Run the Caucasus
Five days of guided trail running under the Greater Caucasus
The Greater Caucasus offers what trail runners increasingly travel for: serious vertical, empty single-track, and villages where the day ends with real food rather than a freeze-dried pouch. This camp covers two of its finest running regions in five days. From a base in Stepantsminda beneath Mount Kazbek, the first runs climb to the Gergeti Trinity Church and traverse into the Juta valley under the rock teeth of the Chaukhi massif — terrain between 1,700 and 3,300 metres, with route options split by pace group each day. The camp then transfers west to Mestia in Svaneti, where the signature run climbs to the Koruldi lakes, alpine tarns that hold the reflection of Ushba on a still morning. Daily distances run 15 to 28 kilometres with 800 to 1,600 metres of gain; certified mountain guides lead every group, and a support vehicle meets the route where the roads allow. September departures coincide with the Kazbegi trail festival.
Kazbegi Alpine Trail Weekend
This journey is timed around Kazbegi Alpine Trail Weekend — Stepantsminda, Kazbegi.
See the 2026 calendarThe programme.
Arrival and Shakeout Run
Transfer from Tbilisi up the Georgian Military Highway, pausing at the Ananuri fortress and the Jvari Pass. Settle into the Kazbegi Alpine Station in Stepantsminda, then a 6-kilometre shakeout run along the Tergi river to loosen travel legs. Evening briefing covers pacing, altitude, weather, and the week’s routes.
Gergeti Trinity and the Glacier Trail
The classic opener: a sustained climb from Stepantsminda to the fourteenth-century Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 metres, continuing on the glacier trail toward Mount Kazbek for the stronger group. Eighteen to twenty-four kilometres with up to 1,400 metres of gain. Recovery supper and an early night.
Juta and the Chaukhi Massif
Drive to the road-end village of Juta at 2,165 metres, then run up the valley beneath the granite towers of the Chaukhi massif, cresting the Chaukhi pass at 3,338 metres for those moving well. Descent options vary by group. A late lunch in Juta precedes the return to Stepantsminda.
Transfer to Mestia, Evening Leg-Stretcher
A travel day west to Svaneti, broken by lunch and a short riverside run en route. Arrive at the Mestia Mountain Lodge beneath the town’s medieval towers by late afternoon, with a 5-kilometre evening leg-stretcher through the lanes and meadows above town. Svan dinner of kubdari and mountain herbs.
Koruldi Lakes and Farewell
The final run climbs from Mestia to the cross viewpoint and on to the Koruldi lakes at 2,740 metres, Ushba and the Svaneti wall reflected on a calm morning — up to 22 kilometres and 1,500 metres of gain. A farewell lunch in Mestia closes the camp before flights or road transfers to Tbilisi.
- Four nights’ accommodation: three at the Kazbegi Alpine Station, one at Mestia Mountain Lodge
- All meals from dinner on day one to lunch on day five, built for recovery
- Certified mountain running guides with two pace groups daily
- Support vehicle on all road-accessible sections with water, food, and spare kit
- All transfers including the Kazbegi to Svaneti leg and return to Tbilisi
- Daily route briefings, GPX files, and altitude acclimatisation guidance
- Trail permits and protected area fees
- International flights to and from Tbilisi
- Personal travel insurance with mountain sports and helicopter evacuation cover, which is mandatory
- Personal running kit, poles, and hydration equipment
- Massage and physiotherapy, available locally at extra cost
- Alcoholic drinks
- Gratuities for guides and drivers
Giorgi Beridze
IFMGA Mountain Guide · Georgian, English, Russian
Giorgi was born in Stepantsminda, in sight of Mount Kazbek, and has guided in the Greater Caucasus for fifteen seasons — summer trekking and alpine routes from the Kazbegi valleys to Svaneti, winter freeride and touring out of Gudauri. He carries the full IFMGA qualification, the international benchmark for mountain guiding, and is known among clients for conservative judgement and an unforced calm at altitude. Off the mountain he keeps bees, which he discusses with the same seriousness as snowpack.
Certified venues on this journey.
In the same spirit.
Gudauri Freeride & Mountain Culture Week
Seven days of guided freeride in Gudauri’s high bowls — lift-accessed off-piste, ski touring options, and a day toward Kazbegi — paired with the food, wine, and table culture of the mountain Caucasus each evening.
Living Heritage Georgia
An eight-day arc through Georgia’s UNESCO-listed heritage as it is actually lived: the cathedrals of Mtskheta, polyphonic singing learned from its keepers, and the medieval tower houses of Mestia and Ushguli in Upper Svaneti.
Regional Taste of Georgia
A six-day eating itinerary across three regions: the Dezerter Bazaar and khinkali masterclasses in Tbilisi, bread ovens and the supra ritual in Kakheti, and the distinct dairy-rich table of the Adjarian coast.