Tours in Kazbegi
Kazbegi National Park in Georgia is deservedly a magnet for tourists from all over the world. Just considering its four main attractions—Mount Kazbek, the Terek River, the Darial Gorge, and the Georgian Military Highway—is reason enough to visit Kazbegi. But, of course, the list of attractions is much longer, as you'll discover on a day trip from Tbilisi to Kazbegi.
First, let's sort out the names a little. Kazbegi was the name of an urban-type settlement located at the foot of Mount Kazbek on the right bank of the Terek. Now this settlement is called Stepantsminda, this is the original name of the village that stood on this site, given to it in honor of the monk Stepan. They say that he warned the people in these places that an avalanche would come down, and thus saved the villagers. In the eighteenth century, Kazibeg Chopikashvili became the ruler of these places. His son received nobility in the Russian Empire and took his father's name as his surname. The heir of this noble family was Alexander Kazbegi, a famous Georgian writer. In his honor, Stepantsminda was renamed Kazbegi, during the Soviet Union, after which the old name was returned. But often these names are used as synonyms.
Geography and history of these places
This is all due to the extremely difficult mountainous terrain, but this same terrain gives absolutely amazing views. The road passes through the Daryal Gorge, which begins immediately after Kazbegi, if you move towards Vladikavkaz. These are practically vertical stone walls, going up a thousand meters into the air. The stormy Terek flows along the bottom of the gorge. The gorge itself was described in ancient Greek chronicles. Since this is practically the only passage from the South to the North Caucasus, control over the gorge in ancient times determined the strategic importance of the Georgian kingdom of Iberia.
The author of this text personally crossed the Cross Pass, dividing the South and North Caucasus, and walked along the Georgian Military Highway in the Darial Gorge and can confirm that the Tbilisi-Kazbegi-Daryali trip will give you many vivid impressions and photographs.
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To preserve the nature of these places, a protected natural area was created in 1976, which expanded over time and received the name Kazbegi National Park. 1347 plant species have been discovered in Kazbegi National Park, of which twenty-six percent are endemic. That is, they grow only in these places.
Therefore, mountain valleys are fragrant with herbs, delight the traveler with the beauty of the surrounding peaks, and water with the purest narzan from mountain springs. Going on a two-day tour from Tbilisi to Kazbegi Park, you can see this for yourself.
Mount Kazbek is undoubtedly the main natural landmark of Kazbegi National Park. This extinct volcano, 5054 meters high and capped with a white glacier cap, is one of the highest peaks in the Greater Caucasus Range. While climbing Kazbek is challenging and requires special training, it's not technically too difficult. And seeing the sunrise at the summit is a worthy reward for the effort.
