Kazbegi Georgia how to get there. How to go to the mountains from Tbilisi

One can talk forever about the beauty of magnificent Georgia - this ancient, proud country fascinates and attracts guests from all corners of the globe. But in order to feel the local atmosphere and explore all the sights and customs, one tourist trip will not be enough. A week-long visit to the country for inquisitive tourists always ends with a detailed plan for their next trip.

In order not to depend on the airline’s flight programs, save time, provide yourself with freedom of movement to exciting places and see much more than is included in the tourist package, we invite you to learn more about traveling to Georgia by car from Moscow.

Travel documents

To avoid possible difficulties when crossing the border, it is necessary to make thorough preparations and first of all find out what documents will be needed. Traveling by car will require a minimum of paperwork:

1. A foreign passport valid for at least six months.
2. Vehicle registration certificate.
3. Anyone who is not driving their own car needs a power of attorney from the owner certified by a notary to drive a car with the agreed right to cross the border. An English translation must be provided.
4. Driver's license issued on the territory of the Russian Federation.

No insurance policies are required for travel, but it is very important to check your passport for marks on crossing the border of Abkhazia. The Georgian government considers crossing the Russian-Abkhaz border illegal and fines tourists with such stamps. Thus, if you have already been to Abkhazia, the road to Georgia by car from Moscow is closed to you until you receive a new passport.

Visa to Georgia

Russian citizens wishing to travel in Georgia for no longer than 90 days are subject to a visa-free regime. If traveling to Georgia by car from Moscow is planned for a longer period, you will need to apply for a visa at the checkpoint. For this you will need:

• Present your passport.
• Fill out the visa application form in English and sign it.
• Pay the state fee in the prescribed amount. Since September 2014, the visa application fee is $50.
• Traveling children of any age are also required to obtain a visa and pay the full fee, regardless of whether they are traveling with their own passport or included in a parent's passport.

If there are no problems with the documents and the forms are filled out correctly, the visa is placed in the international passport, and the trip by car from Moscow to Georgia can continue.

Travel route

At this time, only one border checkpoint operates smoothly for entry into the territory of Georgia - Upper Lars. Therefore, there can be no deviations from the only correct route along the Moscow-Georgia route. The distance by car to Tbilisi is 1,961 km and can be covered in approximately 31 hours, excluding border inspection and rest time. It is unrealistic to cover such a distance without stopping, especially if there is only one driver among the travelers. Fortunately, along the road you can find a large number of hotels and roadside cafes where you can relax, gain strength and eat Georgian cuisine.

Conventionally, the road to Tbilisi can be divided into 3 sections:

• Travel along the M-4 Don highway from Rostov-on-Don to Pavlovskaya Stanitsa in the Krasnodar Territory. This section will be about 1200 km.
• Further along the M-29 “Caucasus” the road goes through Vladikavkaz to the Russian border and is 600 km.
• The last push is from the Verkhniy Lars border checkpoint to the capital of Georgia along the Georgian Military Road. The views here are stunning and the road will take up the remaining 200km.

Beyond the Russian border there are several kilometers of absolutely neutral territory that does not belong to anyone. Beautiful landscapes and complete silence will allow you to feel complete freedom and enjoy the anticipation of something new and unknown.

By car from Moscow is a fairly common occurrence, and the irreplaceable experience of already established travelers allows us to identify very useful recommendations:

• It undergoes regular repairs, which can result in many kilometers of traffic jams. You need to prepare for this in advance - study the situation during the trip and provide possible detours.
• In order to get to the exit border from Russia on time, tourists recommend spending the night somewhere outside Rostov. There are good and inexpensive hotels in Armavir, Kropotkin and Tikhoretsk.
• It is better to drive in the dark - you will come across fewer leisurely KAMAZ trucks and local residents, which will significantly reduce travel time.
• On the border with Georgia, the Verkhny Lars and Daryali checkpoints often change their opening hours due to the threat of mudflows, so the opening hours need to be clarified in advance to avoid ending up with a closed border.
• In Georgia, gasoline costs almost twice as much as in Russia, so it is recommended to fill up the tank before traveling abroad. There are good gas stations in Rostov, Armavir, Pyatigorsk. The last gas station will be in Vladikavkaz. It is prohibited to transport gasoline in cans across the border.
• In Pyatigorsk there is a large market on weekends, which can cause a large traffic jam on the highway. The exit from it can be found through Prokhladny or Georgievsk.
• At the entrance to Georgia, the first settlement will be the village of Kazbegi at the foot of Mount Kazbek - about 20 km from the border. There are many inexpensive hotels here, where you can take a break from the road, have a snack, walk through fascinating places and move on the next morning.

Border crossing procedure

The algorithm for crossing the border when leaving from Russia is as follows:

1. After passing through the barrier located at the border, travelers are faced with border control. It involves inspecting the vehicle using mirrors.
2. Then, everyone traveling on the Moscow-Georgia route by car is required to go through passport control and get a stamp indicating they have passed the border.
3. The final stage is the inspection of the luggage by customs, during which all items must be unloaded from the car for inspection. If customs officers have any suspicions about the luggage, it is possible to check the car using X-ray equipment.

Carrying out all checks usually takes about 2 hours, but practice shows that customs officers are quite loyal to those traveling along the Moscow-Georgia route by car. A thorough search with unloading of luggage, using mirrors and X-ray devices is extremely rare. Usually at the border they make do with questions about the contents of the trunk and a visual inspection of the interior.

Crossing the border with Georgia is much easier and lasts about 20 minutes. Customs officers stop the car, and passengers are asked to go through passport control at the customs building. At this time, the driver goes through control without leaving the car - he hands over all the documents necessary when crossing the border to the checkpoint window. After checking the documents, the driver is photographed and a stamp is placed in his passport indicating that he has crossed the border. Then a visual inspection of the interior and transported items takes place.

Attempts by foreign citizens to enter Georgia without passing a security check are illegal and punishable by fines, as is traveling to Georgia by car from Moscow through Abkhazia. For the first violation the fee is 500 GEL in national currency. For the next illegal entry, the fine is doubled.

Such offenses under aggravating circumstances are punishable by the fair government of this country with imprisonment for up to 5 years in accordance with Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Border checkpoints in Georgia

In addition to the Daryali checkpoint, through which the road from Moscow to Georgia passes (including by car), there are other checkpoints on the Georgian border. The following checkpoints are officially open for travelers:

• From Georgia to Turkey. Here passes the European highway E-70 (checkpoint “Sarpi”), connecting Batumi and the Turkish city of Hopa, as well as the highway E-691 (checkpoint “Vale”), leading from the city in southwestern Georgia of Vale to the village of Posof on the Turkish border.
• Georgian-Azerbaijani border. You can get here via the Tbilisi - Rustavi - Ganja - Baku highway, the Red Bridge checkpoint. Also located here are the Vakhtangisi and Tsodna checkpoints, located on the highway from Baku to Telavi.
• Georgian-Armenian border. There are 4 checkpoints on the Georgian border on the Armenian side: the Ninotsminda checkpoint on the Akhalkalaki-Gyumri highway, the Guguti checkpoint, through which the E-117 road from Tbilisi to Yerevan passes, the Sadakhlo checkpoint on the Tbilisi-Vanadzor-Yerevan highway and Checkpoint "Akhkerpi".

On the Georgia-Russia border section, traffic has been resumed since 2010 through the Verkhniy Las checkpoint on the Russian border and the Daryali customs point on the Georgian border. Due to the fact that the consequences of mudflows are being eliminated on this section, to ensure safe traffic on the way to Georgia by car from Moscow this summer, border control will operate from 04:00 to 17:30.

Condition of roads along the route

Those same experienced tourists, who have experienced all the hardships and pleasures of a car trip to Georgia, can make an assumption about the condition of the roads for this year. Reviews about the road by car to Georgia from Moscow are mostly positive; the condition of the road surface is conducive to fast driving, but there are several nuances:

• The Moscow-Voronezh road along the M-4 highway can be called ideal, but there are toll sections. At this time there are 6 of them; to drive through them during the day you will need to spend about 350 rubles. Travel at night will cost less. During the resort season, traffic jams often occur in front of these areas.
• On the way from Voronezh to Rostov along the same highway, travelers often encounter areas with road repairs, and the highway gives way to two-lane traffic.
• On the section from Rostov to the village of Pavlovskaya, the highway is completely two-lane, the road is often undergoing repairs, and in the summer you have to stand in kilometer-long traffic jams.
• The M-29 highway from the village of Pavlovskaya to Kropotkin is a two-lane road without markings, and the road is in poor condition. The driver needs to be careful in this section.
• The Kropotkin - Vladikavkaz road along the same M-29 highway already looks better - repairs have been carried out here, two-lane traffic is being replaced by four-lane traffic, there are markings.

Safety and customs of local residents

Georgia can confidently be called a country safe for tourists. This is facilitated not only by strict police reforms, but also by the goodwill of the local residents themselves. Cars are often left unlocked here, without even bothering to roll up the windows - in Tbilisi they believe that this is not necessary.

However, in places where tourists gather, you need to be more careful - as in any tourist country, pickpockets often operate near the main attractions. Most often, these are not even Georgians, but gypsies or visitors who like to profit from other people’s money. If a local resident witnesses a theft, he will try to help in any way he can - tourists are loved here and supported in every possible way.

In cases where a girl goes to Georgia by car from Moscow - alone or with friends - she has nothing to fear. Reviews from representatives of the fair sex who have visited Georgia indicate that Georgians, as connoisseurs of beauty, can give a lot of compliments without crossing the line, as happens with local residents in Egypt or Turkey. The exception is traveling through mountainous regions (Tusheti, Khevsureti or Svaneti) - the people here are unique, with their own customs and principles, and without the accompaniment of familiar men it can be dangerous.

If you prefer a tent to spending the night in a hotel, you need to choose the place carefully, first asking for advice from local residents. The fact is that in some wild regions of Georgia there are wolves and bears, close acquaintance with which you will not be happy.

Approximate cost of a road trip

Traveling on your own by car will cost you approximately the cost of two air tickets, but traveling with your own car will be much more convenient and interesting. In addition, renting a car or calling a taxi in Georgia is very expensive, and public transport leaves much to be desired. Having your own car will allow you to bring home fine Georgian wine and as many gifts for loved ones as you like.

Judging by the reviews, the average amount spent on gasoline one way will be approximately 11,000 rubles. You can rent a room in a modest guesthouse for 800 rubles. for two per day, in terms of the national currency of Georgia, the cost will be 30 lari. A room in a three-star hotel, booked during a trip to Georgia by car from Moscow, in winter will cost 50 lari for two. Food in Georgian cafes is not the cheapest, but very tasty. You can have dinner for 30 GEL. The food here is hearty - one serving of khinkali is enough to feed two adults.

Excellent Georgian wine can be purchased for only 25 lari per bottle, but no more than 3 liters of alcoholic beverage per person is allowed to be imported into the Russian Federation.

Conclusions and reviews from travelers

For those who have already mastered the Moscow-Georgia road by car, the route evokes only positive emotions. The condition of the road is generally good, but after crossing the border with Georgia, bad sections of the road appear in places, followed by a mountain serpentine road on which you need to slow down and drive with great care. Along the way there are pleasant hotels that offer inexpensive rooms, as well as many roadside cafes with national dishes of Georgia.

According to tourists who have mastered the Moscow-Georgia route, the distance is easily covered by car. However, the driver will need to be patient - many motorists, crossing the highway in the Stavropol Territory and North Ossetia, have encountered brazen extortion of money by local traffic police officers. To avoid trouble, do not give yourself a reason to stop - it is not recommended to neglect the rules of the road. Failure to comply with the speed limit and not wearing seat belts is treated with great attention here and punished to the fullest extent.

On the territory of Georgia, the driving style of local residents is simply terrible - they are, apparently, poorly informed about the rules. Here people often forget to turn on their turn signals, change lanes from the far left lane to turn right, cut off neighboring cars, and drive through red lights.

Gasoline is expensive in Georgia - the average price is almost twice as high as in Russia. People are not allowed to cross the border with full cans of gasoline in the trunk, so it is advised to fill up a full tank just before crossing the Russian border - in the Vladikavkaz area.

Air tickets "Moscow - Tbilisi" for two cost the same as from Moscow to Georgia by car, including not only the cost of gasoline, but also accommodation in hotels of different levels. In general terms, the country is assessed positively - security is at a high level, Georgia can be visited even with children. The police closely monitor order, Georgians are very friendly people, many of them speak Russian well.

Tourists who want to see not only the beautiful nature of this mountainous region, but also visit the historical monuments located there, want to know how to get from Tbilisi to Kazbegi. Judging by the map, the distance from the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, to Stepantsminda (formerly this regional center was called Kazbegi) is about 156 km. But there is no need to delude yourself, because even if you have your own car, a tourist will be able to get from Tbilisi to Kazbegi in only 2.5-3 hours, since Georgia is a mountainous country, and the entire route actually goes through mountain passes and gorges. If there is a landslide on the road, the travel time may increase. For example, 1 group of tourists took about 9 hours to reach their destination in their own car.

There is good road surface on the Tbilisi-Gudauri section, and subsequent sections of the road are constantly being repaired due to frequent landslides. It is best to travel in a group, as this will allow you to distribute the costs among all tourists.

Some tourists from Moscow want to first get to the regional center, and then get to Batumi without passing through the capital of the republic. For such travelers there is a way out, since in the village there are minibuses that go to Kutaisi for 30 lari ($1 = 2.3 lari) without visiting the capital. From Kutaisi you can take a train or another minibus leaving the city for 15-20 lari to get to the Black Sea coast to visit the capital of Adjara.

How to get from the capital to the regional center?

There are several tourist-tested ways to get to Stepantsminda:

1. Travel in your own car.
2. Regular minibus.
3. An ordinary passenger taxi.
4. Pre-booked tourist route.

1 way of transportation allows you to stop along the way for photography, visit historical and cultural monuments located along the road, for example, the Zhinvali reservoir (40 km from Tbilisi), the Ananuri fortress (70 km from the capital). But the car driver must be extremely careful, since the road in some places runs along the edge of a precipice, and the turns on the serpentine are quite sharp. The road rises almost all the time to the highest point - Cross Pass.

The road may be crossed by flocks of sheep, so traffic along it slows down from time to time. After reaching the village, you can drive to the Gergeti Church or Gveleti Waterfall, Mount Kazbek. But we must take into account that to get to these places you may need an SUV.

Therefore, if independent tourists’ own car does not have the ability to drive along a mountain road without asphalt, you can hire transport to visit these places. It will cost 40-60 lari. If you take a mountain bike, the price of a trip to a church or waterfall will be 15-20 GEL, but such a trip will take much more time than a trip by car.

With such a move from Tbilisi to the regional center and back, the main financial losses will result in the purchase of gasoline for the car and the purchase of food and souvenirs along the way.

Other travel options

If a tourist arrived in Georgia by plane, then it is easiest to get from the capital to the regional center if a tour to visit this area has been pre-booked. Then a minibus with a guide and driver will be waiting for the tourist at the hotel. Along the way, according to the ordered route, there will be stops in interesting places. It will be possible to take photographs, since at the request of the tourist the driver will stop the car. But the cost of such a tour depends on the travel company.

If a person prefers to get there on his own, then in Tbilisi he will need to take the metro and get to Didube station. There is a bus station next to it. You will need to find a minibus that goes to the desired point. It is better to do this early in the morning, because if a tourist catches 1 minibus (8 hours local time), then he has a chance to return back by the last car that leaves the village at 17:00 or 18:00 on the same day. The fare one way will be 10-15 GEL. But we must take into account that the minibus will not stop anywhere. Tourists often have to stand on their feet for the entire flight, as the seats are usually occupied. If a person does not have time to see all the sights in 1 day, then you can stay in the village until the next morning. It is quite easy to find a room for 20 GEL in the private sector. There is also a modern hotel, but the cost of a room there reaches 100 or more GEL per day.

If a person wants to visit other attractions along the way, he can hire a taxi. If the car is on gas, then a flight to the regional center and back will cost 120-150 GEL. If you want to visit the waterfall and church, you will have to add another 40-50 GEL. Along the way, you can ask the driver to stop for food or photography. If the car is on gasoline, the flight will cost 250-300 GEL including sightseeing and photography.

Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)- the first large village after the Russian-Georgian border on the way to Tbilisi. And I recommend staying here for at least a couple of days. And if you love mountains, then even five days will not be enough! It is here that the famous Mount Kazbek and the Troitsk Church are located. This is the Georgia we fell in love with.

In this post I talk about the sights of Kazbegi and recommend interesting places around where else you can go or visit. Here you can read useful information about where to live, where to eat and how to get to Kazbegi from Tbilisi or Vladikavkaz. It turned out to be a great guide!

Strictly speaking, Kazbegi is a municipality (district), and Stepantsminda is the main administrative center of this area, in the past it had the same name, but out of habit, some people call it by the old name, and on minibuses they still write “Kazbegi”.

The village is quite large for these places, with a population of 1,400 people. From the border to Stepantsminda it is only 10 km, and to Tbilisi 160 km, and there is no way you will pass by it when moving from Russia.

These are harsh highland places, it is always colder here compared to Tbilisi. The best time to visit is July and August. The rest of the time it snows, then rains, then piercing winds, although in the fall it also looks very impressive.

The highway to Tbilisi runs right through the village, forming a square in the center - all the most important things are here: restaurants, the “House of Wine”, a minibus stop, and, more importantly, from here you can see Mount Kazbek and the Trinity Church in Gergeti. Now Kazbegi is at the peak of popularity; during the season there are a lot of people, both climbers planning to climb the surrounding peaks and ordinary travelers who came only to walk to the church and back.

The roads in the village are gradually being repaired, replacing ordinary dirt roads with paved streets, and in the southern part of Stepantsminda there is a tourist office where you can rent mountain equipment, get maps of the area and get detailed information about everything. You can also book excursions around the area from them.

Tourist office

Sights of Kazbegi and surrounding areas

Many interesting places in Kazbegi can only be reached on foot, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a car to get to the starting point.

Trinity Church in Gergeti

The most popular attraction in Kazbegi and the calling card of all Georgia. Some tourists simply go up and back and immediately move on to Tbilisi or Vladikavkaz.

The temple is located high on a mountain near the village of Gergeti at an altitude of more than 2000 m above sea level. From here you can simply see unreal and breathtaking views of Kazbek and all the surrounding mountains and glaciers. An incredible sight!

Gergeti Church

You can get there on foot (quite tiring if you are not very fit) or by jeep and four-wheel drive minibus. Local residents earn extra money by driving such cabs; it seems that everyone has such cars to transport tourists. For the round trip they ask 40-45 lari.

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The year-round snow-covered mountain, 5,033 m above sea level, is known for its capricious character; it is not often visible from Kazbegi and is constantly hidden in the clouds. Although it is not a very difficult peak to climb, several groups of climbers from all over the world go there every day.

Mount Kazbek at dawn

Same thing during the day

However, you can take a closer look at the mountain without climbing up - go beyond the church and up the path to the glacier and weather station. But be careful - there are cracks!

You will pass the gorge on the way from Russia, it is located in no man's land and just over the border. The place is very picturesque with high cliffs, but quite dangerous - landslides and glacier collapses often occur here. In the gorge there is the newly built Archangel Church and Tamara's castle.

Georgian Military Road

The Georgian Military Road goes from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi just through the Kazbegi region, and along the way you can see a lot of interesting things: a mountain lake, a monument, a pass, the Gudauri ski resort and more.

There are remains of ancient watchtowers in Gergeti and Pansheti, which are easy to see from the road.

Mineral springs and swimming pool

Not far from Kazbegi on the other side of the Terek there is an outdoor mineral water pool. Nearby - the same water flows out of the pipe, just a drink of the gods, better than Borjomi! To get there, cross the bridge to Gergeti, turn south and walk a few kilometers. It is not visible from the road; you will notice a dilapidated building - look behind it. It is marked in the Maps.me application.

Mineral water pool

Source

We decided to walk to the spring to swim, but it started to rain. This did not stop us from celebrating Anya’s birthday. There was no number “2” in the local village store, so there is only the number 4 on the cake ;-)

If after the springs you go a few more km to the south, and then turn west into a small gorge, you will come to the Toti waterfall. There is a cascade of two, I only reached the bottom one.

Waterfall from afar

A very pretty valley running east from the Georgian military road. In the village of Sno there is an ancient fortress, which we were not able to get into - there is simply no entrance there;-)

Even further along the valley is the high-mountainous village of Juta with amazing views, it can be reached by car, and there is also a campsite there. Then you can follow the mountain paths through the pass to Khevsureti - this is an excellent trekking route.

Sioni village

The village is right on the main highway and is interesting with the Zion Temple and a large watchtower.

Truso Gorge

In the gorge you can see mineral geysers, watchtowers and authentic villages inhabited by Ossetians. A remote and wild corner of nature. Be sure to take your passport with you, because this is a border zone and soldiers may ask for documents.

What else to do?

• Mountaineering
• Mountain biking and motorcycle riding
• Riding a horse
• Paragliding
• Rafting

Kazbegi Hotels

Kazbegi has a huge selection of accommodation from simple village houses and guesthouses with basic amenities to luxury hotels.

Kazbegi Rooms Hotel

One of the most luxurious hotels not only in Kazbegi, but throughout Georgia. Its main advantage is not so much the comfortable rooms, but the magnificent view of the glaciers and Mount Kazbek. The rooms hotel is located far from the highway on the mountainside, it can be seen from afar - it is a five-story building with a wide terrace.

This is a very cozy place with wooden floors and a homely feel, with large panoramic windows. Room rates start from $100 per night. Be sure to book a room with a mountain view! Because there are rooms with a view in the opposite direction.

From Vladikavkaz. There is a minibus from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi and back, passing buses Yerevan-Moscow, mostly everyone drives their own car or hitchhikes. Read more about crossing the border and all the nuances here:

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Kazbegi on the map

Marked all the important and useful places in Kazbegi on the map:

TRIP TO KAZBEGI

ANANURI - CROSS PASS - KAZBEGI

Excursion from Tbilisi

Duration: 10-12 hours.

Distance: 380 km.

08:00 Meeting with the guide. We will go on an exciting journey to Kazbegi district (Stepandzminda district), which is famous for its snowy peaks. We will be driving along Georgian Military Road (VGD) , which began to be built at the end of the 18th century, after the signing of the Pact of Georgievsk on the protectorate of the Russian Empire over Georgia in 1783. For a long time, the VGD remained the only route from Russia to Georgia and to the Caucasus in general.

Along the way we will visit Ananuri fortress (65 km from Tbilisi, about an hour's drive). The fortress was built back in the 16th century and was the residence of the Aragvi feudal lords - the Eristavis, the rulers of this region who played in the 17th century. prominent role in the political life of Eastern Georgia. Ananuri was the key to the Aragvi gorge. It was attacked and destroyed many times, but most of the fortress was preserved. This building evokes a feeling of power and strength even today. From the fortress there are wonderful views of the Aragvi River and picturesque Zhinvali Reservoir . We will taste mineral water directly from the source.

Further our path lies past the famous ski resortGudauri ... And here he is - Cross Pass , so named after the famous stone was placed there in 1824 at an altitude of 2379 m, past which Pushkin, Griboyedov and Lermontov passed. Approximately from here, the Aragvi flows to the south, and the Terek flows to the north.

And finally we are in Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) . This is a small town in the middle of high mountains. Our goal is, built in the 14th century at an altitude of 2170 meters. It is located in the mountains, above the village of Gergeti, from which it got its name. This rather large church from below seems like a tiny dot against the background of a gigantic Kazbek mountains(5047 m), covered with eternal snow. The church is surrounded on all sides by huge rocks, which attract with their grandeur and variety of colors. Right next to the church there is a monastery complex, in which monks live to this day.

You can have lunch either near the Church of the Gergeti Trinity (picnic in nature), or in a restaurant in the town of Kazbegi. Afterwards we set off on the way back, returning to Tbilisi (160 km, 3.5 hours on the road).

There are two routes to get to the Gergeti Trinity:

1) Walking route(we have to walk 6 km one way and 6 km back). Approximately 4 hours walking one way.

Attention!!! According to this program, we climb to the Church of the Gergeti Trinity on foot!!!

2) Moving by jeep(the route runs off-road, which adds a certain element of extreme sports to the trip).

If we choose a jeep trip to the Gergeti Trinity, then we will have time to visit additional excursion sites (to choose from):

• Daryal Gorge (30 km round trip) with a climb to the waterfall (1.5 km climb one way).
• On the way back, visit Mtskheta with a tour of the Svetitskhoveli Temple.

Tour cost per person (in US dollars) for a group:

Kazbek, your royal tent

Shines with eternal rays.

Your monastery is behind the clouds,

Like an ark flying in the sky,

Hovering, barely visible, above the mountains.

A. S. Pushkin

One of the significant, iconic and visited attractions of Georgia is the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gergeti near Kazbegi. .

Stepantsminda

To see the Church of the Holy Trinity, you will have to visit the regional center of Kazbegi (as it was called in Soviet times). A couple of decades ago it was renamed Stepantsminda (St. Stephen). You can visit Kazbegi and the legendary church immediately after crossing the Upper Lars border checkpoint. Or by going in the opposite direction from Tbilisi. It is located on the Georgian Military Road.

Sights of Kazbegi

The main attraction of the village is the Trinity Church, where tourists from all over the world go. In the last decades of Soviet power, in 1988, a cable car was built to the church, but the village residents destroyed it as a building desecrating a shrine. The communists once prohibited holding services in the church, but the temple has always been of tourist value and the road to it has never been overgrown.

In the village of Stepantsminda itself there are no special attractions, except for the museum, which houses the treasures of this region: the door to the Betlemi cave, the chain with which the monks climbed into the cave and the artifacts discovered in it.

Gergeti

Church of the Holy Trinity - a shrine against the backdrop of mountains

Many legends and myths are associated with the Church of the Holy Trinity. One of them says that it was erected on the site of an ancient pagan temple. Moreover, even now, allegedly, priests hide a stone idol in the image of a ram. The church was built as a repository for the treasures of the Georgian Orthodox Church during the invasion of foreign invaders who desecrated Christian shrines.

The temple was built from huge stone blocks that were brought from the valley. Another legend says that there were not enough stones to complete the construction. In the evening, the upset men fell asleep so that in the morning they could travel far away from where the building material was being delivered, but when they woke up, they saw the temple completed and covered with a dome.

Built in the 14th century, the Gergeti Church is the oldest cross-domed structure in the Khevi region. The monastery complex consists of a church and a bell tower. The interior decoration of the temple is ascetic and strict, as is the character of the mountaineers guarding it. There are no frescoes in the church. Only a few fragments of the old images have survived, but they do not decorate; rather, they have historical value. Most of the walls don't even have plaster. Due to the narrow windows and lack of electricity, there is twilight inside the church.

Outside, the Trinity Church is modestly decorated with bas-reliefs and stone carvings.

Gergeti is a two-story church, but the second floor, where valuable artifacts are stored, is hidden from visitors and people who do not know the layout of this structure.

The special honor of being the custodian of church treasures was assigned not only to the monks and the church, but also to the residents of the village. Khevi men, residents of nearby villages, were not drafted into the army in the past, even during difficult war years. Fearless warriors from the village were supposed to protect the Gergeti Church with the jewels that were entrusted to it.

If news came from the watchtower that the enemy army was huge and the forces of the local residents were not enough to protect the church, all the jewelry and artifacts were transferred to the Bethlehem Cave.

Gergeti Church – new times

At the end of the last century, a monastery was revived in Gergeti. This temple is also one of the most significant tourist attractions. The monks make sure that pilgrims do not desecrate the shrine and restore order in the temple.

The special feature that makes tourists happy to visit the Gregetha Monastery is the mountain landscapes of indescribable beauty. The background of the church with the bell tower is the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range, and a little further rises the majestic Mount Kazbek. To see the peak of the mountain, it is advisable to visit this church on a clear day, but the weather in the mountains is changeable, so it is difficult to predict when it will be visible. There is an opinion that the mountain shows its peak only to people with a positive aura.

Legends and myths around the temple do not cease to be born even in modern days.

In the 30s of the last century, the communists, who banned worship and closed the monastery, set fire to the church along with the icons that were inside. For three days the church burned with a bright flame, but neither the temple nor what was inside was damaged, only the face of St. Mary from the miraculous icon of the Gergeti Mother of God was darkened by soot.

The precious image is still in the church; it is an odegetria “guide”; next to it, many people felt spirituality. The icon was painted on canvas in the 17th century. Previously, Gergeti was often visited by pilgrims from the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, as well as from other regions of the North Caucasus, to pray before this miraculous icon.

In 1989, on August 28, during the Feast of the Assumption, on the territory of the Gergeti Monastery, believers witnessed an indescribable miracle, which was called the appearance of the Virgin Mary. For 20 minutes, the image of the Blessed Virgin hovered in the haze before the eyes of many tourists and village residents.

Every year, on July 16, the holiday “Gergetoba” is celebrated in Gergeti. This holiday is called the “Day of Spiritual Love.” On this day, all residents of the village gather at the church, and travel agencies organize excursions. Unlike the Catholic Valentine's Day, the Georgoba holiday is dedicated to the love of God, a pure, spiritual feeling. It is celebrated throughout Georgia, but it is most widely celebrated in the Trinity Church, where a festive prayer service is read and a service dedicated to this day is held.

Betlemi Cave (Bethlehem Cave) – legendary monastery, in the mountain

In one of the rocks of Mount Kazbek, there is the legendary Betlemi cave-monastery, hidden from prying eyes. In this cave, Joseph Mochevsky discovered the tent of Abraham, which stood without pillars or ropes. This artifact was later presented as a gift to the last Georgian king, Heraclius II. The image of this tent is embodied in a small aluminum church, which was lifted high onto Mount Kazbek with the help of a helicopter and installed under the blessing of Patriarch Ilia II. Periodically, the monks hold the Divine Liturgy in this church.

The location of the Betlemi cave is known to the monks of the Gergeti Monastery and the residents of the village of Stepantsminda. There is a legend that it was possible to climb into it only by a chain, but for this you need to be a person of pure spirit. Now a fragment of the chain can be seen in the village museum. Another belief says that monks who violated their vow of chastity were exiled to this cave-skete.

The existence of Betlemi was always known, but contemporaries discovered it in 1948 of the last century. Historical artifacts that were then found in the cave are kept in the Stepantsminda Museum.

It is impossible to climb Betlemi without special climbing equipment, so this attraction is known to mass tourists only from the stories of guides.

Many legends are also associated with the cave, as well as the Church of the Holy Trinity.

One of them says that it was there that a hundred young mountaineers took the treasures of Queen Tamara in saddlebags and hid them, and then killed each other so as not to reveal the secret. The treasure was never discovered.

Another legend is associated with the cave monastery, described in Ilya Chavchavadze’s poem “The Hermit”. The Holy Father, who lived in the monastery, read the Holy Scripture every morning, which was supported by a ray of sunlight penetrating into the cell.

“So days and years passed,

He lived so blamelessly.

And your holiness every day

he checked with this miracle.”

One day the monk sheltered a lost shepherdess, whom he later desired. In anger, he turned to God with reproach for sending him a temptress. The next day, wanting to read the Holy Scripture again, the monk, out of habit, tried to put the book on a ray of sunshine, but the book fell, so he realized that the grace had gone.

For a long time, during the invasion of the Arabs and Persians, the original cross-staff of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles, made from a grapevine and woven with its hair, and a fragment of the Life-Giving Cross were kept in Gergeti, and then in the Betlemi cave.

Women are prohibited from entering the cave.

Climbing Mount Kazbek

The extinct volcano Kazbek (5033m) attracts inexperienced climbers, as it is not a difficult peak to climb. The easy route takes two days. The first day ends at the weather station, where you can pitch your tent at an altitude of 3675 meters. Climbers have to overcome a height difference of almost two and a half kilometers, so a stop is necessary to acclimatize and prepare the body for the rarefied air.

To get to the weather station, you need to go west from the Gergeti Church, along a barely visible path, if luck smiles, you can meet people from the valley who are carrying provisions for meteorologists and continue the journey with them. The path will lead to a glacier, which can be walked without crampons. It is six kilometers from the church to the glacier.

The weather station is an oblong stone structure with permanent residents who will allow you to spend the night in the station building for 25 lari ($7.6), or pitch a tent on the station territory for 10 lari ($3.8). You can set up camp at some distance for free. In the evening, the generator is turned on at the station, so it is possible to charge mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.).

At the weather station they rent out climbing equipment (crampons, ice ax) and sell some products, although their price is 10 times more expensive than in the valley.

From the weather station to the top there are 1300 meters left. If you take the bypass path rather than directly, you can return back in one day. The direct route is considered difficult and requires about 4 days of travel.

On the second day of the ascent, in the zone of eternal snow, you can find the Betlemi cave described above (4100 m), which is located on one of the climbing routes in the andesite rock, and visit the small aluminum church mentioned above. You can find out which route you need to take to get past the cave from the weather station staff.

Arch of Peoples' Friendship

On the way to, it is recommended to visit the “Arch of Friendship of Peoples” monument. It was installed in 1983, in honor of the bicentenary of the signing of the Treaty of St. George, on the Cross Pass. This creation of sculptor Zurab Tsereteli is a kind of observation deck from where a view of Gudauri opens. The arch was part of a sculptural “triptych”. The “sister city” and the second part of the triptych is the monument erected in Moscow on Tishinskaya Square. The third part was installed at the entrance to Tbilisi, but in the early 90s it was blown up for political reasons.

If the Arch of Friendship is decorated with a mosaic panel, as was customary in Soviet times, then on the “Friendship of Peoples” monument in Moscow the words “Labor”, “Peace”, “Unity”, “Brotherhood” are intertwined in letters of the Georgian alphabet and Cyrillic.

The arch can be seen on the way from Russia to Georgia and back. They also sell national hats and other souvenirs. From the observation deck you get excellent photographs of mountains and gorges.

Help for tourists

• In Transcaucasia, it was customary to go to any church on foot, especially if a vow had been made; some people still adhere to this rule. The path along the serpentine to the Church of the Holy Trinity will take 1.5-2 hours to the top. However, the modern generation, older people and tourists, prefer to travel by car. Local taxi drivers come to their aid, taking tourists and pilgrims to the temple in their SUVs for 15-25 ($5.7-9.49) lari.
• Near the monastery there is a spring with blessed water, so when going up the mountain, it makes no sense to take a lot of water with you.
• The village of Stepantsminda is located high in the mountains, so no matter how hot it is in flat Georgia, you should stock up on warm clothes and comfortable shoes for the climb to the church.
• ! The mountaineers prepare khinkali according to a special recipe, which makes them very tasty. You should definitely visit the khinkal restaurant in Stepantsminda and try this delicacy.