Welcome to Kazbegi — area of the marvelous mountain views and rich cultural heritage!

We invite you to explore the unique nature and cultural heritage of Kazbegi region together with participants of art-expedition Travedding, organised in the framework of Creative mountains project on August 6-13, 2023. The bloggers  delved into the mesmerizing nature of Caucasus, experience the one- of-the-kind preserved culture and traditions and tried the rich cuisine of the region.

August 7 marks the beginning of the art-expedition Travedding, taking place in marvelous Kazbegi region. Our bloggers, photographers and an artist, coming from seven countries are invited to a journey, searching for hidden colors and treasures of this extraordinary place.
In the morning the artist Alexey Sheboldajev leaded painting master-class for local children from art-studio #SHEMOKMEDNI in gallery-studio #MokheuriTeka in Stepantsminda, where our bloggers also experienced the craft of felting and the hospitality of the caucasian culture.

After that we visited the village Gaiboteny in mountains, carrying big potential for uncovering secrets of local history among houses build centuries ago together with representatives of Lomeki NGO

Culinary heritage workshop was presented by a local family in rancho Pansheti, showing all members of our expeditions the culinary process behind the most typical meals of the region – khinkali and typical bread from a traditional oven.

In evening we visited restaurant Tsanarety in Kazbegi and enjoyed traditional Georgian cuisine. We very appreciated what owners of this restaurant also managed the farm and produce cheese and other milk products and use these products in restaurant.

Natural wonders, traditional wine, and glimpses of Georgian history – this is just a tiny bit of everything we got to experience on the second day of our expedition, 8th of August. On this day, we took an excursion In Truso valley, where humans and nature have been walking hand in hand for many centuries. Powerful mountain rivers, nineteen historical villages, mineral springs creating marvellous travertine forms, herds of freely grazing kettle, an old medieval castle…

Wherever you look, you find inspiring diversity of this century long friendship of people and their environment. Yet still, this beautiful valley is also endangered by human activities, disturbing it´s natural beauty. We were very glad to meet one of the partner organisation Lomeki, standing up for Truso valley – Ana Gelashvili presented us the history of this phenomenal location. To preserve beautiful sites like this one for future generations to admire, the first step is to protect it, and hopefully, our bloggers can inspire you to look closely at the beauty around you and find the reasons to take care of it.

We finished this sunny day with a dinner and degustations of excellent Georgian wines in hostel “HQ of Nove Sujashvili”, filled with warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere of this home, which hosted us in best caucasian manners.

Third sunny day among Caucasian mountains filled with good emotions and new experience, started from an excursion to a local museum, where we were acquainted with the very beginnings of alpinism in Kazbegi region, since the first ascents, up to current achievements of Georgian alpinists. From there, we moved to visit mighty Gveleti waterfalls, of which the first one reached up to 25 meters, both sparkling with sunlight and creating an unforgettable view. The power of the waterfalls, as well as their beauty, left us speechless.

Later on, we got invited to traditional family lunch at a picturesque, old village Tsdo, located high in the mountains. Can you imagine, that in summer this village is inhabited by 11 people, an only 5 in wintertime? And still, these kind people manage to maintain homesteads, and are always welcoming to anyone, who comes to visit. After some time to process the content (as well as the impressions from the day), we visited a local entrepreneur, running a #restaurantMyobject and accommodation with amazing cuisine, which hosted us by the fireplace.

On August, 10 we explored the absolutely magical, incredible Sakhiznari Cliff Natural Monument, which is a geological complex that was formed on Mountain Kabarjina. The mountain has volcanic origin, where bot Caucasian Evergreen Azalea is spread.

We learnt from the Kazbegi national park rangers Beso and Vano, who accompanied us, that possible to often meet bears and chamois in the valley, and we saw with our own eyes traces of their very recent activity.

After that we visited a very inspiring art workshop of sisters Marina and Liza Chkareuli, who revive the old art techniques and traditional skills. We saw examples of beautiful felt products, precise embroidery and eye-catching paintings. All this is just a tiny bit of their work – the workshop puts effort into spreading these old skills, and even helps to address unemployment in the village. As icing on the top, we were invited on a small masterclass, where we got to experience the complex process of icon writing by Liza Chkareuli, using only natural materials and traditional methods.

This article describes only a small part of our adventures in Kazbegi.

We invite you to get to know this extraordinary mountainous country!

Text: Olga Belova

Photos: Daniel Mirlea, Jakub Antypenko, Michal Petru