Tbilisi → Stepantsminda
Now that you have the basic information about our road trip, we can tell you more about it. Today, we'll have a look at Tbilisi and the beginning of our road trip - days 1 and 2. If you're still missing some intro, this may come in handy.
Day 1
In our itinerary, we have included two days in Tbilisi, the first and the last one of the bunch. We had figured we might have been pretty tired after such a late arrival so our plan for that day was to see as much from Tbilisi as we could - however, that asked for setting up an alarm (not that bad, it was quite reasonable), early breakfast and walk to the city.
Useful tip: If you see a pedestrian crossing in Tbilisi and eventually at some point, you need to get to the other side, do NOT hesitate and use it! Go to the other side immediately, because it might be your only chance to get there - I don't know why but there are very very few of those, at least in the centre.
Our first stop was the Tbilisi cable car. It was a nice start because we got a rough picture of how the city is laid out. As you can read everywhere, you will need to buy the card and the ticket for the cable car (if there are two of you, one card is enough) - you can return the card (and they will give you your 2 Lari back) but we kept it as a souvenir instead. After a quick ride up (no queues!) we checked out the Mother of Georgia and the Narikala Fortress and started to make our way down. It was a pretty steep descent but it was fine as it was downhill ;) (I would not go up on foot, it's doable, of course, but if you are planning on enjoying your day in a relaxed atmosphere, there's no point doing it).
On our way down we stopped in a small cafe for a little cool down (it was noon, 30+ degrees). We sat at the terrace and watched the ones who decided to walk up. That only confirmed our wise decision not to walk up. Then we took some turns left and right (Telchac was prohibited to use a map), and we ended up on a square near Metekhi bridge where we bought two glasses of pomegranate juice. We were warned it was really sour but we did not believe it could have been THIS sour! Nevertheless, we got used to it (after a while) and we drank the whole cup without any problems. From there, we kept on wandering the Tbilisi streets and found this typical little bakery where the baker decided we absolutely needed to buy his bread, the one that he just took out from the oven. No, he did not ask, he just handed us the bread and told us the price (1 Lari = USD 0.35). He packed it in a thin paper and so Telchac had only one choice how not to get burnt - change hands every few seconds which could only result in one thing - me recording the whole thing! After he found out I was making a video, he handed me the bread and then the laugh ended. But no, not really because it was significantly cooler by that time so I started eating! It was the best bread we have ever eaten! We ate almost half of it in the nearby park.
Next stop (with half of the bread in the backpack) was the Bridge of Peace - this is really a must-see & top instagrammable spot - which reflects the number of people there (and the number of people posing in the middle of the bridge). We took a few photos and crossed it as fast as we could.
Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for a little nap which was perfect cause we could go to dinner at our full strength. We went to Pavilion Restaurant which, in hindsight, we strongly recommend (more details about the food will be in our food post, just be patient with us).
Useful tip: If you go there and if you're looking forward to trying some Georgian wines, have some cash ready, you can only pay for the wine in cash.
Day 2
It might seem a little annoying to set the alarm when you're on vacation but you know the rule - the early bird gets the worm but TBH it really is a bit annoying :D. Despite that, we managed to wake up, have breakfast, pack our stuff and leave Tbilisi quite early. We planned our first stop after only 45 minutes of driving - at Mtskheta monastery. We planned it that way but we did not do it. We saw the monastery from the road, the light was not so good and thus we decided that there's no point and drove on.
Half an hour later we reached the Zhinvali Reservoir which offered some amazing views. Getting better with each km, we thought. There was also the Ananuri Fortress - beautiful quick stop. We figured the best spot was halfway through the bridge that we came from. The moment we, and at the same time, two trucks got on the bridge, it started vibrating wildly :D. Telchac silently waited if I was going to panic or not :D. Anyway, it wasn't that bad and we (and the trucks) made it back safely.
Next stop was the Gudauri viewpoint, some hour later. And this is where you start to get the picture. Green valleys, high mountains (some snow-capped even in August). There is also a Russian-Georgia Friendship monument which is this colossal painted wall with arches. If you stand in the middle, look up and turn around, you can really appreciate the grandeur of it. Also, make sure you take some great photos here, the scenery is fantastic!
Useful tip: If you have time to spare, you can book paragliding there. It might not be for everyone, but if we knew, we'd have booked it.
Our next destination was a mere half an hour away. Once in Stepantsminda, we dropped our luggage at the hotel and went for a hike. The weather was amazing, sunny and warm.
Some 10 minutes drive farther north on the Georgian military highway lies a beautiful Gveleti waterfall. It's a bit hard to find, we had to ask and return but then we made it! (if you reach the parking lot, you went too far, return and make a 180 degrees turn the first chance you get, then turn left and then just park the car - or get in touch, I have screenshots :D).
We read about this hike and chose it because they said it was quick and easy (and we only had a couple of hours in the afternoon). When we started we had contemplated going to both waterfalls (small and big). However, the hike got quite steep and the path quite narrow (with a side of the ravine, thank you very much) combined with a bit of climbing (or crawling in my case). We knew we wouldn't see any other waterfall that day and maybe even none. :D People with children did not even make it to the waterfall. Anyway, it's doable, just note that the person who publishes about this area on caucasus-trekking.com is probably keen hiker with his own scale of difficulty that did not - even remotely - apply to us.
After that, we still had some time so we decided to check out the Russian border. It did not take long and we turned around because there were lots of cars waiting there and there was no point waiting with them. Then we remembered that somewhere near the mineral springs we saw a cable car. We didn't know where it went or if it was working and some of us (possibly Telchac :D) thought it had been much closer than it actually was. Either way, we got there, did a long cable car trip and went back :D. It might sound a bit boring but after our long day and many km driven and many km hiked, sitting in a cable car and admiring the views (and sheep, lots of them!) was exactly what we needed! Even if we did not know we needed it!
This was the end of our second day. The third day started with the obligatory alarm clock and then we did things. :D Things that you can read about in two weeks! Spoiler alert - there will be some Stepantsminda, more of the Kazbegi National Park and then we move southwest. C U there!
Day 1
In our itinerary, we have included two days in Tbilisi, the first and the last one of the bunch. We had figured we might have been pretty tired after such a late arrival so our plan for that day was to see as much from Tbilisi as we could - however, that asked for setting up an alarm (not that bad, it was quite reasonable), early breakfast and walk to the city.
 |
| The view over Tbilisi |
Useful tip: If you see a pedestrian crossing in Tbilisi and eventually at some point, you need to get to the other side, do NOT hesitate and use it! Go to the other side immediately, because it might be your only chance to get there - I don't know why but there are very very few of those, at least in the centre.
Our first stop was the Tbilisi cable car. It was a nice start because we got a rough picture of how the city is laid out. As you can read everywhere, you will need to buy the card and the ticket for the cable car (if there are two of you, one card is enough) - you can return the card (and they will give you your 2 Lari back) but we kept it as a souvenir instead. After a quick ride up (no queues!) we checked out the Mother of Georgia and the Narikala Fortress and started to make our way down. It was a pretty steep descent but it was fine as it was downhill ;) (I would not go up on foot, it's doable, of course, but if you are planning on enjoying your day in a relaxed atmosphere, there's no point doing it).
 |
| The Mother of Georgia |
On our way down we stopped in a small cafe for a little cool down (it was noon, 30+ degrees). We sat at the terrace and watched the ones who decided to walk up. That only confirmed our wise decision not to walk up. Then we took some turns left and right (Telchac was prohibited to use a map), and we ended up on a square near Metekhi bridge where we bought two glasses of pomegranate juice. We were warned it was really sour but we did not believe it could have been THIS sour! Nevertheless, we got used to it (after a while) and we drank the whole cup without any problems. From there, we kept on wandering the Tbilisi streets and found this typical little bakery where the baker decided we absolutely needed to buy his bread, the one that he just took out from the oven. No, he did not ask, he just handed us the bread and told us the price (1 Lari = USD 0.35). He packed it in a thin paper and so Telchac had only one choice how not to get burnt - change hands every few seconds which could only result in one thing - me recording the whole thing! After he found out I was making a video, he handed me the bread and then the laugh ended. But no, not really because it was significantly cooler by that time so I started eating! It was the best bread we have ever eaten! We ate almost half of it in the nearby park.
Next stop (with half of the bread in the backpack) was the Bridge of Peace - this is really a must-see & top instagrammable spot - which reflects the number of people there (and the number of people posing in the middle of the bridge). We took a few photos and crossed it as fast as we could.
 |
| The Bridge of Peace |
Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for a little nap which was perfect cause we could go to dinner at our full strength. We went to Pavilion Restaurant which, in hindsight, we strongly recommend (more details about the food will be in our food post, just be patient with us).
Useful tip: If you go there and if you're looking forward to trying some Georgian wines, have some cash ready, you can only pay for the wine in cash.
Day 2
It might seem a little annoying to set the alarm when you're on vacation but you know the rule - the early bird gets the worm but TBH it really is a bit annoying :D. Despite that, we managed to wake up, have breakfast, pack our stuff and leave Tbilisi quite early. We planned our first stop after only 45 minutes of driving - at Mtskheta monastery. We planned it that way but we did not do it. We saw the monastery from the road, the light was not so good and thus we decided that there's no point and drove on.
 |
| Ananuri Fortress |
Half an hour later we reached the Zhinvali Reservoir which offered some amazing views. Getting better with each km, we thought. There was also the Ananuri Fortress - beautiful quick stop. We figured the best spot was halfway through the bridge that we came from. The moment we, and at the same time, two trucks got on the bridge, it started vibrating wildly :D. Telchac silently waited if I was going to panic or not :D. Anyway, it wasn't that bad and we (and the trucks) made it back safely.
Next stop was the Gudauri viewpoint, some hour later. And this is where you start to get the picture. Green valleys, high mountains (some snow-capped even in August). There is also a Russian-Georgia Friendship monument which is this colossal painted wall with arches. If you stand in the middle, look up and turn around, you can really appreciate the grandeur of it. Also, make sure you take some great photos here, the scenery is fantastic!
 |
| The Russian-Georgia Friendship monument |
Useful tip: If you have time to spare, you can book paragliding there. It might not be for everyone, but if we knew, we'd have booked it.
Our next destination was a mere half an hour away. Once in Stepantsminda, we dropped our luggage at the hotel and went for a hike. The weather was amazing, sunny and warm.
 |
| The view from the Gudauri View Point |
Some 10 minutes drive farther north on the Georgian military highway lies a beautiful Gveleti waterfall. It's a bit hard to find, we had to ask and return but then we made it! (if you reach the parking lot, you went too far, return and make a 180 degrees turn the first chance you get, then turn left and then just park the car - or get in touch, I have screenshots :D).
We read about this hike and chose it because they said it was quick and easy (and we only had a couple of hours in the afternoon). When we started we had contemplated going to both waterfalls (small and big). However, the hike got quite steep and the path quite narrow (with a side of the ravine, thank you very much) combined with a bit of climbing (or crawling in my case). We knew we wouldn't see any other waterfall that day and maybe even none. :D People with children did not even make it to the waterfall. Anyway, it's doable, just note that the person who publishes about this area on caucasus-trekking.com is probably keen hiker with his own scale of difficulty that did not - even remotely - apply to us.
 |
| Gveleti waterfall |
After that, we still had some time so we decided to check out the Russian border. It did not take long and we turned around because there were lots of cars waiting there and there was no point waiting with them. Then we remembered that somewhere near the mineral springs we saw a cable car. We didn't know where it went or if it was working and some of us (possibly Telchac :D) thought it had been much closer than it actually was. Either way, we got there, did a long cable car trip and went back :D. It might sound a bit boring but after our long day and many km driven and many km hiked, sitting in a cable car and admiring the views (and sheep, lots of them!) was exactly what we needed! Even if we did not know we needed it!
 |
| Kobi - Gudauri cable car |
This was the end of our second day. The third day started with the obligatory alarm clock and then we did things. :D Things that you can read about in two weeks! Spoiler alert - there will be some Stepantsminda, more of the Kazbegi National Park and then we move southwest. C U there!