With long, green valleys leading to tall, snow-capped mountains, exploring this terrain on foot is a popular activity in the Caucasus Mountains’ Kokh Range. Set below the mighty Mt. Kazbek, the town of Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) provides the perfect base for these mountain activities. After seeing these giants in person, we were excited to go on a few hikes. We’ll show you two day hikes to consider when you’re in Stepantsminda.
Hike to Gergeti Trinity Church and Toward Gergeti Glacier
High above the town of Stepantsminda and the village of Gergeti is the most famous landmark in in the area. Gergeti Trinity Church’s location on a ridge below Mt. Kazbek makes it even more intriguing.
There are a few options to hike to the church (details below). We chose to climb up the steep ridge you see from Stepantsminda. From this trail, you have constant views behind of Stepantsminda, Gergeti and Mount Shani. It’s a steep climb, but you will be motivated to continue by the glimpses you get of the church and Mt. Kazbek above.
Once you reach the church, you’ll realize that most people drove up. We only saw a couple of people on the trail, but the church was very busy with foreign and Georgian tourists. It felt very removed from the peace we felt on the hike.
The church was built in the 14th century by order of King George V to commemorate the unification of Georgia after it was liberated from the Mongols. This spot was chosen because a monk saw an image of the Holy Trinity on a rock. Its location high up the mountain kept it from being plundered by invaders. It was so safe in fact, that during the Middle Ages, when Georgia was often at war, the sacred Cross of St. Nino was stored in the church for safekeeping. The cross originally stood in Jvari Monastery, and is currently in Sioni Church in Tbilisi. This safe sanctuary for important relics, is a large part of the reason that the church is so revered today.
This hilltop position means you have wonderful views of Stepantsminda and Mt. Shani from the church’s balcony.
Unfortunately, during Soviet times it was used as a mountain hut, so its interior suffered a lot of damage. Because of that, its walls are rather plain except for a few, very faint 16th century frescoes.
If you still have energy, continue your hike above the church for a view of both the church and Mt. Kazbek. We had intended to hike to Gergeti Glacier, but only made it partway before the clouds that had been threatening us all morning were booming with thunder.
The trail climbs up to the ridge and follows its edge, high above a deep ravine. The higher you get, the views of Mt. Kazbek and the valleys around it get better and better. With the threat of rain, we had to turn around just before Sabertse Pass and Altihut, a refuge for mountaineers.
Trek Details
Hike to Gergeti Trinity Church: Distance – 3km (1.9 mi) one way; Elevation Gain – 520m (1,706 ft). Elevation at Church 2,192 m (7,191ft)
Hike to Gergeti Glacier: Distance – 10 km (6 mi) one way; Elevation Gain – 1,550 m (5,085ft)
Route Info – There are a few different options to hike to the church. To reach all of these, walk to the T-intersection at the top of Gergeti village. For the first three trails discussed below, turn right toward Gergeti Tower. Just before the tower, the trail splits into three. We took the middle trail that climbs the steep ridge. There are a few sections of class 2 scrambling, so this option is not for everyone. It did offer wonderful views from most of the climb, though. Another option is to take the trail on the right. It travels below the ridge and ends up almost at the same spot, at a cross below the church. On the left is the third trail that travels around the left side of the hill and slowly climbs up to the church from its front. This third trail is easier, but it offers no views. All of these are exposed to the sun. A final option is on the other side of town. From this same T intersection at the top of Gergeti, turn right to find another trail. We took this option on the way down. It’s longer but goes through the forest, so there is a lot of shade, but no views.
The only thing we saw on the way down through the trees, was a little old chapel.
If you don’t want to hike, you can take a taxi up to the church and either walk down, or have them wait and take you back to Stepantsminda. There are many taxis on the main street in Stepantsminda.
Truso Valley Hike
The long, green valley formed by the rushing Terek River provides a nice, easy walk to the ruins of an old fortress. The trailhead is near the abandoned village of Kvemo Okrokana, ensuring you begin your journey from a picturesque spot. You’ll see a few ruins as you walk up the valley. These old stone buildings add a different character to the mountain scenes.
The first hour or so travels on a gravel road that follows the river as it winds its way up the valley. We didn’t expect any traffic on it, but there was actually quite a lot. Most were 4x4s, but we saw a couple of minivans bouncing along the pothole riddled road. Some were tour groups who didn’t want to walk to the fortress and others belonged to the few locals who farm in the valley. We also saw a few locals racing by us on horseback.
After about an hour of walking, the trail splits in two. On one side is the gravel road, but if you cross a pedestrian bridge, you’ll reach the hiking trail. They meet up again, further up the valley, so you can take either route. We walked up one and down the other to get a different perspective of the valley.
Soon after the hiking trail branches from the road, you’ll reach the nicest feature of the entire hike, the small Abano Mineral Lake. It’s called a lake but is really a small pond. We were surprised to see bubbles coming up from its base. The water is rich in carbon dioxide which is the source of the bubbles. It may look warm, but since the water comes from a cool, mountain spring it is cold. Another nice feature to look for is where the lake drains down a colourful waterfall.
We also saw this scene when we walked along the road, and it was equally pretty from a distance.
The hiking trail travels above the river for a few kilometers until it reaches Truso Travertine. This large slab of travertine was formed by the mineral springs that trickle down the mountains and gives the region a splash of colour. From the trail you see it across the river, but from the road, it will be right beside you.
You’ll see a few old stone watchtowers in this area. They provided lookouts for Zakagori Fortress further up the valley.
Not far away, the hiking trail and road join near the ruins of the settlement of Ketrisi. There’s a little cafe there, if you want a break. This is also where the valley widens into a large, green meadow.
After a couple of kilometres, you can see Abano Convent, set away from the road. Not much further, the road travels right beside St. 12 Apostles Monastery. It includes an old stone church and tower with a graveyard on the side. The church’s interior was being repainted, so we couldn’t visit.
There’s a cafe across the road if you didn’t stop in Ketrisi.
From the monastery, you can see your final destination, Zakagori Fortress. The medieval stronghold protected the valley from invaders from the neighbouring kingdom of Alania (South Ossetia). Only a skelton of its former self, the fortress has a picturesque setting and allows for views up and down Truso Valley.
Since it is very close to the tri-border that includes Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia, there is an army post at the base of the hill. Before leaving, we were told to bring our passports, but no one asked to see them. You can not go beyond the fortress.
On the way back we watched as shepherds rescued their sheep who got cliffed out on the steep terrain.
Overall, it’s a nice walk, but it would be nicer to bike the trail than walk.
Trek details
Distance – 20.8 km (12.9 mi) round trip; Elevation Gain/loss – 312m (1,020ft). Elevation at fortress – 2,269m (7,444m).
Getting to Truso Valley
Located 15 km from Stepantsminda, you will need to find transportation to the trailhead at the ruins of Kvemo Okrokana. Mountain Freaks in Stepantsminda offers a shuttle service to the trailhead. They drop you off in the morning and pick you up late in the afternoon. We had intended on using this service, even though the pickup time was much later than we wanted. Luckily, we ended up sharing a taxi with another couple and arranged a time for the taxi to pick us up. It worked out well for us. A cheaper alternative is to take a marshrutka destined for Tbilisi and get off in Almasiani. It will leave you at the highway, 4 km from the trailhead. We saw some people walking on the road from the highway, but that makes it a very long and uninteresting day.
Tip – Gergeti Trinity Church is a definite must for your trip to Stepantsminda, but there may be other treks that are nicer than Truso. Sno Valley (Snostskali), near the village of Juta, for example, looked like a more scenic alternative.
You can read about other hikes we did in Georiga in our post Mestia to Ushguli Trekking Guide and Walking Between The Remote Villages of Tusheti. We have also done many hikes around the world. You can find those under Trek-Bike-Ski.
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Coming Next – Visiting Sighnaghi – Georgia’s Wine Region
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