Things to Do in Stepantsminda
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, still called Kazbegi by many people, is a town of about 1,300 residents at 1,740 m, standing at the foot of Mount Kazbek on the Georgian Military Highway. Most of the good outings start within 30 to 40 minutes of the main square. Prices are in Georgian lari (GEL). Cards work at hotels and larger restaurants, but marshrutkas, Delica drivers and guesthouses want cash, and there are ATMs around the square.
Gergeti Trinity Church
The church stands at 2,170 m on a ridge above Gergeti village and faces Kazbek. On foot it is about 6 to 7 km return with 450 to 520 m of climbing: allow 1 to 1.5 hours up and 3 to 4 hours for the whole outing. A paved road has been open since 2018, and shared 4x4 Delicas leave from the main square for roughly 15 to 25 GEL a head or 60 to 100 GEL a vehicle. Landslides can damage the road, so ask your guesthouse before you book a ride. Entry is free.
Dress rules apply because it is an active church. Everyone covers shoulders and knees. Women cover their hair and wear a long skirt, and aprons and scarves are lent at the door. Men remove hats and wear long trousers or borrow a wrap. Photography and video are not allowed inside, and drones are banned. From November to February snow and ice make the trail slippery.
Gveleti waterfalls
About 7 km north of town, a short trail leads to two falls. The small one is 10 to 15 minutes from the fork. The big one, about 30 m high, is 15 to 45 minutes away depending on where you start, and the last stretch is a scramble over rocky steps. Allow 1.5 to 3 hours in all and wear boots with grip.
Truso Valley
The dirt road runs about 15 to 18 km from town via Kobi and Kvemo Okrokana. Most visitors walk the mostly flat track to Zakagori Fortress, roughly 18 to 22 km return and 4 to 6 hours, past orange mineral terraces and cold carbonated springs. A shuttle costs about 45 to 50 GEL where one is running that year, and a taxi about 90 GEL. Georgian border guards are posted at Zakagori, so carry your passport and be ready to say where you are from.
Juta and Chaukhi Lake
Juta village, about 2,200 m, is 20 to 24 km away and 30 to 40 minutes by road, unpaved after the Sno turn-off. The road collapsed in June 2025, and the last 2.6 km to the village is reported closed to vehicles, which adds about 40 minutes on foot. The day hike to Chaukhi Lake, an artificial reservoir below the Chaukhi Massif, is about 13 km return from the roadblock and takes 4.5 to 5 hours of walking, so budget about 6.5 hours. The streams here are glacial, so keep out of the water.
Paragliding and Mount Kazbek
Tandem paragliding is listed at Stepantsminda on Dedaena Peak, and also at Gudauri; flights depend on the weather, and prices are set by the operator. Mount Kazbek (5,054 m) is a guided mountaineering trip of several days with crampons, ice axe, harness and rope, not a hike. See multi-day trips .
Read more: sightseeing in Stepantsminda covers Dariali Monastery and the Sno stone heads. Tours can be compared on GetYourGuide , and the Georgia National Tourism Administration has route details.