Remote, secluded, and difficult to reach—but absolutely worth every effort.
We, the #girlspower crew, had been planning our trip to Lake Kelitsadi for about six months. Our initial plan was to take tents, burners, food, and spend the whole weekend camping under the stars. But this summer didn’t exactly cooperate. Plus, the route turned out to be challenging enough even without heavy backpacks.
23 kilometers, 1,700 meters of elevation gain—though it felt like double that. Wild and untouched, like a lifeless landscape surrounded by dormant volcanoes.
Along the way, we spotted bear tracks, and everywhere, curious chamois roamed fearlessly, even approaching us at times.
A stream runs the entire way to the pass, offering mineral water with a strong sulfur and iron taste and smell. Drink up—if you’ve got enough energy to make it there.
The ascent to the pass took about three hours. We trekked off-trail, simply aiming toward the pass. Lake Kelitsadi lies on the other side, requiring a descent. The lake is encircled by both small and large volcanoes, including the imposing Mt. Sherkhova, which we had planned to summit. But that goal would have to wait for another day.
We took the same route home: first up to the pass, then down, down, down—an endless descent that even included fording a river.
At one point, we nearly took the wrong pass and almost found ourselves in Ossetia, but fortunately, we corrected the course just in time.
We, the #girlspower crew, had been planning our trip to Lake Kelitsadi for about six months. Our initial plan was to take tents, burners, food, and spend the whole weekend camping under the stars. But this summer didn’t exactly cooperate. Plus, the route turned out to be challenging enough even without heavy backpacks.
23 kilometers, 1,700 meters of elevation gain—though it felt like double that. Wild and untouched, like a lifeless landscape surrounded by dormant volcanoes.
Along the way, we spotted bear tracks, and everywhere, curious chamois roamed fearlessly, even approaching us at times.
A stream runs the entire way to the pass, offering mineral water with a strong sulfur and iron taste and smell. Drink up—if you’ve got enough energy to make it there.
The ascent to the pass took about three hours. We trekked off-trail, simply aiming toward the pass. Lake Kelitsadi lies on the other side, requiring a descent. The lake is encircled by both small and large volcanoes, including the imposing Mt. Sherkhova, which we had planned to summit. But that goal would have to wait for another day.
We took the same route home: first up to the pass, then down, down, down—an endless descent that even included fording a river.
At one point, we nearly took the wrong pass and almost found ourselves in Ossetia, but fortunately, we corrected the course just in time.
Route:
Next season will return with a tent and a SUP board. Who knows, we might just be the first to paddle across Lake Kelitsadi!
- Truso Valley. Ketrisi Village.
- Elevation gain: 1,700 m, 23 km.
- We trekked over grassy mounds, stones, scree, moraine, and even crossed rivers— had all the fun!
- Time: 8 hours (including 1.5 hours spent rescuing a drone that crash-landed after hitting a rock. We had to go on a full-on dragonfly hunt to retrieve it).
Next season will return with a tent and a SUP board. Who knows, we might just be the first to paddle across Lake Kelitsadi!
Photos by Irina Beniaidze, who always manages to capture what memory alone cannot—whether in winter or summer.
