The Top Attractions in Kazbegi, Georgia and the Surrounding Valleys

Kazbegi, Georgia is one of the most underappreciated mountain destinations in the entire world. Tucked away deep in the Caucasus Mountains, the holiday destination of Kazbegi (technically known as Stepantsminda today) has something for everyone. In this post we will discuss all the amazing things there are to do in Kazbegi, Georgia.

While the town itself is little more than holiday rentals and guest houses, the recreation opportunities in the Kazbegi region are endless. If you’re considering a trip to Kazbegi, you’ll be convinced after reading through this article. I know you’re going to love it.

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More Georgia travel guides:

• Ancient Vardzia and Uplistsikhe
• Guide to Old Town Tbilisi
• Vashlovani National Park
• The Gergeti Glacier Hike in Kazbegi
• Sighnaghi and Georgia’s wine region

Kazbegi, Georgia – What you need to know

Where is Kazbegi, Georgia?

Kazbegi is deep in the Caucasus Mountains, just south of the Russian border in central, northern Georgia.

How to get to Kazbegi

The nearest airport is Tbilisi, the main airport for Georgia. From Tbilisi it’s about a 3 hour drive to Kazbegi. You can rent a car, a 4×4, hire a driver to take you there, or take a public minibus (by far the cheapest option). 

However, renting a 4×4 is also very affordable in Georgia and the ideal way to travel to and around Kazbegi and you’ll probably end up visiting Kazbegi as part of a longer road trip around Georgia. You can book a great deal on a car from Tbilisi using the search bar below.

Be sure to check out my guide to driving in Georgia before you get behind the wheel.

If you do rent a vehicle, be prepared for anything on the roads, especially around Kazbegi. Drivers can be reckless here. There are hundreds of trucks passing through from Russia to Turkey and the locals will pass them on a blind corner without thinking twice. There are also cows in the road. The cows walk around like they are king. Don’t hit a cow.

Weather and when to go

The Caucasus Mountains are notoriously rainy. You should expect to encounter at least some rain when you’re there. Mornings are usually far better than afternoons so start your days early. Summer days can be warm but hardly ever hot. Nights can also be pretty cold, so you have to come prepared for all seasons. 

Unless you’re on a ski trip, you’ll want to visit Kazbegi in the summer. The trails through the mountains will be covered in snow the rest of the year. Though, perhaps surprisingly, the summer season starts well before hiking season in places like Glacier National Park or Mount Rainier National Park in the US. Any time from early June till October will have favorable conditions.

How to get around

I highly recommend renting a 4×4 in Tbilisi. It’s quite affordable and will give you the opportunity to get off the main road. The highway to Kazbegi is paved, but nearly every side road is not and many of them are in awful condition, only passable by 4×4 off-road vehicle. Having your own wheels will give you so much more freedom to explore the region.

We rented a Mitsubishi Pajero from Royal RC car rental and took that on some pretty harrowing mountain roads. If you don’t have your own wheels it’s easy to hire a local off-road taxi to take you anywhere you want. Inquire at your guest house. 

Where to stay in Kazbegi

There are dozens of guest houses and they all offer something similar at a similar price. It’s very cheap here if you’re coming from a western country. You can get a decent room for literally $15 USD. We paid about $31 for a room with a balcony and mountain view at Hotel UP and we highly recommend it. 

How long to stay in the region

You could easily spend two weeks in this region. There is a lot to see and do if you enjoy hiking. As a minimum I would say two days, enough to get in a big hike, see the famous Gergeti Trinity Church, and drive through some valleys. We stayed 6 nights in the region and felt it was adequate. 

Language

Georgian is the official language and it’s likely the locals you will encounter will not speak any English unless they are young. And by “any English” I mean that literally. Anything beyond “coffee, hotel, and restaurant” will not be understood. Nearly everyone over 30 will speak Russian though.

Money

The Georgian Lari (GEL) is the currency and you will need cash. Most hotels and guest houses do not accept credit cards. There are a few ATMs in Kazbegi to withdraw cash. Compared to a western country Georgia is very, very cheap. You can easily survive on a budget of $25/day including accommodation.

Food in Kazbegi

Georgia is known for its food, but you won’t find the best Georgia food in this region. There are restaurants in Kazbegi but most of them have bad reviews or seem quite sketchy. We ended up going to the same restaurant twice, restaurant Cozy Corner, and without trying anywhere else we think it’s the best restaurant in town. The waiters speak English and are very friendly, and the food was excellent!

Travel insurance

Before heading to Georgia, consider purchasing travel insurance so that you’re protected for the unexpected. We use World Nomads when we travel internationally. Word Nomads provides coverage to travelers in over 100 countries. You can search for a coverage plan using the link below.

Kazbegi Town

There aren’t really any attractions in Stepantsminda itself. The town is mainly just guest houses and hotels. There are a few restaurants and wine bars. Overall the town is a bit underwhelming. It’s not a cute mountain village in the Alps or anything like that. 

Nobody comes to Kazbegi and just stays in the town. The town is just a gateway to the abundant recreation opportunities in the surrounding mountains. On a rainy day it’s best to just chill at your hotel and drink Georgian wine. Not a whole lot of other options!

Gergeti Trinity Church

The Gergeti Trinity Church sits atop a hill high above the town. This is probably the most famous monastery in all of Georgia, thanks to its stunning location in the mountains. Built in the 14th century, it was out of use during Soviet rule, but has since reemerged as an important location for the Georgian Orthodox Church.

There are three ways to get to the monastery: hike, drive yourself, or take a taxi. The hike is steep and takes about an hour. If you drive yourself you need a 4×4 meant for off-road driving.

The paved road was damaged in a rockfall and as of July 2021 the only road up is a treacherous gravel road not for the faint of heart. Most people will take the taxi option. For 7 GEL they’ll take you up the gravel road in a large van. 

If you’re not doing the hike to Gergeti Glacier, be sure to climb at least the first 5 minutes up the hill behind the parking lot for a glorious view of the church and surrounding mountains. After that, head to a little spot (marked by a cross about 4 feet high coming out of the ground) behind the church for a view of the church with Mount Kazbegi.

You’ll also get a great view of Stepantsminda from here. You can enter the church if you are wearing pants (legs must be covered in Georgian monasteries). It’s small inside. In my opinion the views from the hill outside are the main attraction.

Mount Kazbegi

The highest peak in the region is Mount Kazbegi. At 16,500 ft (5052m), it towers over the town below. On a clear day it can be seen from just about anywhere in the valley. There is a great hike to the glacier at the foot of the peak. It’s strenuous but doable for anyone with a moderate level of fitness. You get great views of Mount Kazbegi as well as Gergeti Trinity Church from the trail.

Dariali Monastery

North of Kazbegi, basically on the border with Russia, sits the Dariali Monastery complex. This monastery is massive compared to many of the others seen in Georgia. There are multiple buildings on the site and the grounds are very well manicured. It’s obvious that someone takes good care of the land. 

The monastery is located in a beautiful canyon surrounded by huge granite peaks on all sides. The mountains are steep, impossible to hike up (as many mountains in the Kazbegi region of Georgia are), and make for an awesome backdrop for the monastery. You can walk around the site and climb up the steps behind the main church for a great view. 

Getting to the monastery is easy. It’s right on the side of the highway. There is a large parking lot and you can’t really miss it. If you reach border control you’ve gone too far. You don’t need a 4×4 to access the monastery, but the paved road north of Kazbegi is full of potholes so drive carefully. It’s about 15 minutes north of town and easy to visit in 30 minutes.

Gveleti Waterfall

Just south of Dariali Monastery is a canyon with a short hike to a large waterfall. To get to the parking area you will need a 4×4 or to take a taxi. I drove a bit up the road before finding it too daunting even for my off-road 4×4 and turning back. But another guest at our guest house said it was beautiful.

Juta and the Juta Valley

Another very popular hiking area in this region is the valley above Juta. Juta is a tiny village that is just a few guest houses about 30 minutes southeast of Kazbegi. A 30 minute hike up a steep hill takes you into a lush, green valley overlooking multiple massive granite peaks.

We spent three nights at Fifth Season, an alpine hotel in the valley only accessible by hiking (though you can ride a horse there). The hotel offers perfect views of the valley and the peaks to the east. 

The Hike to Chaukhi Pass

The main attraction here is the hike to Chaukhi Pass. This hike takes you through the green valley and up into the granite rocks to a pass that overlooks the mountains to the east. It’s about 6 miles each way and many people do this hike every day. It starts out pretty flat as you walk through the valley then gets steep as you approach the pass. 

We were planning on doing it but changed our route at the last minute to go off trail and head to a boulder field right at the base of the large peaks you can see from the valley. It was a cool side trip, taking us up a snow covered rockfall, but I recommend sticking to the trail if you don’t want to risk it. 

It’s possible to hike down from the pass to the tiny village of Roshka, where you can spend a night in a guest house before hiking back to Juta. As I didn’t do this I won’t write about it, but you can refer to numerous other blogs online if you’re curious to try it.

After a few seasons of being closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the guest houses in Roshka are now open for business again. A great place to spend a night after a long hike is Guesthouse Roshka.

If you’re not up for hiking you can also ride a horse through the valley. Inquire at Fifth Season about prices and availability. If you’re not staying at the hotel at least stop by for a drink and take in the view. Hopefully you get a nice day free from the rain. The valley isn’t lush and green for no reason!

Truso Gorge

From the main highway there are numerous gorges that break through the mountains. The most popular and probably the most beautiful of these is Truso Gorge.

The entrance to the gorge is about 20 minutes south of Kazbegi and right by a giant Chinese tunnel digging operation. Yes, that’s right. The Chinese are digging a huge tunnel through the Georgian mountains. The turnoff is onto a dirt road that will take you to the gorge.

It is possible to drive the first few miles of the dirt road through the gorge in a normal car. It is very bumpy so go very slow. There is a parking area at the village of Agatkau, but if you have an off-road 4×4 vehicle you can continue down a narrow, rocky road that leads to the end of the gorge.

If not, you can follow the road on foot. Most people we encountered were on foot, but I managed to drive the road without incident. That being said, do not attempt to drive it if it has rained recently unless you want to get stuck in the mud. 

Zakagori Fortress

The road twists and turns up and down as you follow a narrow river. It’s mostly flat, so for hikers it’s an easy 13km walk each way. Along the way you’ll pass sulfur mineral fields with a strong odor as well as numerous stunning mountains. The end of the road is the abandoned castle of Zakagori Fortress. 

This ancient fortress is perched atop a hill overlooking the valley with views of the mountains in all directions. You’re free to explore the fortress. Just be careful as there are a lot of loose stones. For the best views of the fortress, climb the grassy mountainside a bit to get higher than the fortress itself. 

Below the fortress there is a border guard station that you don’t want to go past. While you’re very close to the Russian border, the crossing is actually for the independent unrecognized republic of South Ossetia. Georgia has two such independent pro-Russia “countries” within its border.

These republics are not recognized by the UN and you want to avoid them. While Georgia is one of the safest countries in the world, the same cannot be said about South Ossetia. And given the current state of Russian aggression it’s advised to avoid this separatist region.

Villages along the gorge

There are numerous mostly abandoned, old villages within the gorge. It was interesting to see a village with many old stone buildings in ruins and then one house in decent shape with clothes hanging out to dry. Some people still live here. A truly simple life.

Along the Highway to Kazbegi

There are numerous other towns along the main highway to Kazbegi. These towns all have accommodation options and some have restaurants and markets. They are in a beautiful location, as everywhere up here is picturesque. But I still recommend staying in Kazbegi for the best views and most recreational opportunities. 

About an hour south of Kazbegi is the ski resort town of Gudauri. There are tons of hotels here and it’s a very popular winter destination. There were also a lot of people paragliding off the cliffs in town. The region was very beautiful and I’m sure there are many recreational opportunities for summer. There’s also a ski range in the little village of Almasiani. In the summer you can take the chairlift to the top, though for whatever reason it doesn’t open till 11 AM. 

Quick Background on Georgia’s Other Mountain Regions

Kazbegi, while unappreciated on a global scale, is actually the most popular mountain region in Georgia. There are far more rugged and unexplored regions of the Caucasus in Georgia that can be visited. Here is a quick rundown of those regions.

Ushguli

Arguably more beautiful than the Kazbegi region, Ushguli and the surrounding region of Svaneti offer ancient villages with tower houses amid the backdrop of the highest mountains in Europe. I would have loved to go here but we had to make a decision between here and Kazbegi and chose Kazbegi due to its proximity to Tbilisi and it’s alpine hut lodging opportunities. 

Ushguli is much more difficult to get to and requires a 4×4. It’s about 8 hours of driving from Tbilisi even though it’s really not that far. The road is slow and winding. If you have time though, this destination is truly stunning. 

Shatili 

If you’re looking for a real adventure you can consider the ancient village of Shatili. East of Kazbegi, just south of the Russian border lies this tiny village with a beautiful old castle built into the mountainside. It can only be accessed by off-road 4×4 in the summer months and the road is dangerous to say the least.

In 2020 a minibus carrying 17 tourists fell off the side of the mountain killing all aboard. As much as I would have loved to see this historical village I’m just not that risk averse. 

Tusheti 

The Tusheti region is the easternmost mountain region in Georgia. It’s a large national park that borders Russia to the north and east. There are multiple picturesque villages along a gravel road through the park. But this is not a road you should attempt to drive on your own, even in an off-road vehicle.

If you want to venture into this region you will need to hire a local driver with experience driving this road. It can take 8-10 hours to go 100 miles into the northern parts of the park, but if you have the time the photos of this area look truly amazing.

Kazbegi – Frequently Asked Questions

Final Word

The Kazbegi region of northern Georgia is one of the best kept secrets in the travel community. Unexploited and raw when compared to some of the world’s more popular mountain holiday destinations, the region is waiting to be discovered. No one who visits Kazbegi, Georgia leaves disappointed and I’m sure you won’t either!