Hiking the trails in the Caucasus Mountains is a fantastic outdoor experience, Canyons, Mountain ranges, Stone towers old Monasteries, the People, the ChaCha, it has the lot and it can be done at a reasonable cost. You can be hiking one minute in a group or the next by yourself among beautiful scenery. The hikes vary from day to multi day hikes that some cases require a tent. The following is only a small selection of what is out there.
GETTING THERE
Istanbul is a great place to land in and then pick up either a cheap flight, bus or train to the Caucasus. It is a fantastic vibrant city to gain your introduction to this part of the world.
Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey
HIKING IN THE CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARMENIA
I did two-day hikes in the Debed Canyon, which is intersected by the main road going to the Armenian, Georgian border. Both hikes can be done without a guide.
I based myself at the Iris Guesthouse which is 2 kilometers from the town of Alaverdi. Booking.com
HAGHPAT AND SANAHIN WORLD HERITAGE LISTED MONASTERIES HIKE
GETTING THERE
With some good tips from the owner of Iris Guesthouse, I decided to go into Alaverdi to change money and buy food for the planned hikes.
From there out onto the main road to Georgia so I could hitchhike to the turnoff to the Haghpat Monastery.
It has been easy to hitch hike in Armenia.
THE HIKE
After having a look around the Haghpat_Monastery I followed rough directions down into the valley, then across a small river and up onto the plateau .
I walked 8 kilometers to SSanahin_Monastery passing through the village of Akner and farming land with views of the canyon to the right.
There is the Kayan Fortress www.youtube.com/watch which can also be visited. It is situated between the two monasteries and further up the side of the canyon. I missed it as I was running out of time.
There is no need for me to go into deep detail about the monasteries as there is more than enough information available on the net. (Lonely Planet, Armenia etc.)
I was hoping to be able to catch a bus back to Alaverdi, but I had missed the last one. After a bit of a walk I hitched a ride all the way back to Iris guesthouse.
This hike is about 8 kilometers long from Haghpat to Sanahin mainly on village roads. There is public transport but not convenient. It is easy to hitchhike to the start and from the end if need be.
GOATS, GOATS, GOATS HIKE
The second day hike was a 9 kilometers walk from Odzun Church through to the Horomayr Monastery and all the way to Kobayr Monastery. This hike can be done without a guide. The App Hike Armenia.org has more information on the trail that is called “ Goats,goats,goats”. Of course I decided to do it in reverse, which almost became the norm for all future hikes.
GETTING THERE
Astvatsatsin Church, Ozdun, Armenia
To get to the start I hitched hiked to Odzun, visited the St Astvatsatsin Church, then from there walked down to the edge of the canyon to find the trail markers. The trail drops into the canyon and runs along just below the edge to Horomayr_Monastery and onto the 12th Century Kobayr_Monastery.
THE HIKE
Parts of the trail was overgrown and prickly, so wearing long trousers would be a good idea.
Start of the Goats, Goats, Goats trail from the Odzun end.
The trail was in some places difficult to follow but eventually I ended up climbing up to the Horomayr Monastery. A great place for a picnic lunch with a fantastic view of the river.
Horomayr Monastery ruins on the Goats, Goats, Goats trail.
From the Horomayr Monastery ruins to Kobyar the trail improved dramatically as I walked. It had been freshly cleared and widen, allowing me to increase my pace.
Finally saw some goats that were higher up the side of the canyon and at the entrances of caves in the cliff face.
Horomayr Monastery to Kobyar trail.
I reached Kobyar Monastery by following the trail which wound along the side of a water course that is fed by various streams coming down from the cliffs. Very pretty.
Kobyar Monestery, Armenia.
The monastery was under renovation when I reached it, and no sign of anybody around. There is a grotto around to the left, that had a water fall so I was able to refill my water bottle.
From the monastery I walked down into a small village and onto the road. It took a little while to hitch hike, and because the road was narrow and a few large semi trailer trucks using it, made it a bit risky. No sign of any public transport but I was eventually picked up by couple in an old lada 4×4, with dodgy steering and I suspect no brakes who drove me the 18 kilometers back to Alaverdi.
Note: There is a website called theTCT https://transcaucasiantrail.org that is dedicated to hiking in the Caucasus.
GEORGIA
Georgia has fantastic short multi day hikes in stunning scenery.
Mestia to Ushguli hike.
It is possible to do these hikes from the beginning of June till late October, with the best time to visit during July and August.
Caucasus-Trekking.com is a great source of information for Georgia, on the various hikes, breaking down hikes into categories for the Tourist, the Hiker and Trekkers.
It is easy to get to the start of the hikes and there are also multiple ways of doing them i.e you can choose to hike to a particular section then pick up transport to another section if you are short of time.
Accommodation, depending where you go can be basic or well-appointed. On a couple of hikes a tent is required, but if the weather is good, you can just sleep in the open.
Ice mountain stream in Georgia
Food and water is easy to get. Although even if you are up in the mountains you will need to be aware there can be a bit of livestock around which tends to pollute some of the streams that come down from the mountains. So you have to go up high enough to avoid contamination and sterilise if need be.
SVANETI REGION
GETTING THERE
From Tiblisi you can either catch a train or a Marshrutkas (Mini bus) to Zugdidi. In Zugdidi there is a Marshrutka direct to Mestia that will leave from the train station. They will be waiting for the trains to arrive.
Marshrutka, Zugdidi direct to Mestia
I caught the train to Zugdidi but decided to stay the night there. The next day I caught the Marshrutka from the bridge near the market in the center of town.
There is plenty of accommodation in Mestia and a tourist office that can give you maps and advice on the trails.
NAVIGATION
http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTMzODQwMg==Via@ViewRanger will give you the gpx coördinates, plus more details on how to travel to Mestia.
HIKING FROM MESTIA TO USHGULI 4 DAY HIKE
Day 1 Mestia to Tsvirmi.
Route Mestia to Tsvirmi
So straight up the mountain passing under the cable car until I found the track way markers alongside of the road. It was a steep climb onto the Zuruldi massif then descending into Tsvirmi.
Tsvirmi village.
Day 2 Tsvirmi to Adishi.
Route with View Ranger Tsvirmi to Adishi.
This section passes through a ski field there is a long climb up the road through the ski field. The down section on the way to Adishi is far more pleasant, passing through fields and forest.
On the way to Adishi.
Day 3 Adishi to Iprari.
Route with View Ranger Adishi to Iprari.
The high lite of this section is the horse crossing of the river and the assent to the pass.
Adishi to Iprari. Crossing the river using horses.
The views up on the pass 2811 meters are amazing.
Coffee break on the pass between Adishi to Iprari at 2811 m.
Day 4 Iprari to Ushguli
Route Iprari to Ushguli on the road. Alternate route is above it.
There were a few other hikers that chose to follow the road. But the Iprari to Ushguli track which runs above the main road is far nicer and well worth doing. It runs through the forest winding around the mountain.
The towers of Ushguli
In the vicinity of Ushguli there are short day hikes that take you up higher giving you view of Ushguli, the glaciers and the surrounding area.
Glaciers outside of Ushguli. Standing at 3200m.
TUSHETI REGION
GETTING THERE
I left Tiblisi for Telavi. Stayed the night in Telavi and organized a seat in a share 4×4 vehicle to drive to Tusheti the next morning as there is no public transport. It is a long drive, which heads up one of the most dangerous roads on the planet.
On the road into Tusheti
The road carved into the side of hills and has steep drops. It winds its way higher and higher until we reach the top of the pass. Then down once more towards Omalo.
Over the pass and down to Omalo
I camped in the guesthouse grounds in the Lower Omalo area.
There is a tourist office in the pine forest across the valley from where good maps of the trails and the region can be brought.
NAVIGATION
The GPX can be downloaded from www.caucasus-trekking.com
HIKING FROM OMALO TO SHATILI 6 DAY HIKE
Day 1 Omalo to Diklo Fortress
I left the accommodation and headed down through the village following trail markers. Made my way down into a valley across a bridge then wound my way up the other side until reaching another valley. Along the way I met another hiker Daniel.
The trail to Diklo village is quite nice, with herds of horses roaming along the Diklo valley.
On arrival in Diklo we decided to push on to the Fortress of Love where we found a level spot inside and set up camp. www.youtube.com/watch
Diklo Fortress, Omalo to Shatili Hike.
The views from the fortress were amazing with a several hundred meter drop from the fortress to the river far below.
Day 2 Diklo Fortress to Dartlo
Breakfast in Diklo at one of the pensions. Sam from Singapore joined us. Our group was slowly expanding.
This days hike started with a climb up onto the ridge, a steep descent then another steep climb up to an unknown village.
The rest of the day is spent walking along a gravel road to Dartlo, our next nights accommodation. I camped in the front yard with the rest of the group staying in the guesthouse.
Day 3 Dartlo to Girevi
Old towers of Girevi. The Border Police Office in the background down near the river.
Lost two of our group today. Carried on following the road up the valley through Parsma village and on to Girevi where I had dinner in a guesthouse in the village and from there walked further up the valley then camped in the base of one of the towers. Beautiful clear sky’s.
Camping in an old tower base outside Girevi. The village is in the background.
For the last two nights I have not erected a tent and have just slept in the open. What a great life!!!
Day 4 Girevi to Kvakhidi Meadow
On Day 4 and 5 you will need to camp. There is no accommodation until you reach Shatili.
Before setting off to the meadow I had to get a permit and register with the Border Police. This gave me permission to hike close to the border and so they could keep track of who is in the area.
Girevi to Kvakhidi Meadow route.
The Girevi to Kvakhidi Meadow hike was fantastic, long but enjoyable. Washed in a freezing cold mountain stream. I finally made it to the meadow where I set up the tent and met once more Gunter the German hiker.
Day 5 Kvakhidi Meadow, Atsunta Pass to Khidotani Ridge
It was a tough day ascending the 3400m Atsunta Pass but first I had to cross a dangerous fast flowing river. Gunter arriving earlier had tried by himself but waited until I arrived to try again.
A Shepard turned up on his horse to offer a horse ride across the river which I declined.
Atsunta Pass 3400 meters.
A very steep climb up to the 3400 meter pass and a long descent down onto the Khidotani ridge where there were plenty of beautiful spots on the ridge to camp.
Day 6 Khidotani Ridge to Shatili
Another steep descent that took me down to the river and a jeep road which I followed to Shatili, stopping off to explore the Mutso fortress. The last border police check followed.
Arrived in Shatili late afternoon.
Shatili old town.
KAZBEGI
HIKING FROM ROSHKA TO JUTA 2 DAY HIKE 17.8 kms
GETTING THERE
The bus from Shatili to Tiblisi passes the Roshka turnoff. From the turnoff I hiked and hitch hiked up to Roshka which was about 8 kilometers up hill.
The Shatili to Tiblisi bus. Taking a break.
NAVIGATION
Download GPX or kml from www.caucasus-trekking.com
Day 1 Roshka to the Alpine Lakes
Hiked up to the 3 lakes before the Chaukhi Pass where I found a nice spot to camp on the higher side of the Blue Lake.
Alpine lakes on the Roshka to Juta hike.
The first rain in weeks, so I had to quickly erect the tent during the night.
Day 2 Lakes, Chaukhi Pass to Juta
The hike over the Chaukhi Pass was the hardest assent I have done so far. It was straight up a gravel hill, one step forward two back.
Crossing over the Chaukhi pass Roshka to Juta direction.
Once I was over the pass and descending down into the valley, I was seeing a lot more hikers who had started from Juta.
There is available accommodation and plenty of camp sites before and in Juta.
Transport can be arranged for the next day to go to Stepantsminda, which is a major tourist center.
Hiking from Roscha to Juta will certainly work your legs. Especially climbing over the pass. Well worth doing, and camping around the lakes in such a beautiful area is a must.
If you enjoyed this post and found it useful please check out my other hiking posts. Hiking-trails-in-the-Balkans Lets-go-hiking-on-the-Bibbulmun-track-in-Western-Australia How-we-hiked-the-Lycian-Way The-Backpacking-Hiker-on-the-Via-Egnatia
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