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April 26, 2024
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The Truso Valley is one of the many gorgeous valleys you can find in Kazbegi National Park. Here, you can hike to abandoned villages, monasteries, and a fortress all the way to the South-Ossetian border. Even though you are in the Caucasus Mountains, the 22-kilometer trail is very easy to walk on and also possible to explore by car. I have put together this Truso Valley guide for you in which I’ll explain where the Truso Valley is, how to get there, what the hike is like, what to bring and where to stay. Enjoy!
Truso Valley, Georgia.
Truso Valley is located at an elevation of 2029 meters in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region up in the Caucasus Mountains near the townlet of Kazbegi. The Russian border is only 30 kilometers away from the main town in the valley called Kvemo Okrokana and the Valley itself is only passable for 22 kilometers to the west due to the border with South Ossetia.
The Truso Valley is easily reachable from Tbilisi. It takes about 2,5 hours to reach the town of Kobi on the Georgian Military Highway where you need to take a turn left on a gravel road to reach the town of Kvemo Okrokana.
That said, the Truso Valley is best explored on a day trip from the town of Kazbegi which is only 15 kilometers from Kvemo Okrokana. The main thing to do in the Valley is to engage in a 22-kilometer hike, taking you from the town of Kvemo Okrokana past a mineral lake, mineral water travertines, monasteries, all the way up to Zakagori Fortress and the South Ossetian border.
Orange mineral deposits from the nearby mineral springs.
Truso Valley is mainly known for its natural attractions, abandoned villages, and the Zakagori Fortress. Whether you visit the Valley by car or on foot, you will be amazed by its beautiful scenery.
In the valley, you can find a few mineral springs. The calcium carbonate minerals in the water have formed some beautiful limestone travertines along the road and have turned some parts of the landscape to a rusty orange color with shades of white.
Abano Mineral Lake, Truso Valley, Georgia.
Near the mineral springs and travertines, on the other side of the Terak river, you can enjoy the small but beautiful Abano Mineral Lake. The water from Abano lake is coming from an underground carbon dioxide stream. You can hear the carbon dioxide bubbles burst while you’re near the lake. although mineral water is said to have healing powers, it is advised not to swim in the lake.
St. 12th apostles fathers Monastery, Georgia.
There are two monasteries in the Truso Valley. The first one is the St. 12th apostle’s father’s Monastery and the second one is the Abano Monastery. Visiting the monasteries is not possible. The monks who live there are not accommodating to visitors and don’t speak any English.
The settlement of Abano, Truso Valley.
There are two towns in the Truso Valley, the village of Keterisi, which is mostly abandoned, and Abano village. Villagers generally only stay here during the summer months. A lot of the houses in the villages are in ruins but there is a small bar in each village where you can get refreshments.
Zakagori Fortress
At the end of the road, near the border with South Ossetia, you can visit the Zakagori Fortress which is perched on a hilltop next to the border crossing. The Fortress is the perfect place to have a picnic while enjoying the views of the valley. Unfortunately, like with many fortresses around Georgia, there is no information about how old the fortress is, who inhabited it and which role it played in Georgian history.
Truso gorge
The Truso Valley hike is the most popular way to visit this wonderful valley. It is a 22-kilometer walk from the town of Kvemo Okrokana to the south-Ossetian border and back. It can be completed in four hours if you don’t make any stops but five or six hours is more realistic if you want to include a few photo stops, enjoy the scenery, and have a lunch break.
The hike is relatively easy. It goes mainly over flat terrain. The only time you will need to do a bit of climbing is if you want to visit the ruins of the Zakagori Fortress.
The start of the Truso Valley hike.
The trail starts at the town of Kvemo Okrokana. There is a small parking area where you can park your car or where a shuttle bus or taxi will drop you off. Take the bridge, follow the dirt road and pass the town on your right hand. Soon a gorge will open up following the Terek River.
Terek River, Georgia.
After crossing two bridges you will arrive at Camping Truso. It was closed at the time of our visit (May 2022). There is no information online if it will open up again after Covid-19. They have no website and their Facebook page hasn’t been updated since 2019 so I suggest you ask the people from Mountain Freaks in Kazbegi if they have any info on camping in Truso Valley if that’s what you want to do.
Signpost near Truso camping and Café.
At camping Truso, the road splits and you can opt to cross the bridge and take the trail behind camping Truso or follow the dirt road. At this point, you will also get to see the first travertine mineral springs. If you continue walking on the dirt road, soon will see Abano Mineral Lake on the other side of the river to your right.
I was a little disappointed at first seeing the lake. It looked beautiful online and quite big but, in reality, it’s more some sort of a pool than a lake and it’s easy to walk past it if you don’t know where it is. Nevertheless, it is beautiful and you shouldn’t miss it!
The abandoned village of Keterisi.
Following the road, The scenery will turn orange with hints of beige and red in between the green grass and the river. The deposits from the mineral springs work their magic here and make for some beautiful photo shots.
Not far after that, you will reach the mostly abandoned town of Keterisi. There is an old man selling some refreshments here. It is marked on google Maps as “Trusso Café”. From Keterisi, there is a path to the left which leads to the Kelitsadi Lakes. The Truso Valley hike, however, continues by taking the bridge to the right where you will soon see the St. 12th apostles fathers Monastery.
Sign at the St. 12th apostles fathers Monastery and Abano village in the distance.
From the monastery, you should see the village of Abano in the distance and you will be able to already catch a glimpse of the Zakagori Fortress. Continue the road, and you will see another monastery in Abano, this time not inhabited by monks but nuns.
In Abano village, there is a nice café where you can stop for refreshments. I’m not sure if they sell any food, so bringing your own lunch is required. Now it takes only 20 more minutes to reach the Zakagori Fortress and the border crossing with South Ossetia.
Zakagori Fortress, Truso Georgia.
you can choose to just admire Zakagori Fortress from the road or climb up to the ruin which only takes five minutes. The guards at the border will probably approach you to check what your plans are. It’s okay to approach them yourself if you have any questions. We were not asked to show our passports and they let us explore the Zakagori fortress by ourselves.
Guards @ the border with South-Ossetia, Georgia.
From the Fortress, you get to see some amazing views west towards the border with Russia and South Ossetia. You can enjoy a picnic here while soaking in the desolate landscape.
Views past the border to South-Ossetia from the top of Zakagori Fortress.
After your picnic, it’s time to descend and make your way back to Kvemo Okrokana. It should take about two and a half hours to get back to the parking lot.
The best time to visit Truso Valley is from May to October. It is not possible to visit Truso Valley during the winter. It is best to check with the Kazbegi National Park Visitor Center or Mountain Freaks in Kazbegi if the roads are open.
There are a few different options on how to reach Truso Valley. Although it is possible to visit Truso Valley on a day trip taking the Georgian Military highway from Tbilisi to Kazbegi, it is advisable and much less stressful to do this hike basing yourself in Kazbegi, 22 kilometers from the start of the trail.
Zakagori Fortress and some wild horses.
From Kazbegi, you can choose to drive to Kvemo Okrokana yourself if you have your own wheels. If not, you can take a shared taxi which will cost around 100 GEL for a return trip. This is the most favorable option if you are with a group of at least three people to split the costs. You can find a taxi at the Kazbegi bus station.
The third option is to book a shuttle with Mountain Freaks. A return ticket per person costs 45 GEL. Shuttle buses leave every day at 9.15 A.M. and return at 4.30 P.M. in the month of May. From June to September there is an extra service leaving at 11.15 A.M. and returning from Kvemo Okrokana at 6.30 P.M.
If you are traveling on a budget you can ask the Tbilisi-bound marshrutka to drop you off at the village of Kobi on the Georgian Military Highway. From there, it’s a four-kilometer walk to Kvemo Okrokana where the hike starts. to return to Kazbegi you might be lucky to catch another marshrutka or you can hitchhike.
Kazbegi, Georgia.
The best place to stay to visit the Truso Valley is in the cute townlet of Kazbegi. There are plenty of accommodation options here for conscious travelers and also a few nice local restaurants. Here are my recommendations depending on what you’re looking for:
since there are no shops in Truso Valley and no real restaurants it is definitely recommended to bring at least water and some snacks. Here are some things to consider:
Aside from doing the Truso Valley hike, it is also possible to visit the Valley by car. We didn’t know that before heading into the valley and it was kind of disappointing to see cars driving up and down the main road. It is said that the valley is known for its desolate landscapes and abandoned villages but cars driving up the down the same road on which you need to walk to do the hike makes it less spectacular. It’s also quite annoying because you need to get off the road to let them pass.
Don’t drive into the valley, unless you have a condition or mobility issues and there are no other options. In that case, you can opt to book a tour to Truso Valley from Tbilisi.
Truso Valley.
There you go! I hope you enjoyed this Truso Valley travel guide. There is one last tip I want to give you. Although the Truso Valley is beautiful it was the least scenic hike we did around Kazbegi. That said, it was also the easiest one.
We did this hike on our last day. Considering the two factors above, if I could go back I would opt to do the Truso Valley hike on the first day followed by the Juta Valley hike and the hike up to Gergeti Trinity Church the days after. You can read this Kazbegi hiking guide to find out more about these other day hikes around Kazbegi. Doing this will give you some time to adjust to the altitude and hiking conditions and the scenery will get more impressive every day!
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!
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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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