Kazbegi Military
5
Day Itinerary •
Georgia
Five days on the Kazbegi and Military Highway gives you the complete extraordinary range of Georgia's finest mountain road and the Caucasus region around it, from the extraordinary Ananuri fortress and Gudauri ski resort to the Gergeti Trinity Church hike, the Upper Truso mineral valley, the Juta alpine village, the Sno valley and the extraordinary Khevsureti cross-mountain walk to the ancient fortress village. This route covers the full Kazbegi region and its surrounding mountain valleys. The Military Highway from Tbilisi, Ananuri and Gudauri, the Gergeti Trinity Church at dawn, the Truso travertine valley, the Juta alpine meadows, Sno valley and the extraordinary Khevsureti region with its unique culture of pagan-Christian fusion, ancient fortress villages and the finest mountain hospitality in the Caucasus.
Best Time To Visit
June to September
Getting There
Drive 3 hours north of Tbilisi on Military Highway
Getting Around
Rental car essential for side valleys
Budget Per Day
Approx 40 to 70 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate to challenging; some mountain hiking
DAY 1
MILITARY HIGHWAY DRIVE
MORNING
ANANURI FORTRESS AND ZHINVALI RESERVOIR
The Ananuri fortress on the Zhinvali reservoir is the finest medieval castle on the Military Highway, its extraordinary 17th-century towers and churches reflected in the turquoise water. The Church of the Assumption has extraordinary carved stone facades. This is the finest early stop on the Military Highway drive north, setting the tone for the extraordinary medieval and natural landscape ahead. Entry free. Drive: 45 min drive
MIDDAY
GUDAURI PASS AND THE SOVIET PANORAMIC MURAL
The Gudauri pass at 2,196 metres gives a 360-degree panorama over the Caucasus range. The famous Soviet semicircular mural celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Georgievsk is the finest example of Soviet monumental art in Georgia. The extraordinary viewpoint over the Aragvi gorge from the pass gives the finest landscape view on the entire Military Highway. Free. Drive: 1 hour drive
AFTERNOON
STEPANTSMINDA AND THE EVENING KAZBEK VIEW
Stepantsminda in the Terek river valley is the finest mountain base in Georgia. Mount Kazbek at 5,047 metres dominates the valley and the Gergeti Trinity Church on its extraordinary hilltop is visible from every corner of town. The evening light on Kazbek is extraordinary. Check into the guesthouse, eat the finest khinkali in Georgia and watch the mountain turn pink at sunset.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ananuri fortress graveyard inside the walls contains extraordinary carved Georgian tombstones dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, each with extraordinary relief carvings of the deceased's weapons, hunting scenes and daily life. They are among the finest folk art objects in Georgia and almost entirely unnoticed by visitors.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tbilisi Early coffee before the Military Highway drive north. | Lunch: Restaurant at reservoir Georgian trout, fresh bread and local wine by the extraordinary Zhinvali. | Dinner: Guesthouse in Stepantsminda Mountain lamb, potato bread and the extraordinary Kazbek view at sunset.
DAY 2
GERGETI CHURCH AT DAWN
MORNING
GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH AT DAWN
The hike to Gergeti Trinity Church at dawn, starting before 6am, gives the extraordinary experience of the church in complete solitude with the morning mist in the valley below and Mount Kazbek catching the first light above. The 2-hour ascent through meadows and forest is the finest early morning hike in Georgia. The church at dawn with the extraordinary silence and the snow-capped mountain directly above is one of the finest experiences in the Caucasus. Entry free. Drive: On return
MIDDAY
STEPANTSMINDA TOWN AND MOUNTAIN LIFE
A leisurely morning in Stepantsminda after the dawn hike gives the extraordinary mountain town at its finest. The local market has the best churchkhela and mountain honey in the Kazbegi region. The local guides at the guesthouse can arrange every activity in the region and their knowledge of the mountain valley culture is extraordinary. The afternoon rest prepares for the Dariali gorge drive. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
DARIALI GORGE AND THE RUSSIAN BORDER
The Dariali Gorge north of Stepantsminda narrows to extraordinary proportions as the Terek river carves through the Caucasus to Russia. The Georgian fortress ruins visible in the gorge walls are extraordinary. The drive to the Lars border crossing and back takes 45 minutes through a landscape that is genuinely extraordinary. The Russian border post is visible at the end of the gorge. Turn around at the Georgian checkpoint.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Stepantsminda Natural History Museum is the finest small museum in the Kazbegi region, its extraordinary collection of local minerals, Caucasian wildlife specimens and historical photographs documenting mountain life in the 19th and 20th centuries. Entry almost free and the local guide's commentary is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse, Stepantsminda Minimal breakfast before the 5.30am dawn departure. Pack food for the hike. | Lunch: Rooms Hotel terrace Well-deserved lunch after the dawn hike with the extraordinary Kazbek view. | Dinner: Guesthouse dinner Traditional mountain supra after the extraordinary day. Local wine and extraordinary hospitality.
DAY 3
TRUSO VALLEY AND JUTA
MORNING
UPPER TRUSO VALLEY, GEORGIA'S EXTRAORDINARY MINERAL LANDSCAPE
The Upper Truso valley is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the Caucasus, a volcanic valley of bright orange mineral springs, travertine terraces and mineral pools that look like a Martian landscape. The Zakagori fortress ruins reflected in a mineral pool are extraordinary. The Ossetian village of Ketrisi at the valley end has remarkable traditional stone tower houses. The drive from Stepantsminda takes 30 minutes on a rough road. Free. Drive: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
JUTA VALLEY, THE ALPINE MEADOWS OF THE GREATER CAUCASUS
The Juta valley above Stepantsminda is the finest alpine landscape in the Kazbegi region, a high meadow valley at 2,200 metres with the extraordinary peak of Chaukhi rising directly above and the Greater Caucasus visible in every direction. The traditional Caucasian tower village at Juta is one of the finest in the region. The drive from the main valley on a rough road takes 30 minutes. Horses can be hired in Juta for a higher valley traverse. Drive: 30 min drive back
AFTERNOON
AFTERNOON IN THE KAZBEK HIGH VALLEY
The afternoon in the extraordinary Kazbegi high valleys is best spent walking the meadows above Stepantsminda, where the combination of wildflowers in summer, the extraordinary mountain air and the constant presence of Kazbek and Gergeti church above give the finest mountain afternoon in Georgia. The light on the mountain in the late afternoon is extraordinary and the finest time for photography from the valley floor.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Chaukhi pass above Juta at 3,338 metres is accessible to fit hikers as a day hike from Juta and gives extraordinary views into the Khevsureti region on the far side of the pass. The walk takes 4 to 5 hours return and the views are extraordinary. Ask the Juta guesthouse owner for the trail description.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse Mountain breakfast before the Truso drive. Pack water for both valleys. | Lunch: Guesthouse in Juta Simple mountain food at the Juta guesthouse. Extraordinary setting. | Dinner: Guesthouse, Stepantsminda Mountain lamb and Saperavi after an extraordinary day in the high valleys.
DAY 4
SNO AND KHEVSURETI
MORNING
SNO VALLEY AND THE CAUCASIAN TOWER HOUSES
The Sno valley south of Stepantsminda is one of the finest hidden valleys in the Kazbegi region, a pastoral mountain valley with extraordinary Caucasian tower house villages and the remarkable Sno fortress visible on its hilltop from the valley floor. The traditional architecture of the Sno valley towers is the finest surviving example of medieval Caucasian defensive architecture in the region. The valley is almost entirely unvisited by foreign tourists. Free. Drive: 1.5 hour drive
MIDDAY
KHEVSURETI, THE MOUNTAIN KINGDOM OF PAGAN CHRISTIANITY
The Khevsureti region accessible by mountain road from the Gudauri pass is one of the most extraordinary and isolated cultural regions in the Caucasus, a mountain kingdom where a unique form of pagan-Christian fusion religion has survived for 2,000 years. The extraordinary fortress villages of Mutso, Shatili and Anatori are among the finest medieval settlements in the Caucasus. The drive through Khevsureti on the extraordinary mountain road is itself an extraordinary experience. Drive: 1.5 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
FINAL KAZBEGI EVENING AND MOUNTAIN FAREWELL
The final evening in Stepantsminda is best spent at the Rooms Hotel terrace or the guesthouse balcony watching the last light fall on Mount Kazbek and the Gergeti Trinity Church. The extraordinary combination of a 14th-century church, a 5,047-metre volcanic peak and the extraordinary mountain hospitality of the Kazbegi guesthouses makes the farewell to this valley genuinely difficult.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Mutso fortress village in Khevsureti is one of the most extraordinary abandoned settlements in the Caucasus, a 12th-century hilltop village of tower houses still largely intact but entirely uninhabited since the Soviet era. The drive from Stepantsminda takes 2 hours on extraordinary mountain roads. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse, Stepantsminda Final mountain breakfast before the Sno valley drive. | Lunch: Roadside cafe in Khevsureti Simple mountain food in the extraordinary ancient mountain kingdom. | Dinner: Rooms Hotel Kazbegi Finest final dinner with the extraordinary Kazbek sunset. Book the terrace table.
DAY 5
KAZBEK BASE CAMP APPROACH
MORNING
KAZBEK BASE CAMP TRAIL, APPROACHING THE MOUNTAIN
The trail to the Betlemi hut base camp of Mount Kazbek at 3,653 metres begins at the Gergeti Trinity Church and climbs through extraordinary high alpine terrain above the treeline. The base camp approach trail is accessible to fit hikers without technical equipment and gives extraordinary views of the Kazbek glacier and the south face of the mountain. The ascent takes 3 hours from Gergeti Church. Come back by 1pm to allow time for the return drive. Drive: On descent
MIDDAY
FINAL STEPANTSMINDA MORNING
The final morning in Stepantsminda after the base camp trail is best spent eating extraordinary khinkali at the town's finest dumpling restaurant and buying churchkhela and local honey for the journey. The extraordinary memory of Kazbek from the base camp trail will last longer than any photograph. The guesthouses of Stepantsminda are among the finest in Georgia for mountain hospitality. Drive: 2.5 hour drive south
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO TBILISI VIA THE MILITARY HIGHWAY
The return drive south on the Georgian Military Highway gives the extraordinary Caucasus landscape in reverse, from the high peaks above Stepantsminda through Gudauri and the pass, down the extraordinary Aragvi gorge and past Ananuri to Tbilisi. A final stop at the extraordinary Jvari monastery above Mtskheta gives a final view of the Caucasus before the city. Georgia's mountains will be impossible to forget.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Kazbek glacier visible from the base camp approach trail is retreating rapidly and has lost extraordinary volume since Soviet-era measurements. The comparison between old photographs in the Stepantsminda museum and the current glacier position is one of the most extraordinary and sobering climate change illustrations in the Caucasus.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse, Stepantsminda Final mountain breakfast before the base camp approach. Bring extra water and snacks. | Lunch: Khinkali in Stepantsminda The finest khinkali in Georgia one last time before the return drive. | Dinner: Tbilisi restaurant Return dinner in the capital after the extraordinary mountain week.
Where To Stay
Stepantsminda, all nights Rooms Hotel Kazbegi or family guesthouses. Approx 30 to 150 USD. Budget option Family guesthouses from approx 20 USD including breakfast. Gudauri, Night 1 option Ski resort hotels. Good base for the pass viewpoint at dawn.
Top Tips
1. Start every Gergeti hike before 8am. Clouds build by 10am and the extraordinary Mount Kazbek view disappears. The dawn hike is the finest experience in Georgia.
2. The Truso valley travertine terraces are the most extraordinary geological landscape in Georgia and almost entirely unknown. Pack water as there are no facilities on the road.
3. Khevsureti is accessible only in summer. The mountain road is extraordinary and the ancient pagan-Christian culture is unlike anything else in the Caucasus.
4. The Rooms Hotel Kazbegi terrace gives the finest view of Gergeti Church and Kazbek at sunset. Even non-guests can order a drink for an extraordinary 30 minutes.
5. Georgian Military Highway marshrutka minibuses from Didube station cost 8 GEL to Stepantsminda. The drivers know every stop. A rental car costs more but gives freedom.
6. The Juta valley above Stepantsminda is the finest day hike base in the region. The extraordinary Chaukhi peaks above are accessible to fit hikers and the views are extraordinary.
Total Budget
40 to 70 USD/day