Things to do
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Gergeti Trinity Church
Stone walls and a conical dome stand alone on a spur at 2,170 metres, with Kazbek rising behind, in the view that carries Georgia abroad. The walk up from the village takes around ninety minutes through pine forest, and jeep taxis run the rough track for those short of time. Shoulders and knees are covered inside, and wind on the spur bites.
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Mount Kazbek
At 5,054 metres, the dormant volcano on the Russian frontier draws roped parties up the Gergeti glacier to a hut at the old meteorological station, then on to the summit ridge. The standard route needs crampons, an ice axe and acclimatisation, with ascents generally made between July and September. Guides are arranged in the village, and crevasse danger grows as summer wears on.
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Georgian Military Road
Running from Tbilisi to the Russian border, the route over the Jvari Pass has carried armies, traders and now freight lorries through the Greater Caucasus. Ananuri fortress, the Zhinvali reservoir and the Soviet friendship monument above Gudauri all sit along it. Drivers share the road with slow trucks and livestock, and the pass can shut without warning in winter.
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Gveleti Waterfall
A short walk up a side valley in the Dariali gorge reaches a fall dropping into a rock amphitheatre, entered from a car park near the border checkpoint. The path takes about twenty minutes each way and crosses the stream more than once. Spring meltwater makes it loud and the approach muddy, while late summer leaves it thin.
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Juta
Shepherds' houses at 2,200 metres mark the end of the driveable road in the Sno valley, and the trail on from there climbs towards the Chaukhi massif and its jagged towers. Walking to the foot of Chaukhi takes about two hours, with guesthouses in the hamlet for anyone crossing to Roshka. The track in is rough, and ordinary cars turn back short of the village.
