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April 26, 2024
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Chances are when you are visiting Georgia, you will want to travel to the Caucasus Mountains. Most people travel to Kazbegi to visit the Caucasus but there is a valley, near Kazbegi, called Juta, that holds the most beautiful mountain sights of them all. Read this comprehensive Juta Georgia guide to learn more about this extraordinary place, how to get there, and where to stay if you plan an overnight visit.
Juta, Georgia.
Juta is an alpine town located in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region in the northeast of Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains. It is considered the highest inhabited settlement in Georgia together with Ushguli in Upper Svaneti. Most people just visit Kazbegi for the weekend and hike up to Gergeti Trinity Church. But, because of its remote location, Juta just has that little extra, that you won’t find in Kazbegi.
While Juta village is a quiet and small town with only a few houses, the main draw here is the scenic and spectacular landscape of the Juta Valley. For avid hikers, Juta is also the gateway to the Chaukhi Massive and the Chaukhi pass.
Juta village Georgia.
Juta village is a small settlement at an elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. No more than 20 people live there and it gets very hard to reach in the winter due to massive snowfall and a slightly dangerous gravel road up to the town.
There are only a few guesthouses and hotels sprinkled around the petite town and there are no real restaurants or shops. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are most likely to be had at your accommodation. If you plan a trip to Juta for a day hike, it is a good idea to bring snacks and lunch.
Juta valley Georgia
From Juta village, there’s a pathway that leads up to the Juta Valley. It’s a place of serene beauty, offering breathtaking views of Chaukhi Mountain. The Chaukhistskali river runs right through it and is your anchor point for hiking in the valley.
Along the valley and the river, you can find cows and horses grazing and during the summer months, sheep herders bring their herd to the valley to feed on the fresh grass. In the valley, you can find a few cabins and huts. At the time of our visit (the end of May) everything was closed but it is possible that there are opportunities to buy refreshments along the road in July and August.
Juta Valley is a true paradise for nature lovers, hikers, and photographers. It’s still a bit of a hidden gem but tourism seems on the rise, with tour groups visiting Juta in the afternoon. Make sure to visit the valley in the morning to have it all to yourself.
Juta trekking, Georgia.
Juta is best visited during late spring, summer, and early fall when the weather is sunny and enjoyable. During winter, the town and the valley get cut off from the world due to heavy snowfall although there are rumors of starting up winter facilities for skiing and snowboarding in the near future.
We visited Juta at the end of May. The trails in the valley were easy to walk on most of the time but the snow hadn’t cleared completely yet. At certain points, there were still big patches of snow covering the tracks. You have to be very careful walking on these patches of snow because you don’t know what’s underneath. Avoid walking on the snow as much as you can.
Juta hiking
Juta is located at one of the highest points of the Caucasus mountains close to the border with Russia. If you are flying to Georgia, you will probably have to make your way from Tbilisi to Juta.
A lot of people also make a day trip to Juta from Kazbegi, which is 20 kilometers away. Depending on your mode of transport there are different ways to reach Juta. I will explain below how to get to Juta both from Tbilisi and from Kazbegi.
If you are coming from Tbilisi you will first need to travel the Georgian Military Highway to reach Juta. The Georgian Military Road is a very scenic road with lots of interesting stops on the way like the Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument and Ananuri Fortress. Everyone who travels from Tbilisi to Kazbegi takes this road and the junction where you need to exit the road to reach Juta is just before you arrive in Kazbegi.
You can either choose to rent a car in Tbilisi and drive yourself or hire a driver to bring you all the way to Juta. Keep in mind that the last 15 kilometers of the road are not asphalted. The gravel road on the pretty steep slopes is not for the faint of heart so don’t do this if you are not a confident driver. In general, you don’t need a 4-wheel drive but it will be easier though.
Of course, these options come with a price, so if you are traveling on a budget, you will need to look for public transport. There is, unfortunately, no public transport that goes all the way to Juta. To reach Juta, head to Didube bus station in Tbilisi where you choose to take a shared taxi (25 GEL) or a marshrutka van (15 GEL) to Kazbegi. The drive to Kazbegi takes around 3 hours.
Arriving at the bus station in Kazbegi, taxis will be waiting around to ask where you need to go. At the time of our visit, the taxis were charging 100 GEL for a day trip to Juta. I’m not sure what they will charge if you don’t plan to come back the same day but I think it will be the same since they have to return to Kazbegi anyway. It takes about 45 minutes to get from Kazbegi to Juta.
If you are staying in Kazbegi there are two options to get to Juta. you can either take a taxi at Kazbegi bus station which will cost you 100 GEL. This is the best option if you are traveling with three or four people and you can split the costs.
The second option is to book a shared taxi with Mountains Freaks. A shared taxi to Juta leaves the Mountain Freaks office every day at 9.15 AM and returns to Kazbegi at 4.30 PM. It costs 45 GEL for a return trip.
You can book a seat in a shared taxi through this link.
Juta Valley, Georgia.
Juta is a great place if you like remote locations. You can wander around the valley and don’t meet a soul while sucking in the soul-soothing landscape. It’s a great place to meditate and do some soul-searching, however, most people come here for one thing: to hike.
There are three hikes starting in Juta. The Juta Valley hike is relatively easy and takes only a few hours while a hike to Roshka or the Abudalauri Lakes will take at least two days. Hiking in Juta requires some preparation if you are out to have a multi-day adventure. If you don’t have your own camping gear, it is possible to rent it at the Mountain Freaks office.
The Juta valley hike is the easiest and shortest one and is an eight-kilometer round trip. This is the hike that most people do when visiting Juta and it’s a perfect day trip from Kazbegi. Depending on how many stops you make and the condition of the trail (snow, heavy rain,…) you should be able to complete it in two to six hours.
Snow is still there when you visit in late May.
From the car park first, make your way up to the Fifth Season hotel. On your way, you will pass by a few houses and Zeta Camping. The trail starts at the Fifth Season hotel. You can already make a stop there to enjoy the magnificent view you have there on Chaukhi Mountain.
Chaukhi Lake (sometimes called “Juta lake”.)
The trail ends when you arrive at Chaukhi Lake. It’s a good place to stop for lunch or have some snacks. It is possible to climb up a little more up for some great views into the valley. You can see the Fifth Season hotel in the distance.
Hiking trails in Juta, Georgia.
After taking some time to rest it’s time to get back. If you paid attention, halfway down the trail, it split in two. Depending on which way you came from it’s fun to take the other trail to get back to Juta village. Unfortunately, because some parts of the trail were still covered in a blanket of snow that was too dangerous to walk on, we were not able to do that at our visit at the end of May.
If you’re an avid hiker, then the Juta Valley hike is probably just the beginning for you! When you arrive at Chaukhi Lake, that is where the trail starts to the Abudalauri Lakes. The lakes are around 5 kilometers away on rough terrain so only do this when you’re well prepared.
It should take around 5 to 8 hours to reach the lakes if you are in good shape. There are three lakes. The blue one and the green one are near each other close to the trail. The white lake required another 1,5-kilometer hike to visit.
The blue Abudalauri Lake is the place to set camp for the night. On day two you have the choice of hiking back to Juta via the Sadzele pass or going on to the village of Roshka.
If you want to extend your hike a little more you can continue from the Abudalauri Lakes to the village of Roshka. It’s a six-kilometer trail that can be done in two to three hours. From Roshka, you can choose to hike back to Juta taking the Sadzele pass.
Chaukhi pass.
The easiest way to visit Juta if you don’t have your own transport is to organize a trip with Mountain Freaks. The trip costs 45 GEL per person and you will share a small taxi jeep with a few other people. The fun thing about this option is that it makes a small stop in Sno village on the way to Juta.
At the pit stop in Sno village, you have the chance to admire the giant stone sculptures created by local artist Merab Piranishvili. The giant head sculptures are often referred to as “Georgia’s Eastern Island” and it is Merab Piranishvili’s dream to create sculptures of all the great figures in Georgian history resulting in a gigantic open-air museum.
Other points of interest in Sno village are the statue of Vakhtang Gorgasali and the Ghudushauri fortress. After Sno, the shared taxi jeep continues on to Juta village where you can start the Juta Valley hike.
Juta, Georgia.
If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, it is possible to do a trip to Juta on a tour starting from either Tbilisi or Kazbegi. I will list a few of them here that can be booked online:
From Tbilisi:
From Kazbegi:
→ Also read: Tours to Kazbegi: 9 Best Options For Your Next Trip!
Fifth season hotel, Juta.
The hotel with the most scenic view in Juta is the Fifth Season hotel. As you can see in the pictures it lies completely secluded in between the mountains at the start of the hiking trail to Chaukhi Mountain. It offers incredible views into the valley and you can sit on the terrace for hours just gazing at all this magnificent beauty.
However, I would advise you not to stay at the Fifth Season hotel. Although it is also highly advertised as the place to be by tour agency Mountain Freaks, I was not feeling the place at all. While the views are incredible, the restaurant lacked atmosphere and the food was of poor quality and very expensive compared to what you would pay to eat at a guesthouse.
We didn’t sleep at the Fifth season hotel, so I cannot say anything about the rooms, but I assume that there are better options in Juta considering price and quality.
View from Fifth Season hotel.
Here are my favorite picks in Juta:
Juta is best visited during the summer months, from late May to early October. This period offers the most favorable weather conditions for outdoor activities such as hiking, trekking, and exploring the scenic beauty of the Caucasus Mountains.
At the time of my visit, I heard that the road to Juta gets covered in so much snow in the winter that it cannot be reached by car anymore. I’m not sure if that is true since I’ve seen tours online that can be booked for dates in January and February.
If you want to visit during the winter, contact Mountain Freaks to see what’s possible!
There you go! I hope you enjoyed this Juta Georgia guide and that it inspired you to visit this wonderful little place in the world. It was definitely my favorite day hike from Kazbegi.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page.
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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