Day 7

We had a long drive to our next centre. We stopped a couple of times before lunch, once for a view across a lake (Zhinvali Reservoir) and once for the Ananuri Fortress Complex,

We next visited the balcony at Gudauri, constructed in 1983, to commemorate the treaty between Georgia and Russia in 1783.

Our first hike was to the Gveleti waterfalls. When at the waterfall we saw a family of eagles flying in the distance.

The hike we wanted to do in this area was up to Gergeti Holy Trinity Church which is perched on top of a hill amidst higher mountains. Our guide was unsure that we had time before dark but we persuaded him to do it. We were able to shorten it a bit by driving the first bit along the road. It was a lovely walk up through woods and then out into the open with superb views including towards the glacier on Mount Kazbek at 5054 metres. The church had been placed where it was to protect valuables from the many raiders. We were down well before dark but photography was tricky due to evening shadows. See Day 8 for more photos of the church.