03Cities and regions

Greater Caucasus

Kazbegi and Stepantsminda

Stepantsminda sits on the Terek River 157 kilometres north of Tbilisi, at 1,740 metres, and is the centre of the Kazbegi area. You reach it on the Georgian Military Road, a historic 212-kilometre route across the Caucasus that tops out at 2,379 metres on the Jvari Pass. On the way you pass Ananuri fortress on the Aragvi River and the ski resort of Gudauri at 2,200 metres. Above the town, at 2,170 metres, stands Gergeti church, a 14th-century building of dark grey stone with a bell tower and an enclosing wall. Behind it rises Mount Kazbek, a dormant volcano 5,054 metres high and the country's third-highest peak, whose glaciers cover 135 square kilometres. Summers here are cool, with a July average of 14.4 °C, and winters are cold. Stay at least two nights, and walk up to the church early in the morning, before clouds settle on the summit.

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Height of Mount Kazbek

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Elevation of Gergeti church

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Distance from Tbilisi

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Jvari Pass, highest point of the road