Most visitors to Georgia start their journey in Tbilisi – a city with so much intrigue woven into it’s very fabric. It would be easy to spend your entire vacation there and still return home utterly content. The magic of Georgia, however, extends well beyond the limits of its capital city. To not make room for some of the more remote, less-traveled corners of the country in your itinerary would be doing yourself a disservice. One of our most memorable weekend getaways from Tbilisi was our visit to Lagodekhi.
Lagodekhi is situated in the eastern part of the country, near the border of Azerbaijan. It is largely passed over by most tourists to Georgia, which we think is a shame. Lagodekhi is easily reachable from Tbilisi and offered enough activities to keep us exploring during our visit to the area.
Getting There
The easiest and cheapest way to move around Georgia is by using the local minibuses, known as marshrutkas. You can travel hundreds of kilometers for just a few dollars. Once inside, personal space is non-existent and they often won’t depart the station until maximum capacity is reached. That being said, marshrutkas truly are the best way to get to many of the outlying regions of the country.
From Tbilisi
There are several bus stations in Tbilisi, each with buses heading to specific destinations. In order to reach Lagodekhi, you must go to the bus station located just across the street from the Imani Metro Station.
Here, you’ll find a window where you can purchase your tickets. The marshrutkas leave between roughly 7:30 AM and 5 PM each day. The cost of the ticket (subject to change) during our trip was just 7 GEL (less than 3 USD).
The ride to Lagodekhi is about 160km and will take approximately 2.5 hours. However, this can vary depending on how aggressive your driver is.
What to Do in Lagodekhi
Hopefully you are ready to lace up your hiking shoes and get into nature because Lagodekhi is a wonderland of the elements. You won’t find much in the way of shopping or museums here, but you will be rewarded with some incredible scenery and the chance to reconnect with the earth. Unlike the buzz of Tbilisi, Lagodekhi is a mostly quiet, laid-back place. A visit to Lagodekhi is meant for spending your days outdoors and your evenings indulging in big spreads of Georgian cuisine.
Visit the Lagodekhi Waterfall
The most iconic view of Lagodekhi is without a doubt it’s towering Ninoskhevi waterfall. Tucked away in the Lagodekhi Managed Reserve, the long trek through the park rewards you with this majestic view.
The hike is comprised of large, scalable rocks, wooded paths, and several river crossings. None of the hike is terribly challenging, but a few small sections do require some climbing effort. Each way takes between 2-3 hours to complete, depending on how fast you’re moving. Make sure you allow plenty of daylight hours for hiking both directions and some time between for a picnic and/or a dip in the chilly waters.
Horseback Riding
One of the available activities in the Lagodekhi National Parks is horseback riding. We paid less than 30 USD per person to ride through the lush green forest up to the Machi Fortress. The site of the fortress itself isn’t all that spectacular, but the ride there was very peaceful. Much like our trek to the waterfall, this one included several river crossings – probably the highlight of the journey for our horses.
It is important to remember your passport when traveling on this route. The trail leads through a border checkpoint due to its proximity to Azerbaijan. Stationed in the woods, the guards had a small camp set up, ready to inspect our paperwork before allowing us to continue towards the fortress. Having to disembark our horses to be stamped into the country may be have been our strangest checkpoint to date.
Relax in Natural Pools
Just a quick 10-minute walk from where we stayed, was an entrance to the Lagodekhi Nature Reserve. The most attractive part of this area of the park was definitely its plethora of natural pools along the river. Every few feet, the rocks formed pockets where the water gathers. Many of the pools are deep enough to allow you to sink down and stay cool. Some of the spots were large enough to swim in and that’s where the bigger groups tend to hang out.
We, however, chose the perfect spot just big enough for ourselves and our beer. Taking our cues from the locals, we picked up a liter of beer on our walk to the park. Then, to keep it cool, we submerged it in the chilly water. Water, which by the way, is clean enough that you can drink it straight from the source. Something that continues to feel strange but wholly welcome at the same time. The only other places we’ve been able to do that were in Iceland and in Bosnia.
Trek to Black Rock Lake
It is also important to note that one of the most popular things enticing tourists to visit Lagodekhi, is its phenomenal hiking. In particular, there is a multi-day trek that leads to the Black Rock Lake, shared by Georgia and Russia. We were short on time, with our flying date rapidly approaching, so we had to miss out. If you have a few more days to spend in the area, consider embarking on this arduous but rewarding journey.
Where to Stay
Deciding where to stay during your visit to Lagodekhi can be overwhelming. There’s so many highly rated guesthouses to choose from that narrowing the choice down to just one is difficult. It took us a lot of waffling back and forth to make our final decision. Not only do they come with high ratings, but most of them are super reasonable with their pricing!
There are a few restaurants in town. Unfortunately, since our visit was during corona times, most of them were currently non-operational. It wasn’t a big issue for us though. Most guest houses offer meals at both breakfast and dinner for only a few additional dollars. The food we were served rivaled the quality we’ve ever been presented at a restaurant. And we eat out. A lot.
The Wine House
In the end, it was The Wine House that caught our eye. Once we read all of the positive reviews from former guests we locked in two nights at the property. After our first few hours on the property, we quickly changed our minds and requested a third night. It was that welcoming.
Georgia is well-regarded for its unmatched hospitality and during our stay at The Wine House, it was completely over the top. The moment we arrived we were greeted with wine and homemade baked goods. We were more than happy to accept a glass of white, but when a full pitcher hit the table, we were thoroughly delighted. We sat on the outdoor patio, just beneath the trellis of grape vines, sipping our wine and soaking up our host’s stories. Via Google translate, because he didn’t speak any English!
House Made Wines
After we finished our first glass, he happily showed us his cellar of aging wines. With this year’s lack of guests due to travel restrictions, the inventory was piling up quickly. On-site, he produces both a red and a white wine; both equally divine in taste.
The host insisted on refilling our empty glasses, but eventually we had to decline. We came to explore the outdoors and were not interested in a hangover for hiking the next morning. He insisted this would not be an issue. His wines were organic and he promised we would not suffer from any headache.
The next morning, when we sprung out of bed, we knew he was telling the truth.
The Meals
If you’re not gaining weight during your visit to Lagodekhi, you’re doing it wrong. Seriously, we must have eaten twice our normal caloric intake each day. The food was so fresh, flavorful, and abundant that we couldn’t resist the heaping piles placed in front of us.
Dinner
Our shock arrived when we sat down to our first night of dinner. It started out innocent enough. The traditional Georgian salad comprised of tomato and cucumber. A plate of fresh baked bread from the local tone oven accompanied by a few different dips. Then came the eggplant roll ups, the pot of piping hot beans, the platter of stuffed peppers, etc. etc. And of course, another pitcher of wine.
Before long, we were ensconced in a feast of Georgian specialties prepared by our hosts. We refrained from digging in as we waited for them to join us, but they never did. Confused by the surplus food mounted before us, we asked why so much food if they were not going to join. Our host just smiled and said with open arms, “we like to have a plentiful table.”
Breakfast
We aren’t usually big on breakfast, and most mornings just stick to coffee. But in a Georgian guesthouse, you better be prepared to eat! Again, our table was piled high – the staples from the night before (bread, salad, etc.), but that wasn’t all. There was an omelet, giant kebabs, and a mound of mashed potatoes to accompany. I’m not sure how, but we were both surprised when our host came around the corner holding two shots of chacha in his hands. Chacha is Georgia’s take on an Italian grappa. We’ve had our fair share of it, just never with breakfast. How could we decline though? It’s Georgia!
When we couldn’t take even one more bite, our host wrapped up our leftovers and packaged them into a lunch for our hike to the waterfall. It was an unexpected added touch that we were so grateful for.
Final Thoughts
It wasn’t until our visit to Lagodekhi that we developed an understanding of the old Georgian saying.
“Every gift is a gift from God.”
Sometimes, in Tbilisi it was hard to understand the Georgian hospitality that everyone raves about. However, if you take the time to leave the big city and get into the heart of the country, like Lagodekhi, you’ll see these ideals embodied.
Cheers friends,
Megan & Matt
