The snow-capped mountains praised by Pushkin have now become the most popular tourist destination in Georgia.

Kazbek Mountain is the dividing line between South Ossetia and North Ossetia, with a snow peak as high as more than 5,000 meters. The hilltop church is located at the peak of 2700 meters.

When Pushkin was exiled to Transcaucasia, he came here and wrote "Kazbek Monastery".

According to legend, this is the place where Prometheus was imprisoned by Zeus in ancient Greek mythology. Prometheus stole the fire to the world, and Zeus imprisoned him in a cave on the top of Kazbek to punish him.

It is no exaggeration to say that tourists who fall in love with Georgia have basically planted a beautiful picture above the snow line: a world-famous independent church stands on the top of the White Mountain, competing with the world and going straight to heaven.

This is a place called "Kazbek", a paradise within reach of the Caucasus, and a place where Georgian tourists will never give up even if their travel time is short.

Make an appointment with Kazbek Mountain, preferably in a winter. In winter, the Caucasus mountains are covered with snow, and the independent Trinity Church stands on the top of the mountain, with its back against the majestic white Kazbek Mountain, and everything around it is washed away by lead. And when I came here in the golden autumn, I was a little more romantic in the grandeur.

Mount Kazbek is the third highest mountain in Georgia. In winter, the thick snow all over the mountain makes it a white world. This lonely church is located on the hillside of Kazbek Mountain, echoing the surrounding snow-capped mountains, also known as Snow Mountain Church.

If you want to go to Kazbek Mountain, first go to a small town called Stepan Zimingda, and then charter a car from the town or climb the mountain on foot.

Stepan Mingda Town has perfect tourist facilities, which can provide the necessary materials for the guests who come here to climb mountains. I'll wait for ordinary tourists to come, either pack a 50-lari hard-core off-road vehicle or walk back and forth for about 4 hours.

Almost all visitors to Kazbek want to see the mystery of the Trinity Church in Stepanzmingda at the top of Independence Mountain. The location halfway up the mountain is the destination for tourists to go to the Katzbeck area. But for hikers and climbers, the unknown secret of the snow mountain is their destination.

When I came here, I had to park my car in town and get on a local off-road vehicle modified by a pickup truck. The road up the mountain is full of potholes, and the local driver can actually control the steering wheel with one hand while making a phone call. It is said that when it snows in winter, it is a closed mountain and you can only walk in.

The Trinity Church in Stepanzminda was built in the14th century. The best place to enjoy it is the lawn on the hillside ahead, where you can enjoy the elegant demeanor of the independent ancient church on the top of the mountain. The image with the snow-capped mountains as the background did not appear in the autumn when we arrived. The picture in front of us is the grandeur and coldness of Kazbek Valley, and the church in the distance is so lonely.

It's not sunset yet. It's only after four o'clock in the afternoon because of the high mountain. The sun rays that originally shone on the earth quickly evacuated from the valley. Soon, the church stood in a world without light.

As the tallest church in Europe, it won numerous praises for its unique loneliness and was once on the cover of Lonely Planet. If you want to take this Georgian standard postcard, this angle must be smooth in the afternoon. Because I came late, it was already dusk when I reached the high place of the church. Fortunately, there is still time tomorrow. I have an appointment with the driver to come back tomorrow morning.

The next morning, as promised, I slowly walked up from the distant hillside. Unfortunately, at this time, the sun rises from behind the church, and there is no feeling of loneliness in the backlight.

Trinity Church in Stepanzminda is very small. During Stalin's period, the priests here were driven away and their religious functions ended. After Georgia's independence, they resumed their religious functions and re-entered the Orthodox Church. The management of this church is strict, and the ladies who enter must wear the skirts provided by the church. Photographs are not allowed in the church.

Around the church is a good place overlooking Ciming town in Stepan and Kazbek Mountain. Its broad vision is a classic from any angle.

It's only150km from Tbilisi, the capital, to Tzmin, Stepan, and it's a three-hour drive. It will pass by Ananuri Castle and Ogilvy Monument, as well as other ethnic attractions such as Divari Monastery and Gudoli Ski Resort.

The first one is a reservoir called Zhinv Wali, which is actually a reservoir. Don't underestimate this reservoir, which contains the famous Georgian scenic spot Ananuri Castle.

Ananuri Castle is the castle of the feudal lords of Alagh in the 3rd century/kloc-0, and it is also a military fortress, so it is also called Ananuri fortress. The castle was built in13rd century, and the two affiliated monasteries were built in17th century. Because it is located on the beautiful lake of Zhinvwali, the light blue spire of the castle is very recognizable in the green mountains and green waters. The perfect combination of natural scenery and human landscape is also popular all over the world, and it was once on the cover of the Transcaucasian edition of Lonely Planet. There are countless beautiful scenery in Transcaucasia. Ananuri Castle actually defeated the place where the famous Armenian legend Noah's Ark docked and became the cover of LP, which shows its high status.

The most spectacular buildings in the castle are two churches, the older church of Notre Dame and the larger church of Notre Dame. There is a beautiful sculpture on the east outer wall of the latter, with a grapevine cross unique to Georgia in the middle.

Autumn in October is a dry season, and the effect is much worse if there is not enough water. If you want to have a panoramic view of the church and swimming pool like the LP cover, you need to walk to the opposite highway bridge.

Both monasteries can take pictures in them, but visiting the monasteries here is no longer the point. Visitors can climb to the height of the castle through the narrow steps without guardrails on the outer wall of the castle and enjoy the beautiful scenery of "Emerald Lake and Blue Sky set off an elegant and beautiful castle".

Go to the back of the castle, climb the wall of the castle and enter the church. The stairs inside are so narrow that the backpack can only climb in with both hands to reach the top of the castle. I'm so disappointed to climb here. The walls around here are too high for me to climb. The windows are all boarded up, and I can only see the beautiful scenery through the small shooting hole.

I thought it was just a passing scenic spot, but I didn't expect to stop here for more than 2 hours and pat it. The scenery is so beautiful.

Georgia-Russia Monument and Darier Canyon, Georgia-Russia border, the most beautiful highway of "Georgia Military Avenue".

It is about 1 hour drive from Ananuri Castle to Daddarier Canyon. This is the famous section of the most beautiful road in the "Georgian Military Avenue", and you can see the colorful Georgian-Russian friendship monument and paragliders flying in the sky.

Darier Canyon is located in Kazbek National Park, near the border between Georgia and Russia, and it is also the only way for Georgia to travel to Russia by land. The E 1 17 highway from Tbilisi, the capital, to Stepanzminda is a direct road to Chechnya, Russia.

The observation deck of Darieu Gorge is the site of Georgian-Russian Friendship Monument. This observation deck at the top of the road is also a bright spot. There are all kinds of beautiful graffiti on the curved wall, and there is a paragliding project nearby.

The Georgian-Russian Friendship Monument was built in 1983 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the friendship between Georgia and Soviet Russia. It is said to be a monument to commemorate the Russian army's entry into Georgia and help Georgians drive out foreign enemies. A corresponding friendship monument was also set up in a square in Moscow. The monument stands in the form of an arc wall in the Daryl Canyon at an altitude of 2,400 meters. In the wall, some historical stories of Georgia and Russia are displayed with bright mosaic tile murals.

At first glance, it is a popular scenic spot, huge parking lot, small vendors selling tourist souvenirs and barbecue stalls. There is a lot of traffic and noise.

Many tourists will run to a cliff under the monument to take pictures, and a few tourists will go down to the canyon. The price of paragliding 15 minutes 150 lari should be negotiable.

The location here is dangerous, but the scenery is beautiful. It can be said that visiting Georgian monuments is not the point. It is important to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Darier Canyon.

Suggestions on Kazbek route arrangement;

It is usually a two-day chartered/self-driving trip from the capital Tbilisi. The general itinerary is to visit Ananuzh Castle and Georgian Monument on the first day, stay in Stepanzminda town, go to Kazbek on the second day, and go to Mtskhta around Tbilisi after lunch. Considering that the focus of this trip is Kazbek Mountain, based on my experience of being there twice, I suggest that the tour of Kazbek Mountain should be arranged in the afternoon, and one of the two scenic spots should be cut off on the first day, and then I will go back to visit the next day.

Charter bus from Tbilisi to Stepanzminda town;

Take the subway to Didubei station, and there will be a bus stop when you get out. Many people will be called Kazer. The price of MPV chartered cars ranges from 100 to 150 lari, which is the price for one day. If you want to talk to the driver for two days. There are also minibuses or buses, each with 20 lari.

A chartered bus from Stepanzminda Town to Kazbek Mountain;

That is, the route from Stepanzmingda town to the church at the top of the mountain, self-driving cars or cars from other places can hardly get on, which can be understood as monopoly management. For 50 lari, you can get a car directly from the hotel owner.

Kazbek -RoomsHotel, a five-star online celebrity hotel:

The outdoor coffee shop overlooks Trinity Church on the Kazbek Hill, which is a must-see attraction in Stepan Minda Town.

Stay at homestay-loggia Hotel:

The geographical location is very good. The dining room and terrace with floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides overlooks Trinity Church on the Kazbek Hill, and the scenery is no less than that of RoomsHotel. The standard room contains less than RMB in 200 yuan.

Online celebrity restaurant-Shorena's:

In the most conspicuous area of the town, the local food in Georgia has a good atmosphere, tastes good and the price is not cheap (103 lari /4 people). The boss likes to collect coins from all over the world and stick them on the ceiling.