Kazbegi Daytrip (Georgia Military Highway) from Tbilisi

Kazbegi is a region in the Caucasus Mountains known for its scenic views, as well as several tourist attractions, including a fortress, monastery, and national monument. The drive to Kazbegi is a gorgeous route from Tbilisi, that can be completed in a daytrip along the Georgia Military Highway. When you’re in Georgia, it’s a must-see.

We researched tons of options for our Kazbegi day trip and ended up going with one we found on Tours by Locals (https://www.toursbylocals.com/). 

You’ll find several local guides in Tbilisi. The tour we booked was the Kazbegi One Day Private Guided Tour with Levani, which cost $230 USD at the time for up to 6 people. It’s a bit pricey, but for a private tour, on par with what you’d expect. You can also find group versions of this tour, but given the long distances and curving roads, we liked the idea of our own vehicle with a driver instead of being stuffed in a cramped shuttle.

You can find many group tours that take you along the same route for around ~$40 if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly approach.

Tour Details

What it includes:

Pick-up/drop off from your hotel/Airbnb

Transportation in a comfortable 2009 Toyota Sienna minivan 

Information/history about the sites 

Duration:

Up to 10 hours. Ours was from 8:30 am to 5:00pm. We felt like we could spend a relaxed visit to every location. Levani never rushed us, which was nice. So plenty of time for photos, looking around, or just chilling. Of course, we also got really lucky that we never hit major traffic.

The driver is about 3 hours straight up to Kazbegi from Tbilisi via the Georgia Military Highway. You end up making stops about every 30 minutes or so on the way up, so it doesn’t feel that long, really.

The tour started in Tbilisi and followed the Georgian Military Highway north toward Russia and included the following sites.

Itinerary: 

Zhinvali or Jinvali Water Reservoir 

The Zhinvali Water Reservoir was built by the Soviets in the 1980s to help supply water for Tbilisi and provides a great view of the lake and surrounding mountains. 

It’s named Zhinvali because it was built over the medieval village of Zhinvali that was originally located there. The village dated back to the 12th century and unfortunately archeological information was lost when they covered it with the reservoir. But apparently, when the water level is low, you can still see the top of a church from the original town.   

Ananuri Fortress

Ananuri Fortress is a 13th-17th century castle along the Aragvi River that originally served as a military fortress and later housed the Aragvi Dynasty. 

The complex consists of the fortress walls, two churches, watch towers, a bell tower, prison, and civic buildings. 

One of the most impressive buildings is the main church, particularly its outer walls. The outer walls of the main church are decorated with beautiful carvings depicting the cross, angels, lions, dragons, and pomegranate trees, as well as Georgian scripts.  

Now you might be wondering why it’s called Ananuri, rather than Aragvi Fortress. The name Ananuri relates to a local legend. Apparently, a secret tunnel ran from the fortress to the river to allow people living in the fortress continued access to food and water if under siege. Legend has it that a woman named Ana from Nuri was captured and tortured by an enemy, but never gave up the location of the secret tunnel and that the fortress was later named Ananuri in her honor.   

The complex is also surrounded by craft and food vendors where you can grab a snack or souvenir, as well as several friendly dogs.  

Tip: Take a picture from the bridge to get a great view of the fortress with the Aragvi River and mountains in the background. 

Friendship Monument 

The Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument, also known as the Treaty of Georgievsk Monument, or the Gudauri Viewpoint was built in 1983 to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the Treaty of Georgievsk between Russia and Georgia when Georgian King Erekle II pledged allegiance to Russia in return for support and protection.  

It’s a circular stone structure with a large tile mural on the interior depicting Georgian-Russian history. The monument was built on a 600 meter cliff, providing stunning views of Devil’s Valley and the surrounding Caucasus Mountains.

Paragliding excursions used to be offered here. However, an accident with an unlicensed operator resulted in the temporary closure of all paragliding operations. The government’s working on regulations to keep people safe, so hopefully it’s better in the future.

Stepantsminda

Continuing on the Georgia Military Highway, Stepantsminda is a small mountain town in the Kazbegi region. The main attraction there is the Holy Trinity Monastery that sits on a nearby mountain 2200 meters above sea level. 

Currently, the main road from Stepantsminda to the monastery is closed for construction and the only way to get there is by paying a driver with an authorized off-road vehicle, which costs an extra $30 USD. The drive is approximately 20 minutes on a bumpy road, which wasn’t too bad for us, but may not be ideal for people who struggle with motion sickness. You can also hike up there if you prefer, which would take 1-1.5 hours.    

The monastery was built in the 14th century and provides great 360 views of the surrounding mountains. To enter the chapel, women must wear knee length or longer skirts/dresses and cover their shoulders and hair. Scarves/cover ups are provided. Men are also required to wear long pants. 

When we visited, there were also a bunch of super cute puppies that lived there that I was obsessed with.  

After the monastery we had a quick lunch at Restaurant Khevi. Tony had lobio and I had lamb stew. The food wasn’t great, but it was okay, and we got to eat outside to continue enjoying the view of the mountains. 

Travertine National Monument 

The Jvari Pass Travertine National Monument is a hill in the Truso Valley covered in yellow-orange limestone near Stepantsminda. The limestone precipitated from mineral rich geothermal hot springs in the earth and the variation in color is due to different mineral deposits.  

Apparently, there are dozens of mineral springs along the Military Highway. They may be a little metalicy from all the minerals, but they’re perfectly safe to drink from and locals believe they have healing properties.   

The rocky orange backdrop also makes for a great photo op, but be careful on the rocks, because they are covered in water and may be slippery. 

Aragvi River

There is a popular spot in Pasanauri, Georgia, where two branches of the Aragvi River meet, with one side appearing white, Tetri ‘White’ Aragvi, and the other black, Shavi ‘Black’ Aragvi. The reason the two sides appear different even after they merge is attributed to differences in flow, temperature, and composition. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t notice much of a difference when we visited due to the season and time of day. It was our last stop of the day and the white side was shaded over, making it appear darker like the black side. We have seen pictures though that do it more justice. The best time to see this is during the summer and in the morning before the river is shaded over.     

Final tips

• If you’re able to message guides directly that is generally preferred, since Tours by Locals takes 25% from each booking. 
• The tour mentions optional paragliding, but these are currently canceled due to accidents. Apparently, it’s not well regulated and many operators here were not well trained/certified, which led to some deaths. Definitely something to be mindful of when booking excursions. Make sure to book with reputable companies and check qualifications and reviews!
• Driving can be a little strenuous and hectic, so if you aren’t used to driving in Georgia, we highly recommend joining an excursion. It’ll be safer and way more relaxing for you.