Hiking Gergeti Glacier via Gergeti Trinity Church

Georgia, the home of the Caucasus Mountains should not be visited without paying a visit to the mountains (of course!), well at least for me. So if you’re like us, who can’t afford to do a longer hike, opt for a day hike! And if you are decided to do a day hike but can’t decide which trail to take, I highly recommend Hiking the Gergeti Glacier via Gergeti Trinity Church!

WHY HIKE THE GERGETI GLACIER? FACTS!

1. Gergeti Glacier is located in Kazbegi, Georgia and this village is the backdoor of Russia hence accessible by public transportation.
   • Marshrutka from Didube Metro Station to Kazbegi costs 10 GEL only. And the cost going back to Didube Metro Station is the same. There are other marshrutka that offer stops at tourist attractions for 20 GEL. Beware of others who will charge you extra as well.
2. Gergeti Glacier lies on the trail of Mt. Kazbek which belongs to the ‘Five-thousanders‘ mountains in the Caucasus Region. During our visit, it is the best season to aim for the summit. This means you will be sharing the trail with lots of mountaineers and hikers and maybe find some friends along!

HIKING OVERVIEW:

• Duration: 8-9 hours round trip (but we did 10 hours up to the Canyon after Sabertse/Arsha Pass only) 
• Starting Point Level: 1750 MASL 
• Gergeti Trinity Church Level: 2250 MASL 
• Altitude at the highest point reached: 2970 MASL 
• Distance: 20-21km in total
• Weather (August 2019): 10-12 degrees Celsius in the village and around 5-8 degrees Celsius at the Sabertse/Arsha Pass

PREPARATIONS BEFORE THE HIKE:

I am not physically prepared hiking Gergeti Glacier (like what happened in Jebel Shams – déjà vu lol). So to compensate, I did some jogging once a week at the gym. I also used the stairs in the metro station and in the office but I feel like it’s not enough. Even though, it is just a day hike, the altitude is quite high and it’s A LONG WALK so remember that.

MY DAY HIKE PACK:

• 3-L Water
• 1 1/2 bottle of Gatorade (I drank the other 1/2 when we went to Yanar Dag in Baku oops!)
• Sausage 
• The leftover of our dinner the previous night which are pieces of chicken BBQ and bread 
• Trail food with a mix of peanuts, Chocopie, biscuits, and Polvoron (a Filipino style shortbread)
• 2 sachets of Energy Gel 

Apart from these, all the necessary gears like a headlamp, first aid kit, emergency blanket, handheld GPS device, sunscreen, scarf, and jacket are with me. You can also carry other important and personal stuff with you but don’t forget that since you are already on a higher altitude and this is a long walk, pack light! You don’t want extra items to slow you down on the trail.

MAPS/DIRECTIONS TO FOLLOW WHILE HIKING:

There are visible trail signs along the way especially before reaching the Gergeti Trinity Church. Maps.me, the navigation app is also reliable but make sure you download an offline map of the place.

HIKING SECTIONS OF GERGETI GLACIER VIA GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH:

Village to the River

Don’t get confused (like us), so wherever your starting point is, just follow the main road. Pass through the Red Stone guesthouse and the school in the village (right after the Red Stone guesthouse). Eventually, you will come to a T-junction at the end of the street and here, turn LEFT.

You should see this view (Gergeti Summer Cafe) and you have to go straight. Do not take the 30 – 45-degree slope before the Old Tower and walk further. You will then see the trail leading to the river.

River to Gergeti Trinity Church

Once you reach the river, you will now see the trail signs. Do not cross the river and stay on track.

Not long enough, you will get a glimpse of the snow-capped peak of Mt. Kazbek. Sometimes, it gets cloudy and you will not see the peak right away. Mt. Kazbek’s peak is on your North of your direction and you should maintain it like this. If you ever lose sight of it, then it means you are taking the wrong direction.

Before we aim straight to Gergeti Glacier, we dropped by the famous Gergeti Trinity Church before the crowd flocked in. The trail splits into different path but in general it is only two: Gergeti Glacier or Mt. Kazbek on the left and Gergeti Trinity Church on the rightmost trail (hidden in the shadow). 

Gergeti Trinity Church to Gergeti Glacier Jump off

From the church, you can either go back to the trail on the left side along the grassy path or you can walk in the paved road and walk past an open area used as vehicle parking.

Gergeti Glacier Jump Off to Fork

Near the end of the paved road, there’s a small hill where you will start your adventure of hiking the Gergeti Glacier. You should not get confused to find it since there are vehicles and some crowd on this spot. This hill is technically the jump-off of the Mt. Kazbek so you will see mountaineers preparing for their hikes too. Everyone’s on their way to this jump-off anyway, so basically, just follow the crowd.

At the top of the hill, there’s a fork in the path and we took the LEFT trail. The right trail will still lead you to the Gergeti Glacier which is above the ridgeline with better views. Be careful though as this trail is quite exposed with occasional strong winds,

Moving on, we took the left trail which most hikers do. The trail is gentle with a little downhill section to prepare you for all the uphill waiting for you.

Fork to Polish Names

While you will find different kinds of flowers everywhere, I found most of them in this section. I actually noticed them during our descent since I am more relaxed already after seeing the glacier (even from afar). So, let me share with you a gallery of Gergeti’s #flowercollection!

Anyway, this part is where I started to feel slower and heavier (lol). My steps became smaller and heavier and basically I huff and puff every single step of the way. However, it’s not long enough until you reach the pass.

Polish Names to Sabertse/Arsha Pass

Continue the uphill on this trail with loose rocks and grassy slopes. You’re very close to the pass but before you reach it, you will encounter these ‘green rocks’.

Sabertse Pass/Arsha Pass/Saddle to Canyon 

After the ‘green rocks’, you will now be rewarded with this amazing view of the Gergeti Glacier and Mt. Kazbek’s peak!

At this Saddle is often called as Arsha pass or Sabertse pass. Most of the hikers (like us) stop at this part and it’s impossible not to. The view is rewarding after the uphill to reach this point. If you have more time, push yourself a little more to reach the glacier (which we didn’t reach because we’re time-constrained). If your adventure appetite is not greedy, enjoy the view and you can go back.

We went down from the saddle a little more to be somehow near the rim of the canyon. We enjoyed our lunch while watching the hikers and the serious mountaineers aiming forward.

Canyon to Gergeti Gveleti Waterfall/Glacier

Unfortunately, we were not able to reach the glacier. But as heard from another traveler, you need an hour and a half to reach the Glacier from the canyon. We were in a hurry to catch our train to Yerevan so we decided to abort the mission.

I mean, look at that close-up photo of Gergeti Glacier and Mt. Kazbek’s snow-capped peak. Isn’t she lovely?

Despite not reaching the glacier, hiking Gergeti Glacier via Gergeti Trinity Church is the highlight of our short Caucasus Backpacking Trip! We’ll definitely come back again and finish the trail when we get an opportunity, and then I’ll update this section on this post.

Descent

We took the same trail and we didn’t take any other trail to explore or anything. The beauty in the descent is that you see the other side of the story. Most of the time, you don’t notice the small beautiful things as you are too focused on the summit.

What I enjoyed the most during our descent is none other than this beautiful view of Gergeti Trinity Church with Mt. Shani as an amazing backdrop!

Once we reached the village, I noticed the Rooms Hotel. This property is famous for the amazing view of the mountains in the comfort of your room. As much as I want to splurge some $$$ and book a night, the little conscience of my pocket just can’t.😂

Personal Thoughts on Hiking Gergeti Glacier:

We all have different adventure appetite or what I call ‘#hikeppetite’ to begin with. So, a good trail for me might not be a good trail for you. And that’s completely okay, we don’t need to agree with everyone all the time.

Anyhow, here’s what I think about Hiking the Gergeti Glacier:

PROS:

• Quite a long trail but fairly easy to do and follow. You don’t need a guide and the trail is also possible to do in a day. If you start early, you will even be able to avoid the crowd at the Sabertse/Arsha Pass.
• Trailhead is just a walk away from the main center of Kazbegi. You can also arrange a car to take you to the trail head (Gergeti Summer Cafe) or even up to the Gergeti Trinity Church. You can start your hike from the hill right away if you do it this way.
• The trail is also pet friendly (it seems as there’s a lot of dogs along the trail) and could pass as child-friendly since there are no technical sections at all.

CONS:

• If you hike during the summer, the trail is crowded. Hikers for a day and mountaineers aiming for the summit are al around so if you want some solitude, this is not the place.
• The trail is open and exposed to the sun without any shade at all.

Despite not reaching the glacier, my friend (Joy) and I were very grateful and happy for the overall experience! Hiking towards Gergeti Glacier via Gergeti Trinity Church is how we imagine summer hiking looks like – grassy slopes, sunny and with a gorgeous view of mountains nearby. The glacier view is one heck for the books and I will not hesitate to do this again!

AND AS A GENTLE OUTDOOR ETHICS REMINDER:
LEAVE NO TRACE!