The Sherkhota volcano had been on my mind constantly. This giant is visible right from the window of my house in Gudauri, towering almost in full view. Massive, bold, and beautiful.
On our last trip in its direction, we misjudged our timing and had to turn back from Lake Kelitsadi, which lies right at the foot of the volcano.
But the idea of climbing Sherkhota stuck with us and we thought the route via another volcano, Khorisari, might be easier—perhaps the trail would be smoother, no rivers to cross and no tall grass. Plus, we can reach Khorisari quickly from the pass... How naive.
The route, which people typically tackle with heavy backpacks over 2-3 days, we aimed to complete in a single day—without the packs.
34 km. 3,200 meters of elevation gain. Sure, we managed the 3,200-meter ascent and the 34 kilometers, but certainly not in the same trip. And not when the ground slipping away beneath us for most of the hike. There’s absolutely nothing to rely on along this route. Only ourselves—and instinct for survival.
The climbs were incredibly tough, and I can’t even find words to describe the descents.
But the sunrise, sunset, views of Mount Kazbek and the surrounding four-thousanders peaks, tea made from wild herbs, the best cheesecake, and curious chamois—all made it worth every word that spun through my mind and fell off my tongue as we climbed, descended, climbed again, and descended AGAIN.
As they say, “We did it, so you don’t have to.” On the final descent, we were greeted by raspberry bushes, boletus mushrooms, and iron legs.
And by morning? Well, it seems we were ready to do it all over again. Maybe next time we’ll try from Mleta, following the Aragvi... Has anyone given that a shot?
On our last trip in its direction, we misjudged our timing and had to turn back from Lake Kelitsadi, which lies right at the foot of the volcano.
But the idea of climbing Sherkhota stuck with us and we thought the route via another volcano, Khorisari, might be easier—perhaps the trail would be smoother, no rivers to cross and no tall grass. Plus, we can reach Khorisari quickly from the pass... How naive.
The route, which people typically tackle with heavy backpacks over 2-3 days, we aimed to complete in a single day—without the packs.
34 km. 3,200 meters of elevation gain. Sure, we managed the 3,200-meter ascent and the 34 kilometers, but certainly not in the same trip. And not when the ground slipping away beneath us for most of the hike. There’s absolutely nothing to rely on along this route. Only ourselves—and instinct for survival.
The climbs were incredibly tough, and I can’t even find words to describe the descents.
But the sunrise, sunset, views of Mount Kazbek and the surrounding four-thousanders peaks, tea made from wild herbs, the best cheesecake, and curious chamois—all made it worth every word that spun through my mind and fell off my tongue as we climbed, descended, climbed again, and descended AGAIN.
As they say, “We did it, so you don’t have to.” On the final descent, we were greeted by raspberry bushes, boletus mushrooms, and iron legs.
And by morning? Well, it seems we were ready to do it all over again. Maybe next time we’ll try from Mleta, following the Aragvi... Has anyone given that a shot?
Route:
- Truso Valley, Okrokana Village. Park before reaching the river bridge. Start climbing the service road for the power grid. After 2-3 km, the trail veers directly into the valley. All the tracks are on Strava and Komoot—it's a popular destination.
- Elevation gain: 3,200 m
- Highest point: 3,694 m, Sherkhota volcano
- Distance: 34 km
- Difficulty: High. Definitely don’t attempt this solo—the descents are dangerous, and the climbs are punishing. At one point, we even thought we might have to sleep outdoors because weren’t sure we'd make it back in time.
- Time: 10 hours.
