Kazbegi & Gudauri: Private Day Trip from Tbilisi with Gergeti Church

4.97

(129 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what it feels like to drive north out of Tbilisi and just keep going until the city noise is gone? That’s how our Kazbegi private day trip started. We’d barely left the city when our driver, Giorgi, pointed out the Zhinvali Reservoir — that unreal turquoise color isn’t a filter, by the way. The air smelled like wet stone and pine needles after last night’s rain. I tried to take a photo but honestly, it didn’t do it justice. Giorgi told us about how locals used to gather here for picnics before the dam was built — he laughed when I asked if people still swim in it (apparently only in July, and only if you’re brave).

Ananuri Fortress was next, perched above the water like something out of a storybook but with real scars on its stone walls. We wandered through echoing towers while an old woman sold churchkhela by the gate — those nutty grape sweets are stickier than they look. Somewhere between there and Gudauri, we stopped at the confluence of two rivers; one black, one white. It looked almost painted on purpose. The road kept climbing after that — switchbacks and sudden drops that made my stomach flip (in a good way?). The Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument is massive up close; those mosaics are wild colors against all that grey rock.

By the time we reached Stepantsminda, clouds were rolling over Mount Kazbek like slow waves. The drive up to Gergeti Trinity Church is rough — bumpy enough that I thought my teeth would rattle out — but then you’re suddenly at this tiny 14th-century church with all of Georgia spread below you. There was a hush up there, even with other visitors around. Someone’s dog trotted past us into the grass. Giorgi said people come here to pray for safe travels; I could see why.

We had lunch at a place with big windows facing the mountains (I think it was Rooms Hotel). The khinkali were hot and peppery; I probably ate too many but didn’t care. On the way back to Tbilisi I kept replaying that view from Gergeti in my head — not sure any photo will ever match it, you know?