Lyuba Tours

A gate to the spectacular Saiho-ji (Moss temple) near Kyoto. On a rainy but magical spring day. Can’t wait to get back to Kyoto and Japan in 2025.

Zerhoun, one of Morocco’s most captivating towns. In the shadow of nearby Fez, Zerhoun gets few visitors but it’s so real and interesting. Can’t wait to go back in December and explore more of its crooked alleys.

Greece’s rugged, mountainous island of Karpathos. No hordes of tourists, no flying dresses, no selfie sticks. Interesting people, culture and food. I think the most captivating of all the Greek islands. Will go back in 2026.

The ruins of Hegra near Al Ula, Saudi Arabia.

One day Hegra will be just as crowded as neighbouring Petra in Jordan. It is not far from Neom, the future mega city the Saudis are building.

Driving across Saudi Arabia. Fast roads, big cars, cheap gas. Some great places to stay, lots of fast food, and a fast changing society. I wonder how popular will it get with tourists? And how far will social change go?

Haven’t posted in a while. We got so many amazing tour experiences - so it’s time to change this!

This is on our way to Ganvie, Africa’s largest floating village, in the little country of Benin. Everyone in Ganvie is on boats - even kids.

Benin is a remarkably interesting and diverse country. It’s part of our West Africa tour, which also includes Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo and São Tomé and Príncipe. Our 2024 tour is full, but we will be back for more West African adventures soon.

Hey friends! This summer we ran a full-fledged tour of Kyrgyzstan, without visiting any of its neighbouring countries. The tour was a great success and we’ve decided to make it a permanent feature on our tour calendar. We want to invite you to have a look, and even better, to sign up to explore Kyrgyzstan on our next tour running August 14-28, 2022.

We drive on the most scenic roads (many of which are closed outside of summer), meet the most interesting people, and sample diverse cuisines of the many ethnic groups in this multicultural land. You won’t just get acquainted with the cultural and historical heritage of this Silk Road country, but experience modern day life in Kyrgyzstan.

Enjoy a tour that goes super off-the-beaten trail - sign up for our summer Kyrgyzstan tour!
https://lyubatours.com/we-explore/kyrgyzstan

Our Best of Central Asia and the Silk Road tour is over. What an adventure! We went to the best known sights, but also far into the countryside, looking for authentic culture and stories. And we found them. Now we are starting our last major tour of the year - the Best of Romania, Moldova and Odessa. Can’t wait!

We had an amazing start of our Central Asian/Silk Road odyssey in Kyrgyzstan. Now onward to adventures in Uzbekistan.

Our first-ever tour of the whole of - north, south and west - is over. What an adventure! I hope to do it every year. Stunning mountains, friendly, remote communities, and plenty of stories of the empires and civilisations that once traversed these lands.

Happy birthday, Yuri!

You are the brightest mind and the warmest heart of our team. So happy and proud to have the most curious and courageous leader.

Wish you only great travel companions and new discoveries! 💕

Честит рожден ден!

We had a lovely post-tour day in Tbilisi, exploring more of the old town, the national gallery and the food scene. Farewell Georgia and Armenia. Thanks for a great two weeks. See you soon! Now off to new adventures. Hello Ukraine!

Our tour of Armenia and Georgia is over. We had the most amazing two weeks, packed with incredible nature, history, culture and food. We can’t wait to come back!

Almost the last day of our Armenia and Georgia tour. A glorious morning and breakfast in Kakheti, a visit to the mostly Muslim (Chechen) Pankisi valley, and then up the Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi. Amazing nature, mountains and light. Incredibly sad the tour is almost over. But will be back, soon!

Day 12 of our Armenia and Georgia adventure: off to eastern Georgia, the gentle, green, wine-making region of Kakheti. There are so many interesting stories and characters... I don’t know where to start from. Every tour is a unique adventure.

Day 11 of our Armenia and Georgia tour: exploring Tbilisi, Georgia’s green capital. Soviet architecture and art, millennia-old churches, and heritage from so many different cultures and religions. Truly a city at a crossroads.

Day 10 of our Armenia and Georgia adventure: the Stalin museum and birth place in the town of Gori, the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe, and finally Tbilisi, Georgia’s enchanting capital.

Day 9 of our incredible Armenia and Georgia adventure. We visited the town of Kutaisi, with its 1885 mosque, market, and curious Soviet murals; the crumbling old sanatorium town of Tskaltubo (where we met Abkhaz war refugees), and the stunning Gelati monastery, a world heritage site.

Day 8 of our Armenia and Georgia adventure: the stunning medieval cave monastery of Vardzia, some lovely landscapes and fortresses on the way, the Kukushka narrow gauge train (dating back to 1898) and staying the night at a lovely country inn, housed inside a 200-year old wooden building. Wine tasting and a fantastic home-made dinner. Now sleeping under the melodic sound of rain.

Day 7 of our Best of Armenia and Georgia tour: onward to Georgia’s mysterious and little explored Javakheti region. Ruined fortresses, spectacular vistas, and two amazing off-the-beaten track sights: the Russian duhobory (spirit wrestlers) village temple, and a nunnery that has the world’s most amazing church gift shop - from chocolates to jams to silk scarves to blue cheese to postcards to cups - all handmade at the convent.

Day 6 of our Armenia and Georgia tour: the ruins of Zvartnots, perhaps the most beautiful church in the world; the largest Yazidi temple in the world; the ruins of Yereruyk basilica, right on the border with Turkey; and beautiful and ever more lively Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city.

Day five of our Armenia and Georgia odyssey. A morning walk in the college town of Dilijan, a visit to our friend, a khachkar (cross stone) maker, and exploring some more hidden rural sights including an 1840 Russian church, and a 580 basilica. Lastly, we had a tour of the COAF (Children of Armenia Fund) Smart Center. Glorious, dramatic landscapes everywhere we looked.

Another amazing day in Armenia. This time, completely off the beaten trail. Ruined caravanserai, churches and old cemeteries, mysterious and vast lake Sevan, our Mongolian friend in a village far inside a lush forest, and overnighting in the college town of Dilijan. And again riding local vehicles - our van just can’t reach many of the remote, hidden valleys.

Day 3 of our Armenia and Georgia: full of adventures and great food, again. And so much greenery, everywhere we turn. A little walk to Jermuk Waterfall before breakfast, then we continued south to the utterly impressive Armenian Stonehenge, Tatev monastery riding the world’s longest cable car, had lunch with a spectacular view, a walk in the town of Goris, and a walk to an abandoned cave town. A special homemade dinner in the cosiest cafe in southern Armenia. Every minute was special.

Day 2 of our Best of Armenia and Georgia tour: the monasteries of Noravank and Khor Virap, and Mount Ararat not far away, the peaceful old village of Yeghegis, the Areni cave where the world’s oldest shoe and winery were unearthed. Staying now for two nights in the spa town of Jermuk, high up in the mountains. Cool, fresh air and mineral springs.

Day 1 of our Best of Armenia and Georgia tour. We explored Yerevan: the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide museum and memorial, the Sergey Parajanov museum, Kond, Yerevan’s oldest area, Levon’s mysterious “Divine Underground”, and a stroll down the Yerevan cascade. Such an amazing city. And such friendly, hospitable people. Can’t wait for Day 2!

The Danube roars! It really does, as Stefan and I (Yuri) found out. We are back from a week exploring the Bulgarian North-West. We are working on an amazing project to discover, write and popularise the region, funded by a generous America for Bulgaria foundation grant. We will share more. Work has only just begun.

The North-West is poor, neglected and drenched in its nostalgia. It is easy and perhaps even temping to fall for this. But we promise we won’t.

There are as many surprises in North-West Bulgaria as there are potholes on its roads. People are friendly and welcoming, each in their own way. Their stories, their cuisines, their mother tongues and dialects are worth a book. This we will do.

Forgotten railways. Smoked sausages hanging from museum ceilings (if nobody visits the village museum, its space should at least be put to good use!). Balloon rides over stunning landscapes. Recipes you’ve never even heard exist, even if you are a veteran Bulgaria traveller. Rock churches, Ottoman bathhouses, Roman bridges, layers of history. A unique, spicy humour that will make you laugh and cry. Oh, and the mighty Danube!

We can’t wait to be back! This will be a tremendous project - fun, useful and inspiring.