Kazbegi National Park, Georgia: A hike above the Gergeti Trinity Church

After a few days in Georgia’s capital, I was longing to get out and explore the mountains that make up the northern part of the country, towards the border to Russia. By far the most popular and accessible mountain destination is Kazbegi National Park. Its fame is especially owed to a small church perched atop a hill with a backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains with Mount Kazbek as the most prominent landmark in the area, reaching a height of 5,054 m.

I teamed up with a bunch of fun people I’d met at Envoy Hostel in Tbilisi. In the early hours of the morning, we left Tbilisi behind and jumped on a marshrutka heading north from the chaotic Didube Bus Station.

After several hours of bumpy riding along the historic Georgian Military Highway, we turned up at the small bus station in Stepantsminda, the main town of Kazbegi, and made our way to our cozy guesthouse. There, we met a girl from Poland who joined us after lunch for our hike to the Gergeti Trinity Church.

Lunch in Stepantsminda was a huge experience for me. In Tbilisi, I’d shied away from trying any local food and instead stuck to the few vegan cafés in town, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Georgian cuisine is very vegan-friendly. Sure, many dishes have meat or cheese as a main ingredient, but between lobiani (bean pie), phkali (vegetable and walnut spread), mushroom or potato khinkali (dumplings), delicious bread and different types of salads, I certainly didn’t go hungry for the rest of my time in Georgia.

Then it was time for our hike up to the church. We trotted through the tiny village of Gergeti, which lies just across the river Terek from Stepantsminda. The village was lively, full of barking dogs that either craved pets or tried to warn us off, and locals working in their gardens, greeting us as we went along.

We hadn’t chosen a route beforehand but soon spotted a ruined stone tower about halfway up that we decided to aim for. The hike up was quite steep but we took it slow, and enjoyed the views that only got better the further up we went.

Reaching the tower, we took a well-deserved rest, and then went to explore the ruins. A google search didn’t reveal anything about the history of this tower, what it was used for or why it was abandoned, but I was happy to discover that the tower was fully accessible to explore, something that’s very rare in the corner of the world that I come from.

The church was right up ahead but the trail only got steeper and the views only more magnificent.

After what seemed like another eternity of uphill climbing, we finally reached the church which is one of Georgia’s most popular tourist sights and has become a symbol for the country’s booming tourism industry.

This Orthodox church was built in the 14th century by an unknown architect who undoubtedly chose the best possible location for his masterpiece, a great example of typical Georgian architecture in which structures are built in harmony with the surrounding landscapes. The church sits at an elevation of 2,170 m. on the slopes of Mount Kazbek, above the picturesque townscape of Stepantsminda. It’s no wonder tourists flock to this sight.

We took our time exploring the church, and discovering all its hidden secrets. We spotted traces of original murals, religious symbols carved into the rock, and messages from more recent times.

We found a perfect spot in the grass for a snack break with a view of the church and the mountainous backdrops. It was as though all the energy I didn’t have on the hike up to the church suddenly came flowing in, and I was desperate to continue hiking in a quest for even better views. Thankfully, great minds think alike, so after a little rest in the grass, the six of us left the crowds behind and started hiking up towards the mountains. This was when Kazbegi’s landscapes began to unfold and reveal their true beauty.

Dramatic clouds rushed in over the sun-lit mountains, making the church seem small and insignificant in comparison, and making us feel even smaller.

As we hiked, we taught each other words from our different languages, and we all agreed that Danish is – by far – the ugliest language (røget ørred!). But that’s the beauty of travelling. It allows you to escape your own ugly language for a bit, and instead learn a bit of Russian, Hebrew, Polish and Slovenian!

An apparently very scenic trail leads all the way up to the Gergeti Glacier, and as much as we would’ve loved to continue, darkness was about to set in, and we still had a long way to go down.

So we headed back, attempting to follow the trail we came up on. We failed miserably and instead ended up having to scramble our way down a very narrow trail on a steep mountainside. We were very slow, and I think it took us longer to get down than up.

When we finally made it back to Stepantsminda, we were so tired that our plan of singing karaoke and enjoying the town’s nightlife was reduced to a wonderful meal of local foods and an early night in bed.

One of the guys and I had made the decision to spend half the day hiking in the nearby Juta Valley before going back to Tbilisi, but rain and a bad weather forecast made us change our minds and head back to Tbilisi early with the others.

So our time in Kazbegi had come to an end, but our adventures in Georgia’s mountains had not – and neither had our adventures with the group. Stay tuned!

When to visit Kazbegi

Unlike the other mountain regions of Georgia, the highway to Kazbegi is open year-round although it does occasionally close due to bad weather in the winter months.

Unless you’re going to Kazbegi to ski, I recommend visiting in either May-June or September-October, thus avoiding the snowy winter months and the warm touristy summer months. If your plan is to hike up to the church, winter is best avoided.

How to reach Kazbegi

If you’re about to travel to Kazbegi, chances are you’ll be leaving from Tbilisi. At least, that’s where most travellers begin their journey to the mountains of the north.

There are several ways to get to Kazbegi from Tbilisi. The easiest and most comfortable way is to take a day tour (for example the Embracing Georgia tour) with the added bonus of stopping at cool places along the way. Some tours include a hike up to the church, others will drive you up there, but bare in mind there won’t be much time to venture any further.

If you’re up for a bit more of an adventure, arrange your trip there yourself by marshrutka, maybe grab some other backpackers and stay a night or two in Stepantsminda. As I discovered by talking to other travellers, Kazbegi has a lot more to offer than just Gergeti Trinity Church, such as the gorgeous Juta Valley or even a scenic hike to the Russian border if you’re headed that way (in better times!). Had it not been for my Svaneti dreams, I definitely would’ve stayed longer in Kazbegi.

The travelling time by marshrutka (minivan) is 2-4 hours but allow yourself some extra time in case of delays, road blocks etc., especially during winter. The marshrutkas depart from Didube Bus Station several times daily, and although there is a set itinerary, I wouldn’t trust it as marshrutkas will leave when they’re full. Your best bet is to get to the bus station early. Tickets cost as little as 13 GEL and are paid directly to the driver.

A more expensive yet much more comfortable option is to travel by GoTrip. They offer transfers from 170 GEL/car with an English-speaking driver so if you can gather a group large enough to fill a car, it could be a convenient and affordable option – and with the added bonus of being able to stop at scenic sights along the way. Shared taxis are also an option and prices typically start at 25 GEL per person. Travel time is 2,5-4 hours with morning departures. They leave when they’re full, so get to the bus station early.

A last option is to rent a car if you feel comfortable driving in Georgia. This will give you the ultimate freedom to stop in as many places as you want and stay as long as you want!

For more detailed info on how to reach Kazbegi, I recommend Wander-Lush’s guide which is updated frequently and will tell you everything you need to know – including how to navigate the chaotic Didube Bus Station!

Where to stay in Kazbegi

The town of Stepantsminda is the largest and most accessible town in all of Kazbegi, and since it’s located directly beneath the Gergeti Trinity Church, I recommend staying there.

There are several guesthouses, hostels and hotels to choose from. You might want to book in advance during the high season, but even in September we were able to get a nice and cheap place to stay for our group of five – and we booked it the night before! We stayed at Traveler Kazbegi Guesthouse close to the bus station in Stepantsminda.

How to get to Gergeti Trinity Church

If you book a day tour to Kazbegi, it might include a ride up to the church or a hike up like we did, but bare in mind that you won’t have time to venture any further than the church (and the best views are above it!).

If you arrive on your own, you still have the option to take a taxi to the church, but I definitely recommend hiking if you’re in good physical shape and have enough time for it.

There are a few different routes to the church, but I recommend taking the one we did going past the ruined stone tower and avoiding the road and very steep ascends (approximately 1,5 hour each way). Wander-Lush has written a great guide on this exact route including everything you need to know about the hike and visiting Gergeti Trinity Church.

Once at the church, don’t miss out on hiking further up towards Mount Kazbek for even more mesmerising views!