Multi Day Trips Around Mount Kazbek
Travel advisory, October 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russian-occupied South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and against all but essential travel to areas right beside their administrative boundary lines. The US State Department rates Georgia as a whole Level 1 and the two occupied regions Level 4, Do Not Travel. South Ossetia lies close to the Truso Valley, so stay on the marked track, carry your passport and never walk toward the boundary. Mountain rescue can be slow, so hire a guide for glacier and summit terrain.
Stepantsminda is the main base for multi day mountain trips in Georgia: a glacier climb on Mount Kazbek, a trek over the Chaukhi range and overnight stays above Gergeti. The season for the high routes is short, roughly late June to September. Pay for lodging, drivers and food in Georgian lari (GEL), in cash outside the hotels.
Mount Kazbek (Mkinvartsveri), 5,054 m
This is guided mountaineering, not a long hike. A typical climb takes 3 to 4 days plus a spare day in case of bad weather, and some operators schedule 7 to 8 days for slower acclimatisation. The usual plan runs like this:
- Stage 1: Stepantsminda to Gergeti church and Altihut.
- Stage 2: on to the Bethlemi Hut, the old meteorological station at about 3,650 m, with an acclimatisation walk toward 4,000 m.
- Stage 3: the summit push, leaving around midnight and taking roughly 10 to 14 hours, with about 1,400 m of ascent.
- Then the descent, with the spare day held back for weather.
You need crampons, ice axe, harness, rope and helmet, and the glacier has crevasses, so go with a certified guide. Never step onto bare glacier ice without a guide and rescue gear. Rescue can take a long time to arrive.
Juta to Roshka over the Chaukhi Pass
This is a two day summer trek from Juta (about 2,200 m) beneath the Chaukhi Massif (about 3,842 m), over the Chaukhi Pass and down past the Abudelauri lakes to Roshka. It is not a day trip. The road to Juta collapsed in June 2025 and the last 2.6 km is reported closed to vehicles, so allow about 40 extra minutes on foot at the start. The streams and lakes are glacial and are not for swimming.
Gergeti to Altihut and the glacier
Past the church at 2,170 m, a trail climbs toward Altihut, a mountain lodge at about 3,014 m, and gives close views of the Gergeti glacier snout. It can be done as a long day hike or with a night at the lodge. Ask in Stepantsminda whether Altihut is open and what it charges before you plan to sleep there, and do not walk onto the ice.
Truso Valley with camping
The Truso track is a mostly flat walk of about 18 to 22 km return to Zakagori Fortress. Some visitors camp near the seasonal cafe in summer; ask a local operator about the current setup. Carry your passport because border guards are posted at Zakagori, and do not walk on toward the villages above or Kelitsadi Lake without asking a Stepantsminda operator or the border police about the free border-zone permit.
Reaching the start points
Tbilisi is 3 to 3.5 hours south, and Didube marshrutkas cost about 15 GEL. Winter trips depend on the Jvari Pass (2,379 m), which closes in snow and avalanche risk, mostly December to March.
Read more: Walking tours in Stepantsminda cover shorter outings on foot. Compare guided treks and stays on GetYourGuide and Booking.com . Route notes are on the Juta hike guide and the Caucasus Trekking church hike page .