Hiking in Georgia: 3 Best Trails in Kazbegi

You’re researching Georgia and you’ve seen that iconic photo of a historic church perched on the side of a hill with a vast mountain range covered in snow as the backdrop?

Well, that is Kazbegi!

Right here is where you’ll find some of the country’s best hiking trails with views that will quite literally make your jaw drop.

We spent five days here hiking the trails and exploring the small mountain town, and we’re heading back soon because we just love it so much! It’s peaceful, the air is cool and crisp.

Oh, and the local khachapuri is stodgy and perfect food for the chilly mountain climate!

If you’re planning some hiking in Georgia, this post will help you with the best day hikes in Kazbegi, how to reach the trailheads, how to get to Kazbegi from Tbilisi, where to stay, and (of course) where to eat!

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3 Best Trails in Kazbegi

Half-Day Hike 1: Kazbegi Town to Gergeti Trinty Church

Hiking up to Gergeti Trinity Church is steep, but you can get there in about 1.5 hours. I’d recommend downloading Maps.me app to check out the route.

From Kazbegi village, the path heads up to the left of the church, past the crumbling ruins of a tower and alongside a stream. It’s a beautiful and strenuous short hike up to the church, and the views of the mountains behind the church will blow you away!

Walk a little further back from the church and get some photos of the church in the foreground with the insane mountain backdrop.

You can hike this entirely independently straight from your accommodation in Kazbegi village, so it makes for a popular half-day hike.

There is also an option to drive up to the church along a paved road, but that takes away half of the fun, right?

Full-Day Hike 2: Truso Valley to Zakagori Fortress

Truso Valley is beautiful and lush and remote and you won’t bump into loads of other hikers.

Follow the path through the valley alongside Terek River, clamber over bridges, witness the fluorescent orange of the travertine springs, wander through ruins of abandoned mountain villages, before finally making it to the ruins of Zakagori Fortress.

This is THE perfect spot for a picnic lunch before heading back along the route to the start point.

Getting to the trailhead is not easy to do independently unless you have your own car, so we booked ourselves on to a minibus transfer service.

Mountain Freaks has a really good service!

Book yourself a seat online through Tripadvisor, turn up to the office in Kazbegi town, and within an hour, you’re at the trailhead for the Truso Valley hike. You hike the route independently, and then return to the start point to be picked up and dropped back in Kazbegi.

Full-Day Hike 3: Juta Valley

Juta Valley is a little more popular. The route starts off pretty steep for maybe twenty minutes, and is then flat (ish) the rest of the way.

Walk along the Juta-Chaukhi trail to this stunning lake and when the season is less snowy, you can often make it to Abudelauri Lakes, before returning back to the pick up point.

If you have time on the way, I would recommend stopping for a drink or a snack at the Fifth Season. The views from here are beautiful. And you can stay overnight here!

Is it Kazbegi or Stepantsminda?

Officially, it’s Stepantsminda. During Soviet rule, the name was changed to Kazbegi, and was then changed back to Stepantsminda after Georgian independence.

However, most Georgians that we spoke to, still referred to it as ‘Kazbegi’. Both names will be understood, and using one over the other won’t cause offence.

How to Get to Kazbegi From Tbilisi

Marshrutka

There are multiple daily marshrutkas running between Tbilisi and Kazbegi.

Head to Didube bus station in Tbilisi (you can reach it by metro), and ask around for Kazbegi. The journey should take around three hours and cost about 15 GEL.

You will likely have to wait for a marshrutka to fill up before it leaves, but Kazbegi is a popular destination, so you likely won’t be waiting for hours on end in the warmer months.

Shared Taxi

You’ll also find shared taxis at Didube bus station in Tbilisi. They are generally people-carrier type cars that hold 5 or 6 people, and they will be a little more expensive. But, the cars fill up quickly because you need fewer people, and they are more comfortable.

GoTrip (Private Driver)

Our favourite way to get to Kazbegi! GoTrip is a fixed price private driver service that will take you from A to B with unlimited stops en route.

The Georgian Military Highway to get to Kazbegi is known as one of the most beautifully scenic roads in the country, so this means that you can essentially make your journey into a road trip!

It’s affordable, much more comfortable than a marshrutka, and our experience with GoTrip has been absolutely 15/10.

Full blog post on GoTrip coming soon.

When to Visit Kazbegi

Kazbegi sees a lot of snow over the winter, so timing your trip up into the mountains is vital.

Having said this, the road up to Kazbegi is generally cleared year round as it an important route for freight trucks between Georgia and Russia.

Kazbegi can be visited year round, but hiking trails are open roughly between from June to the end of September. This obviously also means that this is the busiest time of year, so book your accommodation in advance!

How Long to Spend in Kazbegi

We spent five days in Kazbegi, and I think this allowed for the perfect mix of hiking and relaxing. To complete all of the three hikes mentioned above, you would need three days minimum.

Where to Stay in Kazbegi

Kazbegi is a small town but it has plenty of accommodation options. Anywhere within the town centre itself will allow for easy walking to restaurants, shops, the trailhead up to Gergeti Trinty Church, and Mountains Freaks office.

Where to Eat in Kazbegi

Cozy Corner

📍 Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi 4700

Cozy Corner has a beautiful outdoor seating area by the river, and has a variety of vegetarian options as well as a good wine selection!

Bakery

Quite literally named ‘Bakery’ on Google Maps, this is the best spot in town to pick up some fresh shoti bread straight out the tone, or a hearty lobiani!

Kazbegi Good Food

📍 Gergetis ubani, E117

Everything you need to know is in the name! And the reviews on Google Maps speak for themselves. It’s a really popular spot, and we actually couldn’t get a seat the first time we turned up!

How to Arrange Transport to the Trailheads

Just in case you missed the detail in the hikes sections and jumped straight to here!

Mountain Freaks is the best and most affordable way to reach the trailheads for Truso and Juta, and the best way to head to Dariali.

They provide a local transfer service that has minivans running twice daily (unless demand is low) to the trailheads.

It’s not a guided tour; it is purely a transfer service. They drop you there, you head off on your hike, and then they return to the drop-off point later in the day to drive you back to Kazbegi.

Your ticket includes a return journey back to Kazbegi even if you decide to only go one way and stay overnight in the valley., and they give you tips on the current conditions, the route, if shepherds and their shepherd dogs are expected to be in the area etc.

We used them for both Truso and Juta hikes, and we highly recommend it! During the summer months, the seats can sell out, so I would suggest reserving your ticket in advance through Tripadvisor.

What’s Next?

Kazbegi is kind of isolated and so realistically, if you are travelling by public transport and want to head to other parts of the country, you would need to go back to Tbilisi first.

However, if you wanted to take a direct journey, you could book a driver through GoTrip.

As a next stop from Kazbegi, I would recommend Gori, or if you are heading back to Tbilisi, you could stop at Mstkheta on the way!

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