Top 4 Hiking Trails Near Tbilisi

If you’ve been spending your Georgian vacation in and around Tbilisi’s busy city center, you might think there aren’t many hiking options nearby. But that’s quite far from the truth. The periphery of the city offers plenty of trails ideal for a morning, afternoon, or whole-day getaway. 

These include Tbilisi National Park just outside the city, which is one of the best and most convenient places in Georgia to explore nature and get some fresh air. For hikers in particular, the park offers a variety of trails of different levels of difficulty. With our help, you can plan your day out based on your own needs and preferences and enjoy a short getaway to the fullest. 

Whether you're new to hiking in Georgia or just want something close to the capital, these trails give you a chance to enjoy nature without traveling far.

Where to Go Hiking When Staying in Tbilisi

Whether you're looking for a short and easy walk or a more challenging ascent, these trails provide something rewarding for every type of hiker.

For Beginner Hikers: Kojori to Kiketi Trail

Kojori is a small village located about 18 km southwest of Tbilisi. It’s built in the hills, so while close to the city, the climate here is much cooler, making Kojori a popular spot among locals looking to escape the city for a few hours.

The hike from Kojori to Kiketi (another small hillside village) is around 7 km one way and takes 2-3 hours. It takes only about 30 minutes to get to the starting point - and you don’t even need a car: there’s a bus leaving from Freedom Square. 

And the bus does the hard work for you, as the trail is mostly flat or downhill, perfect for those not looking for anything too intense. Along the way, you’ll pass Kojori Fortress (Azeuli Fortress), which dates back to the medieval period, and some waterfalls, an ideal backdrop for your new profile pic. 

The trail ends in Kiketi, where you can either catch a bus going directly to Tbilisi or turn around and trek back to Kojori. If choosing the latter option, the whole trip takes around 4-5 hours, one of the easiest half-day trips from the city.

For Intermediate Hikers: Tbilisi to Kojori Trail

If you want to skip using transportation altogether and have a more demanding and perhaps rewarding experience, you can trek straight up to Kojori from Tbilisi. The hike is about 10 km long and takes approximately 4 hours due to the uphill terrain.

The Tbilisi to Kojori trail typically starts from the Mtatsminda Park area and heads uphill towards Kojori, with a gradual elevation gain along the way. The trail takes you through the already familiar Kojori Fortress and Udzo Monastery - a small, secluded monastery sitting on a hillside. Some of the most beautiful views open up from this point so make sure to have a well-earned pit stop here before continuing.

For Intermediate Hikers: Saguramo Ridge Trail

The Saguramo Ridge Trail is a shrewd choice for intermediate hikers wanting more of a challenge than the Kojori trail, but lacking the time (or desire) to stray far from the capital city. 

The trail is part of Tbilisi National Park - a large protected area covering parts of the Saguramo, Mtskheta, and Tbilisi municipalities. It is about a 45-minute drive from the city center and is easy to reach by car. Public transportation options, however, are limited, so it’s best to use either a taxi or a ridesharing service. 

The Saguramo Ridge Trail is just one of the many routes that the park offers, but it is among the most popular. The trek is around an 11 km round trip, taking 4-5 hours on average to complete. It winds along the Saguramo Ridge through a mix of forested areas and open paths, with some steep sections providing great panoramic views along the way. Overall, the hike including the travel time will take around 6-7 hours, so it’s wise to set aside a full day.

For Advanced Hikers: Gldani to Mamkoda to Zedazeni Monastery

More advanced hikers hungry for a real challenge should look into trekking to Zedazeni Monastery through Mamkoda. The route starts in Gldani (a district in Tbilisi’s northern outskirts, about 15 km away from the city center). Through the easy route, the full Gldani to Mamkoda to Zedazeni Monastery hike covers approximately 22 km. Including transportation to Gldani and back from Zedazeni, it takes about 8-10 hours, and sometimes more depending on the pace and the stops the hikers make. 

Starting in Gldani, you make your way towards Mamkoda, with the trail gradually increasing in difficulty as you head into the more remote areas of Tbilisi National Park. This section of the hike spans around 6-6.5 km. After Mamkoda, the hike becomes steeper, and the terrain more challenging - but it does offer beautiful mountain views as the reward. The trek is around 32 km long and ends at Zedazeni Monastery, a historic site dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries, standing at an altitude of around 1,170 meters.

An alternative option here is to skip trekking through the Gldani-Mamkoda section and drive directly to Mamkoda. Hikers with less time (or with lower endurance) prefer this way. The adjusted hike from Mamkoda to Zedazeni Monastery is not short though, spanning around 15 km and taking approximately 5-6 hours (not including stops). The terrain is demanding, but, having skipped the Gldani-Mamkoda leg, the steeper sections are usually easier to navigate as you’re still fresh and relatively well-rested, not having spent the last 2 hours hiking. 

Whichever alternatives you choose, you’ll get to enjoy the best part of the route - the wild nature of Tbilisi National Park and the picturesque hillsides around Zedazeni Monastery. The shorter version of the hike is of course more manageable. Including the travel time to and from Mamkoda, the truncated route should take about 8 hours in total.

How to Reach Trailheads from the Tbilisi City Center:

The easiest way to reach Mtatsminda Park (where you can begin the Tbilisi-Kojori hike) would be to take the Funicular railway. Alternatively, you could catch a taxi (or a rideshare service) to drive straight to the Mtatsminda Park parking lot. It’s a quicker option, but also a more expensive one, and will cost 15-20 GEL.

To reach Kojori from Tbilisi, take Bus 316, which departs from the city center (Baratashvili Street). The route goes through Kojori and ends in Kiketi. The drive to Kojori, near the designated trailhead takes about 30-40 minutes. For the return trip from Kiketi, take the same bus back to the city center. While the buses run through late evening, it’s still wise to check the schedule with the driver on the outward journey to get an approximate time for the departure of the last bus back from Kiketi.

To access the hiking trails of the Tbilisi National Park (and the trailheads at Saguramo and Mamkoda), you’ll need to drive yourself or order a taxi or rideshare service as there’s no direct public transport. Depending on the season and the time of day, a taxi or rideshare service from the city center will cost 30-40 GEL.