Georgia sits at the junction of Europe and Asia on the southern flank of the Greater Caucasus — a country with 4,000-metre peaks, a thousand-year-old tower-building culture in the mountains, and a wine tradition older than anywhere in France. It is still, improbably, one of the most underpriced adventure destinations on the continent.
Kazbegi's Gergeti Trinity Church — perched on a ridge at 2,170 metres with Mount Kazbek's 5,047-metre glacier cone behind it — is the image most people associate with Georgia, and it holds up entirely. The four-hour round hike from the village, in morning mist, past grazing horses, is as good as anything in the Alpine world. The Truso Valley gorge, an hour's drive further, is almost entirely unvisited and better.
Svaneti is the other argument: a remote mountain valley accessible by a single road through gorges, where defensive towers built between the 9th and 13th centuries still stand in every village. Mestia is the base for trekking the Svaneti circuit, and the combination of the glacier approaches, the tower village architecture, and the family guesthouses where the food and wine are both made in the valley makes it one of Europe's most satisfying mountain destinations.
In-depth guide
The Georgia Caucasus Adventure Guide
6 min read