Kazbegi & Truso Valley by 4x4 — Private Day Trip from Tbilisi

A 12–12.5 hour day in a private 4x4, with about 3 hours of driving each way plus the valley track.

1. 07:30

   Pickup at your Tbilisi hotel

2. 08:4530 min

   Ananuri fortress

   • Ananuri FortressA 30-minute stop at the 17th-century Ananuri fortress and its churches above the Zhinvali reservoir.

     A 30-minute stop at the 17th-century Ananuri fortress and its churches above the Zhinvali reservoir.

     Ananuri is a 17th-century fortress of the Dukes of Aragvi above the turquoise Zhinvali reservoir, about 70 km (1–1.25 h) north of Tbilisi on the Georgian Military Highway. Inside its walls stand two churches, one with richly carved façades from 1689, and a square watchtower you can climb for a view down the reservoir. It is the usual first stop on the way to Kazbegi or Pasanauri, and 30–45 minutes is enough to see it.

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3. • Gudauri Ski ResortA short photo stop at the 1983 Friendship Monument past Gudauri, then over the Jvari Pass (2,379 m).

     A short photo stop at the 1983 Friendship Monument past Gudauri, then over the Jvari Pass (2,379 m).

     Gudauri is Georgia's largest ski resort, on the Georgian Military Highway about 120 km north of Tbilisi, just below the Jvari Pass. The resort village sits at about 2,200 m, and its lifts, including gondolas, run from about 1,990 m to 3,279 m, serving wide open pistes above the tree line and large freeride slopes. The ski season usually runs from late December to mid-April. In summer the same slopes are used for hiking and tandem paragliding, and Gudauri is a common stop on the way to Kazbegi.

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4. 10:15

   Friendship Monument viewpoint, then the Jvari Pass

5. 10:45

   Kvemo Okrokana: border-police passport check, then the 4x4 track into the Truso valley

   • Truso ValleyAbout 2.5 hours in the Truso valley: a 4x4 ride up the track from Kvemo Okrokana, then about 4 km on foot among travertines, mineral springs and abandoned towers. Passport needed for the border-police check.

     About 2.5 hours in the Truso valley: a 4x4 ride up the track from Kvemo Okrokana, then about 4 km on foot among travertines, mineral springs and abandoned towers. Passport needed for the border-police check.

     Truso is a high valley of the upper Terek river, starting near Kobi on the Georgian Military Highway about 20 km south of Stepantsminda. From the village of Kvemo Okrokana a dirt track runs up the nearly flat valley floor past bubbling mineral springs, orange and white travertine terraces, the small Abano mineral lake, the abandoned village of Ketrisi and the towers of Zakagori fortress. You walk part of it or ride in a local 4x4. The upper valley ends at the occupation line of the Tskhinvali region.

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6. • KazbegiA late lunch in Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), about an hour (not included).

     A late lunch in Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), about an hour (not included).

     Stepantsminda, still widely called Kazbegi, is the mountain town at about 1,740 m on the Georgian Military Highway, 152 km north of Tbilisi (3–3.5 h) and 15 km from the Russian border. Above it the 14th-century Gergeti Trinity Church stands at 2,170 m with Mount Kazbek (5,054 m) behind. It is the base for walks to Gergeti, the Gveleti waterfall and the Dariali gorge, and by 4x4 for the Truso and Juta valleys. Come as a long day trip, or stay a night or two to walk in the morning light.

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7. 11:152 h 30 min

   Walk to the travertines and mineral springs (about 4 km in total)

8. 14:301 h

   Late lunch in Stepantsminda (not included)

9. 15:451 h

   Gergeti Trinity Church

   • Trinity Church GergetiUp the paved road to Gergeti Trinity Church (14th century, 2,170 m) under Mt Kazbek (5,054 m), about an hour at the top.

     Up the paved road to Gergeti Trinity Church (14th century, 2,170 m) under Mt Kazbek (5,054 m), about an hour at the top.

     Gergeti Trinity Church (Tsminda Sameba) stands alone on a grassy ridge at 2,170 m above Stepantsminda, about 152 km north of Tbilisi, with the glaciated cone of Mount Kazbek (5,054 m) behind it. The 14th-century church and its bell tower are a working Orthodox site and the classic view of the Georgian Caucasus. You reach it by car on the paved road from town or on foot in about 1–1.5 hours up through meadows, 430 m of climbing. Most people stay 45–60 minutes for the church, the views and the photos.

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10. 17:00

    Drive back to Tbilisi

11. 20:00

    Back at your hotel (weekend evening traffic can add 1–2 h)