Another perfect day awaited us at the Vashlovani National Park. We had spent the night at a ranger station, not that it would have been required, but it was the first even ground we had spotted and a nice place too. After exploring the area on foot, we were looking for an ancient pistachio tree, …
After paying a small fee for entering the national park and most importantly, getting a permit from the border police, we left Dedoplistskaro and were on our way south, where shortly after the town the tarmac ended and we were driving over farm tracks. Some advice: Don’t expect any roads in this national park, not …
We had reached the town, from where any excursion into the Vashlovani National Park starts: Dedoplistsqaro – a name we have not managed to remember even shortly. We got our documents for the national park including the permit from the border police and decided to explore a little the surroundings of the town, before we …
On our way to the south-east of Georgia, we came past Signagi, a popular tourist destination, and we also visited the Bodbe monastery. Signagi has the longest city wall in all of Georgia with 28 towers. Today it is possible to walk along a part of the wall, from where we had a great view …
We had found another National Park, where we wanted to go on a hike to explore the special vegetation of this area. Lagodekhi National Park is located in north-eastern Georgia on the southern slopes of the Caucasus and at the border to Azerbaijan and Dagestan. It was originally protected in 1912, under the Russian Empire, as the first nature reserve in …
Instead of climbing into the mountains, we were now in the flat wine area of the Kakheti region of Georgia. We went to visit the castle of Gremi and of course a winery, to try Georgian wines. Next to the castle of Gremi, a museum shows archeological artefacts. Most interesting were the bronze and iron …
From the Military Road we took the shortest possible route to get to Lechuri, where the tarmac ends and a 60km long dangerous road over the Abano pass with 2,826 metres starts. The route from Ananuri at the Military Road via Tianeti to Achmeti and finally to Lechuri was a nice route through the lower …
Further north to the Russian border, near the tiny village of Gveleti, lies a valley known for its waterfalls but also the biodiversity of its fauna. October might not be the perfect month to spot many flowers, but we did our best. Near Stepanzminda we had spent the nights next to a pool, which is …
From the townlet of Stepanzminda, we climbed up to the famous Gergeti Trinity Church, lying on a hill in front of Mount Kazbegi. There is a road leading up and taxi drivers wait at the main square to drive you, but we wanted the experience of hiking up. We chose a longer but not so …
Besides the spectacular mountains, Truso valley is also interesting because of the peculiar travertine formations, mineral springs and a mineral lake, which are a sign of vulcanism in this region. We had spent the night at the beginning of the hike and started early, which allowed us to enjoy the valley all alone. We had a …
