Essential Azerbaijan

• Accommodations as noted in the itinerary. All room types, even in upgraded properties, are standard entry-level doubles or twins, please call for room category upgrade pricing and information.
• Meals, as noted in the itinerary: 8 breakfasts and 3 lunches. Other lunches and dinners are left independent to allow for exploration.
• Restaurant tips for included meals.
• One arrival and one departure airport transfer. (Additional arrival and departure transfers available at additional cost.) MIR will arrange for travelers to be met upon arrival and seen off on departure, whether we make your air arrangements or not.
• Ground transportation throughout itinerary by private vehicle (size of vehicle depends on number of travelers in your group).
• Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in itinerary.
• Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers and other staff.
• Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
• Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international airfare is not included in the land tour cost).
• Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.

• International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
• Meals not specified as included in the itinerary.
• Single supplement charge, if requested or required.
• Baggage handling.
• Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
• Gratuities to local guides and drivers.
• Visa/passport fees, airport departure fees.
• Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
• Travel and trip cancellation insurance.

Level 3: Medium, but Customizable

This ‘Essential’ itinerary designed for private travel features long days walking and standing, some long days of overland travel, significant stair climbing, unpaved sidewalks and streets, uneven surfaces and steps, absent handrails, and lack of elevators. While some of these challenges are inherent in the destinations and sites, as one of our Essential Series programs this trip can be modified as needed for those travelers who are looking for a less challenging (or more challenging) program.

There is a significant amount of touring on foot, and those travelers planning to take the program as written should be able to walk at least a mile a day comfortably. Some long drives are an inevitable element of the routing this tour uses, and road conditions in the region can be bumpy and rough. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases with tall, uneven steps, and handrails are not always in place. Interior staircases may involve steep steps inside narrow passageways with limited light. Touring will be over a variety of surfaces such as cobblestones, bricks, packed or loose dirt or gravel, and uphill or downhill sections.

Past travelers have also encountered challenges with bureaucratic service, plumbing in and out of hotels, and availability and quality of public restrooms.

Accommodations in the basic program are generally small, moderate, three-star to four-star hotels, some quite small with basic amenities and services. Upgrades may be available in some cities, please call for details.

An additional potential challenge comes for those travelers visiting Armenia prior to Azerbaijan. In that situation, please be prepared for the possibility of additional questioning at passport control about your reasons for having visited Armenia. Expect that customs officials may wish to inspect any items purchased in Armenia. Please note that it is prohibited to carry goods produced in Armenia bearing the name or label of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan; such items are subject to possible confiscation at the border. Alcohol produced in Armenia (especially with Nagorno-Karabakh on the label) and guidebooks, maps, or other printed materials manufactured in Armenia (depicting Nagorno-Karabakh as Armenian territory or as an independent country) will not be allowed into the country of Azerbaijan.