Safety in the Caucasus: what the real risks are, which areas to avoid and what to pack in the first-aid kit
The question always comes before booking: is the Caucasus safe? The short answer is yes, and the problems you have there are not the ones you fear. Georgia and Armenia have fewer thefts and assaults on tourists than most capitals in western Europe; Azerbaijan is calm in Baku and everywhere you visit. What actually sends someone to hospital is the road, the mountains and the stomach, and what can complicate a trip is going near two or three borders there is no reason to go near. This guide takes it in parts.
Which areas to avoid
In Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two regions occupied by Russian troops since 2008: you do not enter from Georgia except with permits that are not worth it, and the line that separates them, marked with barbed wire in places, is not for strolling. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, the border strip between the two countries, closed and militarised, and the former Karabakh, under Azerbaijani control since 2023 and with restricted access. None of this is near any tourist site, apart from a monastery or two in southern Armenia from which you can see the border: go with a guide and stay on the path. And something more recent: Tbilisi has had large demonstrations on Rustaveli Avenue in recent years, almost always peaceful, but it is best not to wander into them out of curiosity.
Health
Vaccines
The usual ones up to date: tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B. Rabies exists in stray dogs, many in Georgia, and in foxes and jackals in the countryside; the pre-exposure vaccine is recommended for anyone spending weeks in the mountains far from hospitals, and for everyone else, do not touch unknown dogs and see a doctor the same day if bitten. There is no malaria or yellow fever.
Water and food
Tbilisi tap water is drinkable, Yerevan's, among the best in the region, flows from the street fountains, and mountain villages' comes from springs; in Baku and the Azerbaijani lowlands you drink bottled. Food is safe in restaurants and homes; stomach problems come from the quantity, the homemade wine and the chacha, not from hygiene. Anti-diarrhoeals and rehydration salts in the kit, just in case.
Hospitals and insurance
The private clinics of Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku are good and charge European prices; outside the capitals, healthcare is basic and a mountain rescue can cost thousands of euros. Travel insurance is not optional, and if you are hiking or skiing it must cover mountains and evacuation. Emergency number: 112 in all three countries.
Transport
The marshrutka is cheap and reaches everywhere, and its driver overtakes on bends; the train is the safest for long distances; in the city, taxi apps avoid haggling and the driver who takes the long way round. If you drive: slowly, without crossing the passes at night, watching for cows on the road, potholes and cars coming at you in the wrong lane, and with a photo of the hire car before setting off. Between countries, the Georgia-Armenia border is crossed without trouble; the Georgia-Azerbaijan land border has been closed since 2020 and you enter by air.
Mountains
The main risk of the trip. Tell your lodging where you are going and when you will be back; carry water, food, warm clothing even if it is hot below, a downloaded map and battery; check the weather, which on Kazbek or in Svaneti changes within an hour; do not cross rivers in snowmelt; and hire a local guide for anything technical and for the sheepdogs, which defend the flock in earnest. The Caucasus hiking guide has the routes by difficulty.
The small stuff
Pickpockets in the Tbilisi metro and in markets, few but present; invented prices in airport taxis and in the odd bar in Baku where girls invite you in, which is the classic scam; stray dogs, almost all gentle; and a summer heat in Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi that calls for a hat and water. Nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Caucasus more dangerous than Europe?
No. Georgia and Armenia have fewer thefts and assaults on tourists than most countries in western Europe, and Azerbaijan is calm everywhere you visit. What happens are road accidents, falls in the mountains and stomach problems, and that is what insurance, common sense and the first-aid kit are for.
Do you need travel insurance?
Yes. A night in a private clinic in Tbilisi costs what it does in Europe and a mountain rescue thousands of euros. Insurance covering medical costs, hospitalisation, evacuation and, if you hike or ski, mountain activities costs little for two weeks and is the one thing not to save on.
What do I do if I lose my passport?
Report it to the police, who give you a document, and go to your country's embassy or consulate; the UK, the US and most EU countries have embassies in Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku, though some cover a neighbour from one of them, so check before you travel. With a copy of the passport in your email and the police report, an emergency document takes one to three days.
