Caucasus Mountains Tour: Kazbegi, Ananuri, Gergeti Church

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/31

Duration12h

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Mountain landmarks, a long drive, lunch in the highlands, and a medieval church at high elevation

A 12-hour group tour from Tbilisi following the Georgian Military Highway to the Caucasus peaks, stopping at Jinvali Reservoir, Ananuri fortress (16th–18th century), Gudauri ski resort and the village of Kazbegi, with guide service in English, all entrance fees, lunch with traditional khinkali, and a 4WD ride up to Gergeti Trinity Church. The tour departs at 8:15 AM from Rose Revolution Square and returns by 10 PM the same day, or you can stay overnight in Kazbegi. Winter travel requires warm clothing and may be blocked beyond Gudauri, in which case you spend extra time at the ski resort trying paragliding, ATV bikes or horse riding.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Caucasus Mountains highlights

Meet at Giant bicycle monument
Visit Jinvali Reservoir for photos
Explore Ananuri fortress and views
Go rafting and have traditional lunch
Try paragliding or winter activities in Gudauri
Visit Friendship Monument and Gudauri resort
Travel to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
Ride to Gergeti Trinity Church
Enjoy panoramic views at the church
Option to stay at Rooms hotel Kazbegi
Return drop-off at Rose revolution square

The Experience

You meet at the Giant Bicycle monument on Rose Revolution Square at 8:15 AM and travel north on the Georgian Military Highway, a route that climbs steadily into the Greater Caucasus. The drive itself is the spine of the day—long, but your guide fills it with stories about Georgia and the landscape unfolding around you. The groups are international; solo travelers often find this a natural way to meet other people on the road.

The first stop is Jinvali Reservoir, where the water sits an improbable blue between three mountain ridges—the kind of place where the light changes every few minutes and the photographs almost take themselves. Next is Ananuri fortress, a 16th-century castle that sits on a foreland above the river Aragvi and was the seat of feudal dukes until the 1800s. The fortress and the reservoir frame each other in the same view, which is why landscape photographers often spend time here. Before lunch, you have the option to go rafting on the Aragvi, or you can skip it and move straight to a meal of homemade traditional dishes in the mountains—khinkali (the Georgian dumplings) is the thing to order, since you are eating them in their homeland.

By afternoon you reach Gudauri, a ski resort at 2,200 meters on a south-facing plateau. If the weather holds, paragliding is available here (about $100 extra, arranged separately). In winter, when roads sometimes close beyond this point, you spend the afternoon trying skiing, ATV bikes, horse riding or hiking instead. If the road stays open, you continue to Kazbegi village and take a 4WD car (6–7 USD per person, not included) up the mountain to Gergeti Trinity Church, built in the 14th century and now sitting at 2,170 meters under Mount Kazbegi itself. The church is the most photographed landmark in Georgia—the isolation, the steep terrain, the view of the 5,047-meter peak and the whole valley below it are why. You get time to stand there and take in the panorama before the drive back down. The tour returns you to Rose Revolution Square by 10 PM, or you can arrange to stay overnight in Kazbegi and skip the return journey.

What’s included

Transportation from Tbilisi and back.
a live English-speaking guide for the full day.
all entrance fees to Ananuri fortress, Jinvali Reservoir and Gergeti Trinity Church.
lunch with traditional Georgian dishes including khinkali.
honey tasting.
and 40 kilograms of luggage space per person.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Budget Friendly Tours FZE LLC

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a full day free from your Tbilisi arrival or itinerary and want to see the Caucasus peaks and the most photographed church in Georgia without renting a car or navigating the mountain roads yourself. The long drive is built into the day, so you are not racing between stops; the group format means you travel with other people and your guide handles the route, the timing and the stories. In winter, bring heavy warm clothing and expect the possibility that snow may limit how far north you reach, though the tour still runs with activities at Gudauri instead.