Treasures of Georgia and Armenia - Private Tour

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €342.20pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

A visa is not required for your trip to Georgia or Armenia. Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.

Travel insurance is a mandatory requirement for travel to Georgia. The insurance policy must be presented in physical or electronic form in English (or Georgian) language. The insurance policy must be valid for the entire duration of your stay and provide health and accident coverage of at least 30,000 GEK (approximately £8,500 GBP).

Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations’ Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding passport validity. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Travellers arriving in Georgia must have Travel Insurance. Please keep a copy of your insurance policy to hand to show the relevant authorities when arriving into Georgia.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness. It involves some climbing of steep steps, and getting on and off boats. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

Georgia: The currency in Georgia is the Georgian Lari (GEL)

Armenia: The currency in Armenia is the Armenia Dram (AMD)

We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour to withdraw money in your local currency.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. Approximately £300- £400 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases.

Tipping It is at your customary/discretion to tip both your driver and guide. We would recommend to tip in the local currently and approximately 30 GEL/4,250 AMD per person for this tour for the driver and guide. Tips will be collected at the beginning/end of your tour. At restaurants it is recommended to tip 10% on the final bill, if happy service. T

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your national guide who will remain with you for the duration of your trip. You will also be joined by a local guide in each of the cities which you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times. Should the tour not meet minimum numbers, then it will be operated with local guides only.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and Dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information

In Georgia when visiting churches, women must cover the shoulders and everyone should remove headwear.

In Armenia sacred sites that may have specific dress requirements – no shorts are allowed in the churches, and please have scarves to cover your head.

On your arrival in Georgia you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Nuevavista, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/ Nuevavista representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.

If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:

Nuevaista: Telephone: 00374 10 541463 E-mail: : tours1@nuevavista.am

Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details for Nuevavista 24 hour Telephone Number: 00374 91 415819

• Sunglasses, Sunscreen and hat in summer
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Camera and charger
• A plug adaptor – A two pin plug is required when travelling to Georgia & Armenia, and the standard voltage in Georgia is 220V and in Armenia 230V.
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Binoculars
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc
• Small day pack for excursions
• Waterproof, lightweight jacket
• Lightweight clothing
• Sweater and jacket for the cooler months