The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Hiking, Trekking, and Culture in the Caucasus, Part 2: Georgia

A short one-hour flight from Yerevan and I was in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, where I had rented an AirBnb apartment for the duration of my 12 day stay in the country. After KE Adventure cancelled the Georgia trip I had booked, online I found Trek Georgia, a company that leads some multi-day hikes and treks. I signed up for a four-day trip to the Greater Caucasus mountains in the Kazbegi region north of Tbilisi. Three others eventually signed up, making for some intelligent conversations with an eclectic group of clients.

Note: Due to a glitch, no e-mail notification of my previous post on Armenia was delayed. For a short background on the Caucasus region, including a map, you might want to skip down to read that post first.

Tbilisi’s National Museum Map of the Occupation (areas shown in red). While Armenians seem generally friendly towards Russians, such cannot be said for Georgians. Although their governing party is pro-Putin, nearly all Georgians despise him. The two bites he took out of the country in 2008 go a long way to understanding why.
View from the Ananuri Fortress Complex and Zhinvali Reservoir. We stopped briefly on our way north to the mountains.
A stream running through Khada gorge. Our first hike was a short one on the way to our guesthouse in Kazbegi. Sadly, road and tunnel construction made this hike the least enjoyable of the four, although the wildflowers compensated somewhat. . .
Thyme broomrape (Orobanche alba Stephan). To be honest, I couldn’t tell this parasitic plant apart from its relative, slender broomrape. My PlantNet app gave it a much higher likelihood of being Thyme broomrape, though.
Big betony (Betonica macrantha). This species has a much smaller range than common betony, which I also saw in Armenia.
Persian elephant flower (Rhynchocorys elephas). Although also native to Italy, I’d never seen this wildflower before. One of the botanical highlights of my trip.
Mt Kazbek from the Military Highway. Not a great photo as we were driving, but sadly the only sighting I had of this iconic Caucasian peak, 3rd highest in Georgia and by a long way the most popular with climbers.
The town of Kazbegi, in the district of the same name. This view is to the east from our guesthouse balcony where we spent three nights. This mountain town, now formally called Stepantsminda, is the last town before the border with Russia.
Juta Valley vista on our 2nd day hike. Many tourists were enjoying the good weather on a summer weekend in this beautiful valley.
Broad-leaved marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis) in Juta Valley
Fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea). A slightly better photo than my one from Lago di Garda in June. Once again I forgot to smell it.
A Juta valley waterfall on our second hike, heading towards Chaukhi pass.
Gentian speedwell (Veronica gentianoides). It took many photo attempts, but I finally got a decent one of this miniature wildflower. The Juta Valley had an amazing variety of wildflowers; I’ve only included three here.
The Vagabond Hiker with our guide, Nugo, on the third day of hiking. Only one other client and I hiked up to Altihut on this misty day. Altihut is the first of two refuges used on the normal ascent route of Mount Kazbek.
A religious memorial located at a pass on the way to Altihut where we had lunch.
A panel from the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument along the military highway. This monument was erected during Soviet times, but remains a popular tourist destination, in part for its dramatic location.
View northwest from the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument
Our fourth and final hike was up to Lomisa Church, a medieval Christian shrine. We were accompanied by many pilgrims on the path to this holy site.
View south from Lomisa Church. Russian-occupied Georgia starts immediately below my feet on this ridge and continues into the far distance.

After four days of hiking in the mountains, I joined a cultural group tour for a day, focused on the wine and food of Georgia. The informative (and filling!) day was provided by EatThis!, an expat-led company offering a number of different food and wine tours in Georgia. Our trip was centered in the Kakheti region, the largest – though not the only – wine growing region in Georgia. It’s location to the east of Tbilisi made it doable as a single day trip, though the company also offers multi-day trips.

Gia Togonidze, the proprietor of the eponymous winery we visited. The different wines were amazing and Gia’s wife cooked a delicious lunch for our group of five. Unlike in Armenia, I had no difficulty finding good vegetarian and vegan food in Georgia.
Qvevris drying in the sun. These large amphorae, buried in the ground, are used to age traditional Georgian wine.
Alaverdi monastery, where we stopped for a dose of history.
Gombori Pass sunset view on our return journey to Tbilisi after a very long day of eating and drinking.

I hope you have enjoyed the brief two part tour through the Caucasus. I’ll include some photos from Tbilisi (and Yerevan) later this autumn when I post some photos from the cities I visited in 2023.

My next adventure will be in Pakistan. In a few days I will leave the UK to Islamabad, and then north to Baltistan where our KE Adventures group will trek to K2 basecamp, a trip that’s long been on my bucket list. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer.

The Vagabond Hiker

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