About our Company

Welcome… to John Graham Tours! We offer a variety of curated cultural and hiking tours mostly for private groups. Currently we operate out of Georgia, but also lead tours in Armenia, Turkey, and Ethiopia. As a people-focused operation, we are thrilled to develop strong relationships with our tour participants, and welcome many returning travelers via our 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!

Ethiopia: Genna Cultural Tour

January 4th-16th, 2026

January 4th-16th, 2027

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-December - by private group request

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)

April 18th-30th, 2025

Travel Program… 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 Christian states at the eastern periphery of the Byzantine Empire, struggling for existence amidst the constant threat of attack from Persia, Arabia, Mongolia, and Central Asia. 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. The liturgical arts flourished in manuscript production, praise music, iconography, stone and wood carving, and cloisonne enamel inlays on elaborate ornamental icon metallurgy. 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!

Ancient Cultures of Georgia & Armenia

A Cultural Tour meeting artists and musicians, vintners and cooks, with lectures on history

April 24th - May 6th, 2026

Travel Program… One of our most popular tour programs, the Ancient Cultures of Georgia & Armenia cultural tour gives a broad introduction to the most important UNESCO heritage sites as well as the wealth of artistic culture that flourishes in both countries today. While lectures focus on the history of these countries as early emerging states caught between competing empires to West (Rome and Byzantium) and the East (Persia and Selkjuk Turks), our day to day experience will be an interaction with musicians, artists, cooks, clerics, and environmentalists. Our tour begins in Tbilisi, Georgia, then continues into Armenia before returning to Tbilisi... Read more here!

Cathedrals of Tao

A Cultural Tour through the historic kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia & Turkey)

May 2nd - 14th, 2025

May, 2026

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. 2025

TBA, 2026

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. 23rd - Sept. 4th, 2025

Aug. 22nd - Sept. 3rd, 2026

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!

Golden Fleece cultural tour - West Georgia

A Cultural Tour through ancient Colchis, also exploring the highlands of Racha and Svaneti

Sept 10th-22nd, 2025

Sept, 2026

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!