The Ultimate Hiking And Biking Guide To Kazbegi

 Kazbegi or Stepantsminda is a small town northeast of Georgia. It is famous for its mountainous terrain that looks like it came straight out of the movie "The Sound of Music". Imagine, lush green fields as far as the eyes can see covering a whole mountain range. This was the view I saw when I was traveling around Georgia for 2 weeks.

Me and a couple friends went a full-on adventure as we arrived in Kazbegi. We went and hiked up to the glacier on our first day, followed by a full-day mountain biking adventure to one of the many beautiful valleys in the area. If you like nature as much as I do, Kazbegi is not to be missed.

• Georgia Travel Video
 
• How To Get To Georgia
 
• Where To Stay In Georgia
 
• Travel Insurance
 
• What To Pack For Kazbegi, Georgia
 
• Adventurous Things To Do In Kazbegi
  • Hike To The Gergeti Trinity Church
   
  • Hike To The Gergeti Glacier
   
  • Bike To The Juta Village In The Sno Valley
   
  • Stop At The Ananuri Church
 
• Hitchhiking In Georgia
 
• Further Reading For Georgia And The Caucasus

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Georgia Travel Video

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How To Get To Georgia

The best way to get here is to fly into Tbilisi and take a marshrutka from there. I would recommend you browse through Skyscanner or Expedia to find all the cheap flights from where you live to Georgia and compare them so that you can find the one best fit for your itinerary.

From Tbilisi, go to the Didube autostation (if you crossed the border from Turkey to Georgia via a minivan, this is the same station) and look for a Marshutka (minivan) that is going to Kazbegi. Even if you don't speak the language, this will not be very hard since people will constantly ask you where you want to go as soon as you arrive and they will direct you to the bus. The marshrutka here operates like Dolmus in Turkey which means that they will go when the van is full. It should cost you no more than 10 - 12 GEL and it will take you around 2 - 3 hours depending on the road condition (it was horrendous for us).

Where To Stay In Georgia

My friend Henri whom I met in Tbilisi recommended us to stay at the Nazi Guesthouse (No, not that Nazi. Nazi is the owner's name). It is a cozy family-run guesthouse with large dorm rooms decorated in Victorian style. We even had a piano in our room. The price is cheap and the food there is quite a bargain. The family home-cooked both breakfast and dinner for us every day as we sit in a kitchen socializing with other hikers. It really felt like home when I was there.

This is an approximate location of the guesthouse since the road doesn't seem like it is shown on the map. As you arrive at the bus stop, walks toward the bridge, cross the river and walk up a hill for a few minutes. On the second intersection, turn left and the guesthouse should be on your right.

Daily Budget

    

This place is quite cheap compare to all the other countries in the world. If you are planning a trip here, you can expect to pay around 25 - 45 USD per day per person and that should include accommodation and 3 meals.

Keep in mind that this is just a suggested daily budget based on my style of traveling, which is leaning more toward the budget side of things. If you want to stick to this budget, expect to sleep in dorms, eat out only a few times, and be comfortable using the cheapest and most convenient way of transportation, which often times involves walking.