Day 3 · Mon 27 Jul
Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Ananuri → Kazbegi
KAZBEGIInto the mountains
Ananuri fortress · Zhinvali reservoir
🎒 Comfortable walking shoes🎒 Water bottle🎒 Windbreaker or rain layer🎒 Warm layer for the evening — 10–15° in the mountains🌤 Tbilisi 36°☁️ Kazbegi 23°🥾 Gveleti waterfall 3 km · easy🥾 Gergeti Trinity Church 3.5 km · easy🍽 Breakfast · Late lunch at the master class🛏 Hotel in Kazbegi
- 08:30Start of the tourBreakfast, then a full-day journey along the Georgian Military Road into mountainous Georgia. Departure to Mtskheta.
- 09:15Mtskheta — Jvari & SvetitskhoveliUntil 11:30. If Tbilisi is the heart of Georgia, Mtskheta is its soul. Climb to the Jvari Monastery for a panorama of the ancient capital — by legend built over the cedar stump where Saint Nino prayed — then visit the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles, whose foundations hold the Tunic of the Lord. Thanks to this shrine Mtskheta is called the "second Jerusalem".
- 12:15Ananuri fortressUntil 1:00 PM. A stop at the Ananuri fortress on the shore of the picturesque Zhinvali reservoir — stories of the Aragvi princes and the legend of the rebellious tower.
- 14:30Friendship Arch, Gudauri & StepantsmindaUntil 3:00 PM at the Friendship Arch with its breathtaking views, then on through Gudauri and Stepantsminda, resort villages high in the mountains.
- 15:50Gveleti waterfall walk · ☁️ 23°Until 5:10 PM. Near the village of Gveleti, towards the Russian–Georgian border, a gorge hides the 30 m Gveleti waterfall. A short walk on rough terrain — about 1.5 km each way on an easy route, around 1.5 hours in both directions.
- 17:30Hike to Gergeti Trinity Church · ☁️ 23°Until 7:30 PM. From Stepantsminda, a hike up to the Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 m, with a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains.
- 20:00Khinkali & khabizgini master classUntil 9:30 PM. The highlight of the day — a master class on making khinkali and khabizgini (a type of khachapuri) with a hospitable village family. Late lunch.