Last month, my family traveled to the tiny country of Georgia in eastern Europe to attend a wedding and hike in the Caucasus Mountains. Georgia. Georgia is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia in the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey and Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. The landscape is remarkably diverse and heavily mountainous, featuring some of Europe's highest peaks.

Politically, Georgia operates as a semi-presidential representative democratic republic. Since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the nation has navigated a complex path toward closer integration with Western institutions, maintaining strong pro-Western and pro-European aspirations. However, its modern politics face ongoing challenges, including intense domestic polarization and unresolved territorial conflicts over the Russian-backed breakaway regions, which remain outside of government control.

The history of Georgia spans thousands of years. Georgia adopted Christianity as its state religion early in the fourth century, which deeply anchored its cultural identity. The country experienced a medieval Golden Age during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, before suffering invasions by various empires, including Mongols, Persians, and Ottomans. Absorbed into the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century and later forced into the Soviet Union in 1921, Georgia finally re-established its sovereignty with the collapse of the USSR.

When Georgia converted to Christianity, it was common to simply put crosses on pagan structures and reuse them.

Rather than set out on our own, Philip helped us vet mountain guiding services operating tours, choosing a three-day trip with TrekGeorgia. We put down a 20% deposit by PayPal, since wiring money to Georgia is difficult, and we were instructed to bring the remaining balance in US Dollars (about $2000) to hand to our guide at the beginning of the trip. This is apparently a fairly normal practice. TrekGeorgia is a top-notch guide service, and we thought they did a tremendous job that far exceeded our expectations. We were delighted to discover that our guide, Tina, was the first female certified trekking guide in Georgia and had been doing it for 20+ years. She was incredibly knowledgeable and fun, and we really lucked out. Ask for her!

Day 1

Getting to the mountains from the capital Tbilisi was a four-hour, sphincter-puckering drive up twisty mountain roads in a sprinter van to a town named Juta before traveling later to the village of Kazbegi. If you ever travel to Georgia, do not rent a car yourself. The traffic and roads are simply awful. Hire a local driver. It's not expensive.

The view from our guesthouse

From Juta Village, we hiked toward the Chaukhi Pass, with a round-trip distance of about 12 km and about 1000 feet of elevation gain. The trail was steep, but not strenuous. It was super sunny though, and we were very glad to have long sleeves, a hat, and sunscreen. The trail was rocky, and we crossed lots of small streams, but nothing like the Long Trail back home in Vermont! We stopped at a small lake before retracing our steps and driving to the village of  Kazbegi, also known as Stepantsminda.

There we stayed in a modest guesthouse. After the long drive and hike, the shower felt fantastic, and not just because we were hot and tired! We each had an ensuite bathroom. The food was family-style, classic Georgian with some Russian influences, including a Russian egg/potato salad and a roast meat/potato that one of our hiking group members who’d been to Russia several times said was common there. We were very close to the southern border with Russia, just 10 miles away. The village of Stepantsminda is surrounded by mountains, but we couldn’t see any that evening from the balcony of our rooms because of mist.

Day 2

After a good night's sleep, we had a family-style breakfast with eggs, pancakes, and yogurt. The guest house also provided us with a great boxed lunch. It seemed huge when they gave it to us in the morning, but I was thrilled when we sat down to eat. It included a hard-boiled egg, a piece of baked chicken, flatbread, baked bread with bean paste, and a little plum cake.

Our destination for the day was the Gergeti Glacier (at 3200m). That would have been a very strenuous 16 km hike at that elevation. But the previous day, we'd found out that our guide Tina is also a horse trekking guide. Everyone in my family rides, so we arranged for horses for the day. This was especially special for me because I'm an equestrian with 50 years of experience.

Riding along the cliffs.

Normally described as a “challenging 16km round trip trek,” it felt way, way easier as our trusty mounts did the hard work. The Georgian saddles are super cool too. The base is a pack saddle, as the horses are used to carry supplies up the mountain for mountaineering base camps, but to carry a rider, they strap a big pillow on top. It is remarkably cushy!

The horses were fantastic: well cared for, fit, and steady! The terrain was very steep and rugged. It had been a heavy snow year, which meant a delay to the trekking season due to late snowmelt. As a result, we were treated to spectacular fields of wildflowers, which in a normal spring might have been gone by the time arrived in mid July. It was breathtaking.

The trail in many locations was perilously close to the edge of the precipice, and I was grateful for the steady horses. Looking down literally made my head spin. It was easier to look across the valley to the other side and see the birds soaring at eye level

Fog filled the valleys far below

There were several places where, due to rocks, we had to dismount and lead the horses. The first time I did, I nearly fell down. I hadn’t realized how quickly we’d ascended since the horse was doing all the work, so I hadn’t quite acclimated to the elevation. I steadied out after a few steps.

We walked in and out of swirling mist all morning,  sometimes so thick we could barely see five horse lengths in front, other times perfectly clear with blue skies and sunshine. On the way up, several mountaineering teams passed us headed down. They all looked discouraged; apparently strong winds, heavy rain, and thick mist had prevented them from summiting Kazbegi. I wasn’t sad that we hadn’t planned to mountaineer.

At the glacier we dismounted and continued on foot for a few hundred yards. Mission accomplished!

At the base of the glacier

Day 3

After another restful sleep, we enjoyed another sumptuous breakfast and got an early start, driving to Truso Valley along a very long, rugged dirt road to begin the hike walking through herds of cows. While this area was settled for centuries, most of the villages and houses in the valley are now abandoned. But there is a small army garrison at the end of the valley to prevent Russian incursions.

In Georgia, herders usually let their cattle wander freely without fences, so we were surprised to hike through several gates. Our destination was a lake with geysers, which our guide Tina explained are dangerous to the grazing animals. Apparently the geysers emit carbon dioxide. So when the cattle lean over to drink from the pools, they become oxygen-deprived, fall in, and drown. The geysers used to be larger, but a company now taps and bottles the mineral water and has significantly reduced their pressure.

Georgian meals are large and very rich

Know Before You Go

Overall, Georgia is a very inexpensive country to travel to or even live in. It's also quite beautiful, with a rich history and numerous ancient churches and monasteries. We also spent about a week in the capital city of Tbilisi, which has one million residents. The main languages are Georgian and Russian, and some English. Numerous signs of Georgia's past Russian occupation and continued influence are evident. One of my sons is fairly fluent in Russian, which was at times a big help.

The capital city of Tbilisi

The cost of living in Tbilisi is very low compared to American cities. The local currency is the Georgian Lari and is worth about $0.30 USD. Traffic is a nightmare; however, it is easy to get around using the Bolt app, and quite inexpensive to hail a car to go from destination to destination. Top-tier hotels are generally under $250/night, and a fancy dinner out will cost about $30-40/person. Just be forewarned, Georgian food is very salty and rich. It is also served in overwhelmingly large quantities, with new dishes arriving at your table even after you can't eat another bite.

About Minerva Hinchey

Minerva Hinchey is a experienced hiker and backpacker who resides in Vermont. She's an active member of the Green Mountain Club and when she's not crushing trail miles, likes to roll up her sleaves to build and maintain hiking trails. She's hiked Vermont's Long Trail and enjoys learning all about the trees, flowers, and birds that make the Long Trail their home. Does my name sound familiar? I'm named after my great aunt who was also active in the Green Mountain Club.