2 days private trip Stepantsminda, Kazbegi Mountains & Sno

Bagratrip

Private 2 full-days tour on the Military road will bring you to the Great Caucase montains at 2200m passing by fortress, rivers and pass. From the Gergeti church you will get a huge panoramic view.

Stepantsminda

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Please pay attention that this tour is now made in 2 days in order to avoid long lasting trafic jam in the tunnels of Kazbegi. This situation occurred so often that it's not pleasant for the guests to wait in the car for hours on a 300km journey.

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Day 1

The Caucasus mountains, with Kazbegi at 1740 meters, are over 150 km from Tbilisi. We'll need to leave early to take full advantage. We meet at 9.00 a.m. at your hotel.

After an hour's drive and a few fine photos of the 300 Aragonese didié monument and the Zhinvali reservoir, we'll arrive at the Ananuri fortress. This fortified complex dates back to the 13th century, when the rulers decided to protect the capital upstream. We'll take 45 minutes to visit the complex.

If you're hungry, we can stop off in Pasanauri at one of the many cafés. However, I recommend taking a small picnic and stopping here on the way back to try the best Khinkali in Georgia. That way, you'll get the most out of the day. We now attack the climb via the Gudauri ski resort. On reaching the Monument of Friendship between Georgia and Russia, we'll pause to contemplate one of the region's most beautiful panoramas.

Crossing the Jvari pass, we plunge into the valley towards Kazbegi / Stepantsminda. The Trinity Church of Gergeti is just around the corner. We're almost there.

Before arriving in Kazbegi, we'll make a short detour to the village of Sno, with its gigantic outdoor sculptures.

Once in Stephantsminda, we can take a break at one of the village cafés. For my part, I prefer to picnic on the opposite mountain next to the Ioane Natlismcemeli church. There's no one there, and you can gaze at the landscape and the valley for long minutes.

Now it's time to tackle the final stage, the ascent of Gergeti. At the summit, you'll have time to appreciate the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus range and breathe in the pure mountain air.

If you still have some energy left, we can continue along the military road down the Dariali Gorge to the last monastery before the Russian border.

At the end of this busy day, we return to the hotel to drop off our luggage before heading into town for a bite to eat.

Day 2

The second day is up to you. The most interesting is to hike the beautiful Truso Valley (6 hours) or the Artkhmo Gorge (3 hours). If you're not a hiker, we can take the Gudauri cabines up to a summit to enjoy the view.

Please note! Hiking is only possible in season.

Now that we've had our fill of oxygen, it's time to return slowly to Tbilisi. The road back is long, so it's worth stopping off in Pasanauri at this point to sample the local specialities.

Depending on timing, we can make a final stop in the old capital, Mtskheta. Its central square with the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.