Caucasus travel guide

Chacha toasts in Georgia, carved stone khachkars in Armenia, and karabakh horses in Azerbaijan; if you're looking to untangle the cultural characteristics of the Caucasus then start in the south, the Transcaucasus, a region that's as varied in terms of ethnicity as it is biodiversity. Persian leopards, brown bears and grey wolves are all known to prowl the densely forested slopes of the Lesser Caucasus; however, as our Caucasus travel guide explains, there's a larger predator in the north that often casts a far greater shadow over this region.

South Ossetia offers an initial inkling as to the relationship with Russia and if you've got plans to explore the region as a whole, including the republics of North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, then tread lightly as wounds are raw and tourism a relatively new concept. Europe meets Asia or Islam meets Christianity; whatever you're expecting from the Caucasus, discard your preconceptions and approach with an open mind and healthy instinct for adventure.