyu's Tomb, Lotus Temple, market...
- Transportation: Hana arranged a car with a driver for us to visit Delhi, plus a hotel room for 5 people to rest, store luggage, and shower: Approximately RM 360,000 per person.
- Miscellaneous expenses (food, entrance fees, tips...): Approximately RM 260,000 per person.
Money Exchange
- India: Exchange in Malaysia.
- Azerbaijan: Exchanged a small amount at the airport.
- Georgia: Exchange a small amount at the airport. Afterwards, exchange in the Marjanishvili area.
- Armenia: The driver took us to exchange near the border.
SIM Card
- Kashmir: Provided by the land tour for free.
- Azerbaijan & Georgia: Purchased at the airport.
- Armenia: The driver took us to purchase near the border.
E-Visa, Immigration & Insurance
- India: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html, 2 times 30 days USD 25.62. Immigration was easy.
- Azerbaijan: https://evisa.gov.az/en/apply-step1, 1 time 90 days USD 20 + USD 6 service fee.
- Georgia: https://www.evisa.gov.ge/GeoVisa/, multiple times 120 days USD 20. I used my valid Canada visa.
- Armenia: https://evisa.mfa.am/, 1 time 21 days AMD 3005.
- AIG Insurance: RM 957
Flight Costs
- SGN-SXR (via DEL - Air India): Approximately RM 3650
- SXR-DEL (IndiGo): Approximately RM 2500
- DEL-GYD (Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately RM 3900
- GYD-TBS (Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately RM 2100
- TBS-DEL (via GYD - Azerbaijan Airlines): Approximately RM 4200
- DEL-SGN (Vietjet): Approximately RM 2900
Accommodation Costs (16 nights, mainly apartments booked on Booking.com)
Approximately RM 4700 per person
The apartments in Baku & Yerevan were not as advertised. After booking and choosing to pay upon arrival, we were told that there was a "water problem" and were moved to other apartments.
Food
India: Fortunately, no one had any stomach issues.
3 Caucasus countries: Sometimes the food was good, sometimes not. We often bought groceries and cooked our own meals. I especially liked the ice cream, which was delicious and cheap.
People in the 3 Caucasus Countries
Kind, friendly, hospitable, and loved to chat. We often used Google Translate (Russian) to communicate.
Here are some photos from our trip (mostly taken by my friend and myself).
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