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Offering memorable travel experiences for the discerning traveler
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About our Company
Welcome… On behalf of everyone at our company, I would like to welcome you to John Graham Tours! We are thrilled to maintain relationships with everyone that has ever come on a tour, we await your return as members of the Tamada Club! For new folks, please take a look at our tour offerings below... if one sparks your interest, please write to request one of our 20-page color brochures: admin@johngrahamtours.com We look forward to traveling with you in the near future!
Testimonials
Testimonials
I have had the good fortune of traveling all over the world with all sorts of tour groups and guides. This, by far and away, was one of the best and most memorable trips of my life. John and the group members were simply amazing! I am already thinking to myself — how can I get back to Georgia? John thanks for guiding me on this trip! I give it five stars.
John Graham’s deep understanding of Georgian culture, history, geography, and politics combines with his thorough familiarity with life in Georgia today. Add to this a keen sensitivity to those around him, a warm disposition, and superb musicianship, and you have a truly exceptional tour leader who will help you not just learn about this ancient land and its people, but to experience it deeply.
It is hard for me to imagine a more pleasant and well-organized way to see Georgia than on one of John’s tours. The combination of interesting sites, well-planned itineraries, great food, and capable guides is outstanding. John’s relaxed style coupled with his thorough knowledge of Georgian culture and history makes every day a learning experience, and his ability to adapt and modify the itinerary when unexpected obstacles arise is not to be underestimated. I can’t recommend these tours highly e… Read more
John was a tremendous resource when the Yale Women’s Slavic Chorus toured Georgia in 2016. He is a careful planner, deep listener, and excellent teacher, eager to share his knowledge and love of Georgia’s culture, music, and landscape. When I started to plan the choir’s tour, he was one of the first people I contacted, and he helped ensure our tour was successful and on budget. John’s suggestions for our tour included the perfect mix of musical workshops, sightseeing, feasting, and time spent re… Read more
In May, 2017 I took two private tours with John. We had a full day as he drove up into the mountains to Sachkhere and Chiatura. We visited both churches and important house-museums, as well as enjoyed a delicious lunch in a spectacular location along a stream in Sachkhere. I also enjoyed off-the-beaten-path sites in the Mtskheta area, visiting both a Syrian Orthodox men’s monastery (where Aramaic — the language Jesus spoke – is used), and a small female monastery. Enjoyed a great lunch in Mtsk… Read more
John’s tour brought us to the perfect intersection of mind-boggling history and awe-inspiring nature. We hiked a desert mountain covered in blue and pink springtime flowers, we stood in quiet reverence of the grave of a millennia-old saint. We stood at the top of the crumbling rampart of an old fortress and contemplated the green valley below, where hundreds of years earlier the farmers of that rich land feared the ever-present threat of raiders. John’s engaging commentary brought the landscape … Read more
John Graham, a U.S. citizen, who has lived in Georgia for several years, gave our group the opportunity to see many facets of life in this eastern European nation. He has developed many friendships and we were the beneficiaries, as members of his “Arts and Artisans” tour this May. We visited people’s homes, a school for making icons, a school for making felt and felt products, a village where the women are weaving rugs in the traditional way. John has a doctorate in musicology and the subject of… Read more
The Pilgrimage to Georgia Tour was an absolute delight! John, Soso and Shergil were like gracious hosts and friends, making sure we had abundant, sumptuous food and drink, and plenty of spectacular landscapes to enjoy! Many of the ancient churches and monasteries were hidden jewels that would have been impossible to visit without them. Plus, their voices in all those sacred spaces were unforgettably moving. I highly recommend JohnGrahamTours, as they provide an intelligent, thoughtful, and insig… Read more
Our June 2017 Ancient Christianity tour through Georgia and Armenia with John Graham was a moveable feast of history, nature, music, art, food, and wine. An exceptional experience. In addition to the planned sights, John introduced us to out-of-the-way treasures and many treasured people including:
A beautiful restaurant in Tbilisi where John and his singer friends serenaded us with traditional Georgian folk music and chant; A personal conversation with the priest of Kvelatsminda monastery, fa… Read more
We went with a group of seven friends on John Graham’s tour “The Cathedrals of Tao.” It was one of the best vacations we have ever had. The nature is unlike anything we have ever seen, the music was a revelation, and we really got to meet the singers. By the end of the tour we were also singing, and it was such fun. John was an outstanding tour guide, always providing the right kind of information, not too much, not too little. Food was excellent. And the churches, monasteries combined with the … Read more
Press
New York Times Travel
Music and Ancient History in the Caucasus
"The idea was to take a trip with my 22-year-old daughter, Liza, an adventure worthy of a college graduation present.... These remnants of ancient Georgian culture were what drew us to join John Graham, an American musicologist and tour leader, on a journey that began in the Black Sea city of Batumi, circling through the Turkish cities of Kars, Yusufeli and Ardanuc, before ending in Tbilisi.
"John himself, whom I had met in Paris when he was touring with a choir of Georgian singers, provided the other lure. An academic expert in Georgian polyphonic chant, with a doctorate from Princeton, he had promised us music along the trip, and he delivered.... Read the article.
Ethiopia: Genna Cultural Tour
January 4th-16th, 2024
January 4th-16th, 2025
Travel Program… This thrilling adventure through the ancient Christian regions of Ethiopia's northern highlands features a relaxed schedule, plenty of delicious food, top-notch guides, visits to the most important sites, and lots of interaction with local people. We will also seek out unique musicians to feed our interest in local culture through music, cuisine, and religion. Travel will involve several short domestic flights to bypass driving long distances over rough roads. Our centers of interest will be Addis, Lalibela, Gondar, and Gheralta, with forays to Lake Tana (head of the Blue Nile River), the gorgeous Simien National Park highlands with its unique herds of friendly Gelada herbivore baboons, and remote rock-hewn churches in the Gheralta region. The UNESCO heritage churches at Lalibela will feature heavily in this itinerary, as we visit this sacred city during its most important yearly festival: the feast of the Nativity (Jan. 7th on their old Christian calendar). Join us for this extraordinary adventure! Read more here!
Ethiopia: Hiking Tour
November, 2024
November, 2025
Travel Program… This thrilling adventure through the ancient Christian regions of Ethiopia's northern highlands features a series of short and long hikes through the national parks, along ridges, around lakes and dry river beds. We will have professional guides, support vehicles, packed picnic lunches, and all the necessaries to make this a highly enjoyable trip. Accommodation is in best available hotels and exclusive lodges in the national parks. Travel will involve four short domestic flights to bypass driving long distances over rough roads. Our centers of interest will be Gondar, the Simien National Park, Lalibela, and Gheralta, with forays to Lake Tana (head of the Blue Nile River). The UNESCO heritage churches at Lalibela will be a cultural highlight of this itinerary, as well as the desert churches of Gheralta. We will see plenty of wildlife at Lake Tana and in the Simien mountains! Read more here!
Ancient Christianity in the Caucasus
A Cultural Tour of the most important Christian sites (Georgia & Armenia)
May 18th-30th, 2024
May, 2025
Travel Program… One of our most popular tour programs, the Ancient Christianity cultural tour focuses on the most important Christian sites in Armenia and East Georgia. We learn about the history of these countries as early emerging states caught between the great Roman-Persian battles, and later the Seljuk-Byzantine battles. Christianity gave inspiration to an already thriving artistic impulse, giving rise to magnificent frescoed cathedrals and monasteries, set within the soaring peaks of the Caucasus mountains. Our tour begins and ends in Tbilisi, the thriving cultural and business capital city of Georgia. We spend six days in Armenia... Read more here!
Cathedrals of Tao
A Cultural Tour through the historic kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia & Turkey)
June 1st-13th, 2024
May, 2025
Travel Program… This unique tour program, featured in the New York Times (June 20th, 2017 issue), focuses on the most important Christian sites in the historic 9th-10th century kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, the location of a great renaissance of medieval manuscript writing, chant composition, and architectural innovation. Our tour itinerary is organized around visiting these "lost" cathedrals, which had fallen into ruin after 400 years of neglect under the Ottoman Empire. But our experience will be infused with traditional music of both Turkey and Georgia, the delicious fusion cuisine and wine of the border regions, and of course a healthy conversation about historical and modern political realities. This tour is perfect for adept travelers interested in a deeper cultural immersion experience. Read more...
Walking in the Caucasus - East Georgia
A Hiking Tour through the mountains of East Georgia (Tusheti, Khevsureti, Kazbegi)
By Private Group Request, Aug. 2024
TBA, 2025
Travel Program… We begin and end the tour in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia (airport designation TBS) and a beautiful city that featured prominently on trade routes from Asia to Europe. The focus of this unique itinerary will be walking trails in the High Caucasus mountains of East Georgia including the Tusheti National Park, as well as the Khevsureti and Kazbegi protected highlands. We will not be roughing it, however, as jeeps will carry our luggage, and we will stay in cozy 3-star hotels where a cool beer, a hot shower, and comfortable bed awaits. JohnGrahamTours specializes in the culture of Georgia: therefore, in addition to our walking schedule, there will be an emphasis on meeting local families to learn about their lives and customs, and experiences with the music and dance of the local people. The middle of the tour features two nights resting at a 4-star winery resort hotel with a swimming pool in the Kakheti viticulture region. Read more!
Walking in the Caucasus - West Georgia
A Hiking Tour through the mountains of West Georgia (Svaneti, Racha, Imereti)
Aug. 24th - Sept. 5th, 2024
Aug. 23rd - Sept. 4th, 2025
Travel Program… We begin and end the tour in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia (airport designation TBS) and a beautiful city that featured prominently on trade routes from Asia to Europe. The focus of this unique itinerary will be walking trails in the High Caucasus mountains. We will not be roughing it, however, as jeeps will carry our luggage to the end point, and we will stay in cozy 3-star hotels where a cool beer, a hot shower, and comfortable bed awaits. JohnGrahamTours specializes in the culture of Georgia: therefore, in addition to our walking schedule, there will be an emphasis on visiting medieval churches to see original frescoes, meeting local families to learn about their lives and customs, and experiences with the music and dance of the local people. Read more!
Viticulture and Highlands - West Georgia
A Cultural Tour through ancient Colchis, also exploring the highlands of Racha and Svaneti
Sept 25th - Oct 7th, 2024
Sept 25th - Oct 7th, 2025
Travel Program… The focus of this unique cultural program will be to visit and understand the impact of the bronze-era kingdom of Colchis, and its dependency on the mountain tribes for mineral resources. After traveling to the Black sea coastal region of Georgia (ancient Colchis), we will pay particular focus to travel through the unique cultural and geographical highland region of Svaneti. The region features a unique language, its own folklore, folk music, and cuisine. The villages are punctuated with thousand-year-old defensive towers, and each town has several Christian chapels with original frescoes dating to the 10th-12th century period.... Read more!
Viticulture and Highlands - East Georgia
A Cultural Tour through Kakheti and the Tusheti National Park
TBA - By group request
Travel Program… This unique tour program features the best of the Kakhetian viticulture region in East Georgia, with an adventurous foray into the exquisitely preserved highland meadows and valleys of Tusheti (Now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Area, and National Park). Starting in the bustling capital of Tbilisi, we explore the multi-ethnic heritage of this city through the museums, architecture, cuisine, and music. Venturing up the Mtkvari River, we visit the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, where rivers converge and Christianity was first adopted in 326 AD as a state religion. After returning East, we take a steep dirt track into the high mountains, going where few tourists brave... Tusheti, land of shepherds, awaits only the most intrepid travelers. Read more!
Unique Experiences - Special access events on JohnGrahamTours
Sounds of the Tour — Folk songs in various settings
Intriguing Destinations | Blog
10 Magnificent Churches of Kartli
In this series of posts, I document an extraordinary trip to 10 churches in the Shida Kartli region. In... Read More
Jeep Tour to Rkoni Monastery
In this series of posts, I document an extraordinary trip to 10 churches in the Shida Kartli region. To... Read More
Finding the medieval “Tamar bridge” near Rkoni Monastery
In this series of posts, I document an extraordinary trip to 10 churches in the Shida Kartli region. To... Read More
Folk Music Concert: Tbilisi Conservatory Centennial
On Tuesday, May 2nd, a folk concert was held in the Grand Hall of the Tbilisi Conservatory as part... Read More