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Tbilisi, Georgia
Tbilisi has been the capital of Georgia since the 5th century and its diverse
architecture reflects its long and complicated history. When you walk through
the city you’ll come across over-renovated and hyper-modern buildings but you’ll
also find yourself in a warren of backstreets surrounded by ram-shackled
buildings that are beautiful in their own unique way.
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Lagodekhi, Georgia
Lagodekhi is a national park in the Kakheti region, about 185km from Tbilisi.
You can do several day hikes in the park but if you can spend 3 full days in the
national park the highlight is the hiking trail to Black Rock Lake. This 50 km
long hike takes about 3 days and will bring you magnificent views over the
Alzani Valley to the beautiful Black Rock Lake. You can also get there on
horseback. Here’s a detailed guide on the Black Rock Lake Trek.
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Tusheti, Georgia
Tusheti is one of the most beautiful and fascinating regions of Georgia, located
in the northeast of the country. There’s only one road that goes to the area
over the treacherous Abano Pass which is only accessible from late May to early
October. Omalo, Dartlo and Shenako are some of the tower-dotted mountain
villages that you can visit in Tusheti. Some of these villages aren’t even
accessible by car so you’ll have to walk or go on horseback to visit these
ancient fairy-tale-like communities.
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Omalo, Georgia
The road to Omalo, the main village of Tusheti, is only open from the end of May
till the beginning of October. There’s no paved road into the area so the only
option to get there is via a rough, one-way track through the mountains.
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Khevsureti's Aragvi, Georgia
Khevsureti is a true destination for outdoor and hiking lovers! You can spend a
couple of days here to visit Shatili and the Abudelauri Lakes but you could
easily spend a week here as there are several hiking trails in the region.
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Roshka, Georgia
There’s no public transportation that goes directly to Roshka, the starting
point of the hike to the Abudelauri lakes. You’ll have to either hitchhike
(which might be tricky since it’s a very remote region), ask at your guesthouse
in Shatili if they can arrange private transport for you, or join an organized
tour from Tbilisi:
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Shatili, Georgia
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Stepantsminda, Georgia
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Kazbegi, Georgia
Kazbegi National Park is located in the Greater Caucasus mountains, near the
border with Russia, and is named after Mount Kazbegi, the 6th highest peak in
the Caucasus at an altitude of 5,047 meters. The most popular town in Kazbegi is
Stepantsminda as it’s the base to visit the iconic Gergerti Trinity Monastery,
which stands on a peak framed by the snow-capped slopes of Mount Kazbegi (see
days 6 & 7 of the Backpackers Route).
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Juta, Georgia
The 4-day trek from Shatili to Juta is a very demanding one so only seasoned
trekkers should undertake this journey! You can also hike in one day from Roshka
to Juta. This moderate 16.7-kilometer hike takes you across the 3068-meter-high
Sadzele Pass. Or, as I mentioned above in the itinerary for Khevsureti, you can
hike all the way from Omalo in Tusheti to Kazbegi!
- Juta
- Giant Head Sculptures
- Top of Chaukhi Trail
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Tbilisi, Georgia