I’ve always dreamt of getting as far away from where I grew up, to places that I never knew existed, places so magical that I thought would only exist in my dreams.
As I found myself standing in an open field of wildflowers, under the towering Caucasus Mountains and a 14th century church, a wave of emotion & gratitude washed over me as I stood in that moment I have dreamt about.
One of my favorite memories from my travels this summer was the morning that I hiked up to the Gergeti Trinity Church above the town of Stepantsminda (formerly, and still widely known as Kazbegi) in Georgia – the country, not the state.
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On the base of Mount Kazbek, and overlooking the town of Kazbegi, not much is known about the Gergeti Trinity Church, except that it was built in the 14th century and has been an important worship site ever since. Inside the church you are met with silence, the remains of chipped and faded 16th century frescoes on the walls and the sunlight coming through the ceiling and the candles lighting the darkness.
And this is just normal for Georgia, there are remnants of centuries past everywhere. The history here is unbelievable. Incomprehensible.
You can easily get a ride or drive to the church now in modern day, but it is 100% worth it to hike up. This hike is only a couple of hours long, and a must do if you are in the area of northern Georgia.
Kazbegi is the main touristy town, with the smaller village of Gergeti next to it just about a 5 minute walk over a bridge and up a short hill.
The trail up to the Gergeti Church starts in the smaller village, so I think that it is worth it to stay up in this little village for the convenient walk to both the trail and the town, along with the experience in the village. More on that in a minute.
THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
With the spectacular beauty of Georgia’s mountains, it is equally as magical to visit during anytime from late spring to early autumn-but the blooming wildflowers and the greenery during the summer is a sight to behold.
There is a good chance that the trails & road up to the church might be inaccessible during the early spring and late autumn into the winter.
I visited during the peak of the summer in mid-July, and the temperature was lovely and not intense at all. I was perfectly comfortable in my tank top and shorts with my light layers on top to go inside of the church.
DURATION OF THE HIKE TO THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
I started my hike from the trailhead at 9am, and I had made it to the top at the deck of the church by 9:35am. Though it is a bit steep, it is quick and goes by even faster as you’re surrounded by such insane beauty. After the short hike up, I spent over 3 hours wandering around, exploring the church, and laying in the grass looking up at the mountains.
You can also hike up to another viewpoint above the church, but some rain was coming in and I decided that I would hike up next time that I visit.
I ended my little adventure in the early afternoon, and made my way down to go eat some ojakhuri in town below the mountains and the church that I was standing in only a few hours earlier.
If you’re going to take your time wandering around at the church and the surrounding fields, I would suggest bringing some snacks and most definitely lots of water, as there are no places to get food or drinks apart from a small, lovely little cafe at the start of the trail in the small village of Gergeti.
VISITING THE INSIDE OF THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
Hiking or driving up just to not go inside the church is a waste of a trip. The inside is quite literally out of a movie. I tried to imagine all that the church has seen as I lingered inside, but it is something that I don’t know if I will ever be able to fully comprehend.
To enter the church you must cover your shoulders, knees, and hair. At the entrance there are scarves available to borrow during your visit inside.
The Gergeti Trinity Church is open for visitors from 9am-5pm everyday, and from 9am-10pm on Fridays.
THE BEST GUESTHOUSE NEAR THE TRAIL TO THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
Like I was saying before, Kazbegi is the main touristy town, with the smaller village of Gergeti just beside it being where the trailhead starts. It doesn’t truly make a difference whether you stay in the main town or if you stay in the smaller village, you’re either going to be about a 10 minute walk away from the start of the trail, or about a 10 minute walk away from the Spar and the majority of the restaurants in town.
I stayed at HQ of Nove Sujashvili Guesthouse and I cannot recommend staying there enough, genuinely.
The guesthouse rooms were built above the sweetest family’s home that own it. They are unbelievably hospitable, they constantly clean the bathrooms and make a family breakfast every day. There is free coffee and tea all day upstairs on the balcony that overlooks the insane mountains, it looks like a green screen on all sides of this guesthouse.
Along with the Gergeti Trinity Church, there are some other great hikes in the area, so I highly recommend staying for 3 or 4 nights. Also, if you walk to the right when you exit the guesthouse, you will walk down to this beautiful open field below the mountains with a natural hot spring pool that people visit during the summer.
I have sent two people to this guesthouse now, and I am so happy that they could experience the kindness and beauty as well.
See Rates & Book HQ of Nove Sujashvili Here
HOW TO GET TO KAZBEGI & THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
Kazbegi is about a 3 hour drive north of the capital city of Tbilisi via the Georgian Military Highway, and about 6 miles south of the Russian border.
A marshrutka is a shared mini bus, and the main mode of public transportation in Georgia. A marshrutka from Tbilisi will cost you about 15 GEL or $5.50 USD.
You will have to depart from the Didube Bus Terminal in Tbilisi, or if you are in a town on the Georgian Military road you can wave down any marshrutka heading north to Kazbegi and hop on.
The Didube Bus Terminal might seem intimidating at first because so much is going on, but anyone that you come across will most likely be willing to help, Georgians are unbelievably kind and I was immediately helped and sent on my way when I even looked a tiny bit lost.
DRIVING OPTIONS UP TO THE GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH
If you do not want to hike up to the church, or if you wanted to drive up and then hike down, there are many options of local people offering jeep rides up to the top all day. If you are traveling Georgia by car, you can easily just drive yourself there as well.
I would really suggest hiking up and down if you have the means as the beauty is just so unbelievable and it makes it a bit more rewarding, but if you are not able to, the road makes it easily accessible.
Madigan Murphy 