Private hiking tours

Georgia Hiking Tours in the Caucasus

Day hikes and multi-day treks in Georgia, the country, private for 1–8 travellers

These are private hiking tours in Georgia, the country in the Caucasus, not the US state. Every tour here has real time on foot: a valley hike under the Chaukhi peaks, a scramble to a medieval fortress near Tbilisi, or four days from Mestia to Ushguli across Upper Svaneti. Nobody else joins your group, and we arrange the transport to the trailhead and, on multi-day tours, the beds.

Prices are per person for a group of 4, the way every tour page shows them; 1–3 travellers pay more each and 5–8 pay less. Driver-guides speak English, and a guide in another language is on request. Nothing to pay now: send us your date and we confirm it first.

Day hikes from Tbilisi

Three private days out from Tbilisi, from a valley walk to a scramble. They are long days, so check the hours.

Juta valley hike under the Chaukhi peaks

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 12-hour day; 3–4 h on foot
Season: July to mid-September (trail clear of snow)
Per person (4): $89 pp for 4

Over the Jvari Pass to Sno, then by local 4x4 and village taxi to Juta at about 2,200 m. A local hiking guide walks with you past the Fifth Season hut towards Juta lake: about 10–12 km return with 360–400 m of climbing, on a rocky path with one short steep climb to the hut.

Good to know: The last 2.6 km of the Sno–Juta road has been closed since a collapse in June 2025, and we check the current status before your date. If the taxi is not running, the closed stretch is a 40–90 minute walk each way, which makes the day longer.

Juta valley hike day trip from Tbilisi

Birtvisi canyon and fortress hike

Difficulty: Challenging
Hours: 8.5–9-hour day; 4–5 h on foot
Season: March–June and September–November; July–August with a 07:00 start; not after rain
Per person (4): $86 pp for 4

A medieval fortress built into a maze of volcanic rock towers above the Algeti valley, about 50 km from Tbilisi. The loop is about 8 km, with hand-over-hand scrambling on boulders but no ropes. A local hiking guide leads it, with a picnic lunch at the fortress and trekking poles provided.

Good to know: Minimum age 12; not suitable if you have a fear of heights or knee problems. Ankle boots with good grip are required. The trail is poorly marked and easy to lose among the rock towers, so stay with your hiking guide. After rain the rock is slippery and we move the date.

Birtvisi canyon and fortress hike from Tbilisi

Truso valley walk and Gergeti by 4x4

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 12–12.5-hour day; about 4 km on foot
Season: June–October (October weather permitting)
Per person (4): $93 pp for 4

More a valley walk than a hike. From Kvemo Okrokana a private 4x4 takes the rough track into the valley, and you walk about 4 km on a mostly level track past mineral springs, orange and white travertine terraces and abandoned stone towers, with a few stream crossings on stones. Then on to Gergeti Trinity Church (2,170 m) under Mt Kazbek.

Good to know: Bring your passport for the border-police check at the valley entrance. The valley track is slow and bumpy, not ideal for travellers with back problems. Heavy rain can make it impassable even in summer: we check conditions the day before and switch to the classic Kazbegi day if needed.

Kazbegi and Truso valley 4x4 day trip from Tbilisi

Multi-day treks and hiking tours

The Svaneti trekking tour from Mestia to Ushguli is the one true trek, walking from village to village. The other three keep a base in Mestia or Stepantsminda and add guided walks.

Mestia to Ushguli trek

Difficulty: Challenging
Hours: 7 days, 4 on foot; 4–9 h a day
Season: July–September; mid-June and early October on request
Per person (4): $685 pp for 4

Four days and about 57 km on foot across Upper Svaneti with a local mountain guide, through Zhabeshi, Adishi and Iprali to the medieval towers of Ushguli. The high point is the Chkhutnieri pass (about 2,700 m), facing the Adishi glacier. You sleep in family guesthouses with dinner and breakfast, packed lunches are included on trek days, and your main luggage goes ahead by car to Ushguli, so you carry only a day pack.

Good to know: With about 3,100 m of total ascent you need to be fit and used to mountain paths. The Adishi river ford is fast, cold glacial water that can reach above the knee: bring sandals, or cross on a local's horse (paid in cash). Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, so the guide may start early or adjust the day.

7-day private Mestia to Ushguli trek

Svaneti: Mestia and Ushguli in 5 days

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 5 days; walks of 2–6 h
Season: Mid-June–September; late May and early October on request, when the Zagari Pass is open
Per person (4): $630 pp for 4

Three nights in Mestia and one in Ushguli (about 2,100 m), beneath Mt Shkhara (5,193 m), Georgia's highest peak. You walk to the Chalaadi glacier on an easy forest path (2–3 h), to the Koruldi lakes (2,740 m) with a local hiking guide (3–4 h, about 550 m of ascent), and up the Shkhara valley, a long but gentle walk that can be shortened. An easier option exists every day.

Good to know: At Chalaadi you stay back from the ice. The return over the Zagari Pass depends on snow and weather; if it is closed, we drive back via Mestia and Zugdidi instead, a longer day.

5-day private Svaneti tour with Mestia and Ushguli

Kazbegi with a Truso or Juta valley hike

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 2 days; 3–5 h on foot
Season: May–October (Truso May–Oct, Juta Jul–Sep)
Per person (4): $225 pp for 4

A night in Stepantsminda gives you more time in the mountains than a day trip allows: Gergeti Trinity Church in the evening light, then a morning walk with a local hiking guide. Choose Truso (May–October), about 3 hours on a nearly flat track to the travertine springs and the Abano mineral lake, or Juta (July–September), about 5 hours on foot in total, with 360–400 m of climbing on the trail.

Good to know: Bring your passport for Truso: the border police register every visitor at the valley entrance. The last 2.6 km of the Sno–Juta road has been closed since a collapse in June 2025, and we check the current status when you book. We don't take guests onto the Gergeti glacier, which needs ropes and a mountain guide.

2-day private Kazbegi tour with a valley hike

Kazbegi active weekend: rafting, hiking and paragliding

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 3 days; one hiking day, 3–6 h on foot
Season: May–September (Juta July–Sep; Truso May–June and Sep)
Per person (4): $575 pp for 4

One hiking day among three active ones: about 12 km of rafting on the White Aragvi, a guided hike in the Juta valley (July–September) or the Truso valley (May–June and September), and a tandem paragliding flight over Gudauri, with two nights in Stepantsminda. Juta is about 5–6 hours on foot, including the walk past the closed road section; Truso is 3–4 hours and nearly flat.

Good to know: Your insurance must explicitly cover rafting and paragliding; many basic policies exclude them. Paragliding may move to day 3, so don't book a flight home earlier than the day after the tour. Bring your passport for Truso.

3-day private Kazbegi active tour

When to go

Each tour above shows its own season. In general, high-mountain trails are open from about June to September, with July–September the reliable window.

March–June: Birtvisi runs from March. Truso opens the mountain season, on the 2-day tour from May and the day trip from June, and the 5-day Svaneti tour starts in mid-June. Snow lingers on high passes into late June.
July–September: Everything is open, including Juta and the Mestia to Ushguli trek. August is busiest and September is often the clearest. Summer afternoons often bring cloud and storms, so hiking days start early.
October: Good in the lower mountains and for autumn colour, but high passes can get snow at any time. The Truso day trip runs weather permitting, the trek only in early October on request, and Birtvisi runs on into November.
November–February: The high trails are under snow. Birtvisi runs in November, and none of these tours runs from December to February. The Jvari Pass on the road to Kazbegi can close for hours or 1–3 days after snow.

By region

Where our hiking tours walk, and where we plan a private route on request.

Kazbegi

Stepantsminda is 152 km (3–3.5 hours) from Tbilisi on the Military Highway. Truso is nearly flat and Juta climbs towards the Chaukhi peaks. Both work as long days from Tbilisi, about 12 hours door to door, but a night in Stepantsminda is far more relaxed.

Svaneti

About 460 km and 8–10 hours by road from Tbilisi, so allow at least three days even without a trek. Both tours take the train to Zugdidi and drive about 3 hours up to Mestia. Both reach Ushguli, one of Europe's highest villages.

Near Tbilisi: Birtvisi

1.25–1.5 hours from the capital on sealed roads. It is more scramble than walk: a loop through rock towers to a medieval fortress, with short climbs where you use your hands.

Birtvisi canyon and fortress hike

Tusheti

Reached by one 4x4 road over the Abano Pass. We have no fixed trek here: our 4-day tour is a 4x4 trip with walks between tower villages. Tusheti's multi-day treks suit experienced hikers with time.

Tusheti 4x4 Tour — 4-Day Private Trip to Omalo & Dartlo

Borjomi-Kharagauli

Long forest trails with shelters, such as the Nikoloz Romanov trail: 43 km over three days from Likani to Marelisi. We have no fixed tour here: tell us what you would like to walk and we send a private route and a price.

Lagodekhi

In the far east of Kakheti: the Black Grouse waterfall trail is about 9–9.5 km return and 3–5 hours through forest. We have no fixed tour here: tell us what you would like to walk and we send a private route and a price.

What to bring

Light hiking boots or trail shoes. Birtvisi requires ankle boots with good grip.
Sandals or water shoes for river crossings, including the Adishi ford on the trek.
A warm layer and a rain jacket, even in August: Stepantsminda sees August days of about 20 °C and nights of about 12 °C.
Sun cream, sunglasses and a hat. The sun at altitude burns quickly.
Water and food, as there are few places to buy anything on the Kazbegi trails.
A day pack of about 25–35 litres if your main bag goes ahead by car. Trekking poles help on long descents and in rivers; on Birtvisi we provide them.
Your passport for Truso, where border police check visitors at the valley entrance, and cash: Mestia has the last ATM before Ushguli.

Planning the walking yourself?

This page lists the tours we run. Our guides cover where and when to hike, and the trek day by day.

Mestia to Ushguli trek: four days through Svaneti

Questions hikers ask

Which hiking tour should I choose?

For a first walk in the mountains, the Truso valley day is about 4 km on a mostly level track, and the 2-day Kazbegi tour adds a night in Stepantsminda. Juta is a longer walk with 360–400 m of climbing. The 5-day Svaneti tour has an easier option every day. The Mestia to Ushguli trek needs fitness and experience of mountain paths, and Birtvisi suits fit walkers aged 12 and over who are happy using their hands.

How hard is the Mestia to Ushguli trek?

Four days and about 57 km on foot, with about 3,100 m of total ascent and 4–9 hours of walking a day. The hardest day is about 19 km and 8–9 hours over the Chkhutnieri pass (about 2,700 m), starting with the Adishi river ford early in the morning. The trail is well marked and your main luggage goes ahead by car, but you need to be fit and used to mountain paths.

Is there a guide on every hike?

The Juta, Birtvisi, 2-day and 3-day Kazbegi tours have a local hiking guide on the walk. The Mestia to Ushguli trek has a local English-speaking mountain guide on the four trek days, and the 5-day Svaneti tour has a local hiking guide on the Koruldi day. On the Truso day trip you are with your driver-guide. Driver-guides speak English; a guide in another language is on request.

When is the hiking season in Georgia?

High-mountain trails are open from about June to September, with July–September the reliable window. August is the busiest month and September is often the clearest. Birtvisi runs March–June and September–November, and in July–August with a 07:00 start.

How much do the tours cost, and when do I pay?

Each tour above shows its current price per person for a group of 4; 1–3 travellers pay more each and 5–8 pay less. Each tour page lists what is and isn't included. Nothing to pay now: send us your date and we confirm it first.

Do I need travel insurance for hiking?

Yes. Since 1 January 2026 travel insurance with at least 30,000 GEL of cover is mandatory for visitors to Georgia. Check that yours covers hiking and mountain rescue. The 3-day Kazbegi tour also needs cover for rafting and paragliding.

Want a different hike?

Tell us the region, your dates and how hard you want to walk, and we send a private route and a price. Nothing to pay now.

Plan your own trip Ask us