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 …
On the way north we first visited the church of Samtavisi and then reached the Military road, leading from Tibilisi north to the Russian border. We came past the castle of Ananuri and the skiing resort of Gudauri, with the Georgian-Russian friendship monument, before we crossed the Jvari pass with 2,379 metres. We ended south …
East of Gori lies the ancient rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe, meaning “the lord’s fortress”. Built on a high rocky bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages. When we arrived it was sunny but soon clouds moved in and a cold wind made us cover up as …
When we arrived at Gori, the native town of Stalin, we were first invited into a Turkish shop for tea, but finally we made it to the bizarre museum. How would the world look like, if this man, and some others too, had not been able to cause so much harm? Hard to tell. Probably …
North of Kutaisi, we wanted to visit a canyon cut into the karst mountains, before we were on our way back to Kutaisi and taking the highway to Tibilisi, where we came past Chinese roadworks. The hike starts at the Okatse Canyon visitor center in Gordi village, where you get your tickets. From there, a 2 km …
