Travel in Georgia, second part east Georgia

Two weeks in Georgia, Tbilisi, Kazbegi and the wine region.

Travel in Georgia

First I want to say that this is about the country in the Caucasus region, on the Black Sea, near Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, so if you were looking for a state in the USA you are in the wrong place. Still, I invite you to continue because you can see fantastic nature and read about an excellent adventure.

I travelled to Georgia for two weeks in September visiting a big part of the country, this month is the end of the primary touristic season there. Moving from one place to another can be time-consuming if you use public transportation (marshrutka) or hitchhiking, but it can be authentic and interesting. 

After my experience in Kyrgyzstan in 2021, I wanted to visit another ex-soviet country, I am interested in the background, culture and history of these countries and Georgia is the second of a long list.

In this post, I will talk about the east part of the country, the capital Tbilisi, the "city" of Uplistsikhe, Kakheti the wine region and Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) in the Caucasian mountains.

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, with a population of 1.5 million people. Because of its location at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, throughout history, Tbilisi was a point of contention among various global powers. Historically it has been home to people of multiple cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, though it is overwhelmingly eastern orthodox Christian. Tbilisi's history is reflected in its architecture, it is a mix of several different styles, and the old town reminds me of Istanbul and other parts of Vienna, Berlin and the Soviet period.

I liked it a lot Tbilisi, it has a nice vibe and beautiful energy, the city is full of things to see and do, like the Narikala fortress, the national public library of the Parliament, the Bridge of Peace and the Holy trinity cathedral, that is the third tallest eastern orthodox cathedral in the world and one of the largest religious buildings in the world by total area. The area around Fabrika Hostel is full of events and activities, like city tours, yoga classes and concerts.

I think I didn't pass enough time in Tbilisi, there are a lot of places, monuments, and museums that I didn't visit, but it is a city that impressed me positively and I think I will go there again for sure. From the capital is possible to visit several cities and places doing short trips, like day tours or using organised tours, I visited Uplistsikhe, the Kakheti region and the Kazbegi in the Caucasian mountains, hereafter something about these places. 

Gori - Uplistsikhe

Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town, it contains various structures dating from the early iron age to the late middle ages and is notable for the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture. Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia, the earliest traces of human presence date back to the end of the 2nd millennium BC, and its earliest remaining structures are from the beginning of the 1st millennium AD.

From Tbilisi is possible to go to Uplistsikhe by marshrutka but first I had to go to Gori, Stalin's birth town, and then there take another one to the rock town. 

At the entrance of the city is possible to decide on several tickets: only the city, the museum and the city and the one I bought allows seeing all of the city, the museum and also have a wine tasting at the wine cellar. It was a good choice because the wine tasting was good, with some snacks. 

Kakheti

I did only one organised day trip, I thought that visiting the wine region was a good compromise, I was able to visit Bodbe monastery, the city of Signagi, make Georgian bread and do a wine tasting in a wine cellar.

The Kakheti wine region is located in the eastern part of Georgia, and the climatic conditions of the region play an essential role in the formation of Kakheti wines. Kakheti vineyards are cultivated at an altitude of 250-800 meters above sea level, there are both humid subtropicals and continental climates in the region. The most famous grapes in the region are Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, these two wine varieties have become the face of the region and Georgia.

Although it is one of the smallest towns, Signagi serves as a popular tourist destination because is known as the "City of Love", with many couples visiting it just to get married.

Just two kilometres from Signagi, there is the venerated Bodbe monastery, a place of pilgrimage due to its association with St Nino, the 4th-century apostle of Georgia.

Overall the tour was very nice, the guide was amazing, she knew a lot of stuff and she was involving the participants very well. Unfortunately, the weather was bad, in Bodbe and Signagi it was foggy and it was impossible to appreciate the view and the city itself. The wine tasting was amazing, the wine cellar was welcoming, and we tasted 11 different types of wines, I was able to learn a lot about Georgian wines and wines in general.

Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)

From Tbilisi, by marshrutka (it took around 5 hours), I went to the north on the mountains to Stepantsminda, former Kazbegi, a village close to the border with Russia.

Stepntsminda is known for its scenic location in the Greater Caucasus mountains and is a centre for trekkers and mountain climbing. Local attractions include the Gergeti trinity church outside of town, as well as Mount Kazbegi itself and the alpine meadows and forests of the surrounding Kazbegi nature reserve.

I spent there one night and on the first day I hiked to the Gergeti church from there I walked a part of the hike that led to the glacier of Mount Kazbek. 

On the second day, I shared a taxi with a nice Israeli couple that brought us to the Juta village, and from there we hiked in the Juta valley to Chaukhi Lake.

Juta is an alpine town, 20 km from Stepantsminda, the highest inhabited settlement in Georgia (2200 m, 7217 ft) together with Ushguli in Upper Svaneti. While Juta village is a small town, the main draw here is the spectacular landscape of the Juta Valley. 

I fell in love with the Caucasian mountains, between Kazbegi and Svaneti hiking here was magical, I remember that when we were at Chaukhi Lake I said to my friend that I didn't like mountains till my trip to Kyrgyzstan, and I don't understand how it is possible, it is so beautiful that it's stupid that I didn't get into it before.

Around Stepantsminda there are a lot of hike possibilities, valleys, waterfalls and more, so it's possible to spend more time than I did, but, for me, it wasn't possible to stay more. 

Georgia is a nice place to travel to, people are friendly, and willing to help, used to tourism and this sometimes leads to scams, but if you are used to travelling this is not a problem. It was nice to face different realities inside the country: cities and villages, east and west, north and south, different backgrounds and sometimes different languages. 

What I didn't talk about here and in the previous post about this country is food, simply because it is amazing and it needs to be tried, I didn't find something that I didn't like from the famous Khinkali and khachapuri till the food in the villages, visit Georgia for the people, the nature and the food.