Kazbegi Day Trip from Tbilisi: Mountain Monastery & Medieval Fortress

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1/29

Duration12h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · RU

Mobile ticketAccepted

The monastery sits on a high hill, ringed by snow-capped peaks and reachable only by jeep.

A full-day guided tour from Tbilisi through the Caucasus mountains to Kazbegi, Ananuri fortress and Gudauri, with a qualified English or Russian-speaking guide, wine and cognac tasting, and a lunch stop at a mountain restaurant. The route passes the Zhinvali reservoir, the confluence of two rivers, a mineral spring, and the Friendship Arch before jeeps carry you uphill to Gergeti Church at the foot of Mount Kazbek. Winter snow may redirect the route to lower elevations, but the day holds its structure and stops. Children from age 1 are welcome; the tour suits all fitness levels.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Kazbegi and surrounding landmarks

Pass through Zhinvali reservoir
Visit Ananuri fortress and Assumption Church
See confluence of White and Black Aragvi rivers
Enjoy lunch with traditional mountain dishes
Visit Gudauri ski resort
Stop at Friendship Arch near Gudauri
Travel to Stepantsminda village
Jeep ride to Gergeti Church and Fortress
Return to Tbilisi Maidan Square

The Experience

You start from one of two meeting points in Tbilisi and spend the morning driving north through the Zhinvali reservoir valley toward the high Caucasus. The first real stop is Ananuri fortress on the Aragvi River—a medieval defense complex that has survived in its original form, with a 17th-century Assumption Church whose stone facade carries bas-reliefs layered with hidden meaning. Walking the fortress grounds, you move through centuries of Georgian history without the usual museum glass between you and the stones.

The route then follows the river gorge to the confluence of the White and Black Aragvi, where an unusual mineral spring runs gold-colored through the landscape. This is where you stop for lunch at a mountain restaurant—80 minutes to eat khinkali, khachapuri and other traditional dishes while the gorge walls rise around you. After lunch comes the Friendship Arch, a stone gateway at the highest point of the pass near Gudauri, built to mark Soviet-Russian friendship and now a vantage point where the mountains fill every direction.

The final climb is by jeep. From the village of Stepantsminda at Kazbek's foot, a 4x4 carries you uphill to Gergeti Church—the monastery Pushkin wrote about, standing alone on a hilltop against the peak. The jeep ride costs 20 GEL per person and is not included in the tour price. You return to Tbilisi by 8 or 9 pm. If heavy winter snow closes the high road, the guide redirects the day to lower elevations and the Georgian chronicle instead, keeping the structure and the stops intact.

What’s included

Comfortable air-conditioned transport throughout the day.
a qualified guide in English or Russian.
free wine and cognac tasting.
a 15-minute stop at the mineral spring and river confluence.
entry to Ananuri fortress.
and 24-hour online support before and after your tour.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by ushba travel

Is this one for you?Book this if you want mountains, medieval fortresses, and Kazbeg monastery in a single day—the full-day pace and jeep ascent mean you'll experience high-altitude landscapes but need to commit to a long vehicle journey.