The Greatest Day Hikes in Georgia
Georgia offers a wide range of hiking opportunities, often in beautiful and very remote spots like Gergeti Trinity Church | © Giovanni Camici / Alamy Stock Photo
Whether you’re a serious hiker or just a beginner, Georgia offers a wide range of hiking opportunities from the Black Sea coast to the Caucasus Mountains. Most of the beautiful areas are very remote, involving intense trekking and camping under the stars. If time is short, however, there still are some routes easily covered in a day. Here’s our pick of the best.
Want to explore Georgia off the beaten path? Join our immersive nine-day trip for the chance to be led by a local along remote hiking trails, taste fine Georgian food and wine, and learn about Georgian culture through close encounters.
Abudelauri Lakes
Natural Feature, Hiking Trail
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The Abudelauri Lakes, situated in the Khevsureti region, is popular for its three different colour lakes located not that far from each other. The green, white and blue lakes attract many visitors throughout the season. The hike starts from the village of Roshka, and to reach the final, white lake, you’ll need to walk about 8km (5mi) each way. You can easily stay at the guesthouse in the village and go back to
Tbilisi the next day.
Gergeti Trinity Church and the glacier
Church
© Zoltan Bagosi / Alamy Stock Photo
Stepantsminda village is a famous destination for many tourists coming to Tbilisi. Those stunning views of Mount Kazbegi and Gergeti Trinity Church lying at its foot attract many hikers and nature lovers. Walking up to the church from Stepantsminda is only 6km (3.7mi), but if you feel that’s not enough for you, continue walking towards the glacier. The total length from the village to the glacier is 22km (13.6mi) both ways and might take around nine to ten hours in total.
Likani to Kvabiskhevi
Natural Feature, Hiking Trail
© Rafal Cichawa / Alamy Stock Photo
Borjom-Kharagauli National Park offers various trails through gorgeous landscapes. One of the most popular park trails is the Footprint Trail, taking you from Likani to Kvabiskhevi along a 13km (8mi) hike. During the walk, you’ll come across 800- to 1,000-year-old trees and beautiful flora. The trail follows a serpentine path along a mountain slope. The ascent follows approximately three hours on Nikoloz Romanov Trail and turns to Nakvalevi Trail afterwards, offering studding panoramic views. After another hour of walking, the trail goes down via a steep descent to Kvabiskhevi valley. Once you reach the end of the trail, you’ll need to walk an additional 1km (0.6mi) to reach the nearest village to overnight.
Ispani trail in Kobuleti
Natural Feature, Hiking Trail
© Mikko Palonkorpi / Alamy Stock Photo
For those who plan on staying at the Black Sea coast for a while, the Kobuleti Protected Areas offer an interesting one-day getaway from the seaside on the Ispani Trail. It’s very easy and very short, barely even a hike, but it is worth mentioning and visiting. The road takes you from the entrance of the area towards the birdwatching tower. You’ll walk through the Smekalkova Channel and if you look closely, you might be able to see a kingfisher or wetland turtles. And if this is not enough, you can continue exploring the area via White Moss Trail, which takes you along the Shavi Ghele River to encounter rare species of the country’s fauna and flora.
Artsivi Canyon in Vashlovani
Forest, Park
© Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
The trail starts at the entrance of Artsivi (Eagle Canyon in English), and you’ll pass along the limestone cliffs and reach the base of the rocks to see the rare endemic plant species that grow on the cliffs without any soil. Then, the route takes you to the viewpoints to enjoy watching flying griffon vultures. Besides this, you can even visit the remains of a medieval city-fortress, Khornabuji, by passing through the narrow forest road that looks like a natural tunnel during summer. At the end of it, you reach the 5th-century fortress built on a steep cliff. The area is accessible by car, but to get closer to the ruins you should hike a bit towards the fortress and get rewarded with amazing views of Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains.
Truso Valley
Hiking Trail
© murbansky / Alamy Stock Photo
Truso Valley in the Kazbegi region makes another great one-day hiking trip. Situated in the almost abandoned area towards the South Ossetia border, the valley offers stunning nature, mineral springs, ancient towers and several abandoned settlements. However, do note that you can’t walk all the way through the valley and would need to return after you reach the Georgian border station.
Ninoskhevi Waterfall in Lagodekhi
Park, Hiking Trail
© Rafal Cichawa / Alamy Stock Photo
The Lagodekhi Protected Areas offer several trails to hike, with Black Rock Lake being the most famous one, requiring several days. However, the Ninoskhevi Waterfall Trail is only 8.5km (5.3mi) long and needs around six hours to cover. The trail goes along the Ninoskgevi River on a narrow path. The sound of the river, huge stones, little waterfalls and cool breeze of the valley make the trip highly adventurous and entertaining. The 40m (131ft) Ninoskhevi Waterfall is considered to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country.
Khada Gorge
Natural Feature, Hiking Trail
© SFM Titti Soldati / Alamy Stock Photo
Khada is a small, hidden gorge below the mountains of Gudauri, making the area less touristy and calm with breathtaking views. The gorge was a historic stronghold between Southern and Northern Caucasus with 60 towers. Several still-standing towers, a gorgeous waterfall, impressive graves and tasty mineral spring water await you here. The route starts in Bedoni village, below Jvari Pass and is only about 8km (5mi) long, where you can have a picnic along the way and relax from the busy cities you have explored earlier.
Tbikeli Lake
Natural Feature, Hiking Trail
Tbikeli Lake is another gem of Kintrishi National Park that requires several days to hike to. However, if you take a jeep towards Khino village and stay overnight, you can easily make the return trip to and from the lake in one day. The trail from the village to the lake is 12km (7.5mi) long, offering lush nature and exceptional views once you walk above the tree line.
Oreti Lake
Natural Feature
© Ulf Huebner / Alamy Stock Photo
Located in the Tusheti region, the route to Oreti Lake makes for a perfect one-day hike opportunity. The 27km (17mi) trail starts at the village of Kumelaurta village south of Omalo and goes up to the lake. The best time to hike up here is in the early summer when the water level is high and nature is in bloom.
These recommendations were updated on September 2, 2021 to keep your travel plans fresh.
