Stepantsminda | Clune Gap Years

Gergeti Church

06/10/2025

We attempted to walk towards the glacier. Unfortunately J’s vertigo kicked in big time on the initial steep up hill. He returned to Jez and I walked on for half an hour. We don’t like to be apart too long any way, but especially when with only one phone and travelling.

*Not even from the top. Jez in the car park*

*Kazbeg Peak. Called the Bride by locals as often wearing a veil of cloud*

After lunch we popped into Gergeti Church, which with Kasbeg mountain are used as a photo in Georgian tourism advertising. It was having some work done and was busy.

*Gergeti church actually looks better from a distance as it is all about its location*

*Stunning location with a trail of tourists: many Russian, as we are so close to the border, and Asians*

Then had an easy afternoon. Good to have a non driving day.

Gveleti Waterfalls

07/10/2025

Up at 6.30 and z bending down the hill to avoid the mad Mitsubishi Delicia taxi drivers bombing guests up. I needed all the tarmac on some of the bends.
Breakfast once parked at Gveleti, followed by a walk to two waterfalls. Stunning mountains again.

*The autumn colours are lovely pops of colour*

*More Russian laid gas pipes up to two small chalets*

*Not sure how or why two railway carriages up here, but now used as a plastic depository* 😔

We drove up as close as you can get to the Russian border, stopping at Dariali monastery.

*A blog I’d read said the monks were known for their cheese, so we had to sample. One of us had wine!*

*Looking across to the border checkpoint. The actual border is 1.6km further on, but through a tunnel*

The military highway is still a major freight route. As well as Georgian and Russian trucks, there are many Armenian trucks and cars. Apparently a lot of Russians settled in Armenia after the invasion of the Ukraine.

Unable to drive any further up the Military Highway, we retraced our steps south. Parking is outside Stepantsminda / Stepantsminda or Kazbegi with the mad Delicia taxis. We walked into town

*Between the church and belfry is a derelict cable car station. Russia had installed it up to Gergeti Church but none of the locals wanted it, so it was quickly dismantled.*

*Lovely churchyard where most of the gravestones had the face of the deceased carved*

*View across to Gergeti Church and Kazbeg Mountain*

*Early supper, first meal out since Tbilisi*

05/10/2025

An easy walk with no tourists. But we did not get as far as planned. Destination was an abandoned village, but we turned back when crossing the river would have meant a drenching.

An interesting drive up to Gergeti Trinity Church. Lorries turning right to a truck stop (insurance, showers etc before the Russian border) causing a very slow line of traffic. Cars overtaking both sides of me – along the sloping verge and into oncoming traffic. Oh and trucks at it too.

Our nerves were further frayed getting up here. I didn’t check the sat nav so we came up hill through a small village. We’ve done much worse, but it is still stressful. Once on the main road, there were a number of tight V bends. But the views are amazing.

We are at 2168m. Ben Nevis is 1355m. That’s for you Edward! The snow doesn’t look that far away.