Discover Kazbegi

Kazbegi, officially known as Stepantsminda since 2006, has served as the gateway to the high Caucasus for millennia. The town sits at 1,740 meters along the banks of the Terek River, dwarfed by the magnificent Mount Kazbek rising 5,054 meters to the west. This dormant stratovolcano, Georgia’s third-highest peak and the second-highest volcanic summit in the Caucasus after Mount Elbrus, last erupted around 750 BCE but remains geothermally active, with hot springs dotting the surrounding valleys.

The region’s strategic importance stems from its position along the only passable route through the central Greater Caucasus. The Georgian Military Highway, stretching 212 kilometers from Tbilisi to Vladikavkaz in Russia, has connected civilizations since antiquity. Strabo and Pliny the Elder both wrote of this route, and the Dariali Gorge just north of town was known as the “Gates of the Caucasus” where ancient empires controlled passage between Europe and Asia. Today, Kazbegi National Park protects over 8,700 hectares of this spectacular landscape, home to East Caucasian tur, chamois, brown bears, and rare birds of prey including golden eagles and bearded vultures.