Mountain hikes in Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Beautiful acclimatization route at the Kreuzbergpass, partly over flower meadows and mostly in trackless terrain of the Eastern Caucasus.

Acclimatization route in the Gudauri ski area over alpine meadows, with a beautiful distant view of the Kasbek massif.

A 6-8-hour hike. You'll have the first half all to yourself, because hardly any tourists make their way up there. The view is breathtakingly beautiful.

Amazing view of the church - Соберце - საბერწე - საბერწე - ბეთლემის ქოხი 3650 - AltiHut 3.014

The tour begins in the village of Juta, located at an elevation of 2,200 meters, which—along with Bochorna in Tusheti and the even better-known Ushguli in Svaneti—is one of the highest-altitude settlements in Europe. The 14 peaks of the Chaukhi Massif are named after Georgian poets, writers, and artists. The highest mountain is Asatiani (North Chaukhi) at 3,843 m. Seven of the peaks alone are over 3,000 m high. At the 3,338-meter-high Chaukhi Pass, we hikers come very close to these steeply rising rock spires, which are reminiscent of the rock towers in South Tyrol. But there’s also a unique 380° panorama to enjoy: to the northwest rises Mount Kazbek; to the south, you can see the White Abudelauri Lake in the valley, and slightly lower down, the Blue Abudelauri Lake and the Green Abudelauri Lake. All the lakes are fed by melting glaciers. The region around Chaukhi is one of Georgia’s most popular hiking destinations and—as will come as no surprise—also one of the country’s most popular climbing areas.> In the village of 01 Juta (2,143 m), a trail begins immediately to the right after the bridge over the Juta River—just before the paid parking lot on the left—running alongside a gas pipeline. At the first fork in the trail, we take the right-hand fork. After leaving the village behind, we hike across meadows. At the end of the valley, the mighty Chaukhi Massif already comes into view. To the left, higher up, lies the “Fifth Season” restaurant and hotel. Near the wet meadows, we ascend a few meters and reach a wide trail. We follow the course of a stream as it curves to the right, without crossing it. As soon as we see a waterfall ahead of us in the hilly terrain after about 150 m, a 02 trail (2,457 m) branches off slightly to the left—it’s easy to miss! The trail climbs to a saddle and then runs along the stream for a considerable distance; we cross the stream three times as we continue. As soon as we see another waterfall, we take the trail half-right at the fork. At the end of the valley, a wide cirque comes into view. Near another stream, the route is unclear. Here, take a sharp right and head uphill over rocks; at the next fork, go half-left and climb very steeply uphill. Through a saddle marked by cairns, the trail continues very steeply uphill until you reach the 05 Chaukhi Pass (3,338 m) on the right via a broad mountain ridge—with patches of snow remaining well into August. From there, you ascend about 150 m to the right to a beautiful viewpoint. From the viewpoint, we descend a few meters over the slate-covered ground and then continue for about 200 m along the familiar trail we took on the way there. There, we leave the trail by veering slightly to the right, cross a depression, and shortly afterward make a steep ascent to a 04 saddle (3,233 m) marked by a cairn. We continue until we can see into the valley beyond. On the descent, which is now off-trail, we use a waterfall below a massive rock peak as a landmark. On moderately steep terrain, the ground alternates between meadows and slate sediments. As soon as the terrain toward the stream where the waterfall is located becomes less steep, we descend to cross over to the stream. The stream has already carved deeply into the landscape, so we have to climb back up a few meters over a small scree wall. In this wide valley, high above the stream, we walk steadily down the slope to a rocky ledge. To the left is a gorge through which the stream flows; we take the path to the right. Using our hands for support, we reach a steep slope overgrown with rhododendrons, which we descend. For the last few meters to the confluence of the two streams, we follow one of the numerous cattle trails. We cross the stream on the right. The water level is usually high enough that you have to take off your shoes. We continue following the cattle trails downhill. Soon our path joins a wider hiking trail, and we reach the valley floor of the 05 Juta Valley (2,298 m). Here we must cross a wide alluvial fan to the left to reach the trail that begins beyond it, which leads us to the starting and finishing point 01 Juta (2,143 m).

Juta - Juta - St. George of Juti - Juta Waterfall

Not too demanding tour with wonderful view

Výstup normálkou na Kazbek, jednu z nejvyšších hor Gruzie. Program chystaný pro mou CK HORY (www.ckhory.cz), najdete také v portfoliu Děvče z hor (www.devcezhor.cz).

Kirche Gergetier

Stephanzminda - Kazbeg