Climb Mount Kazbek in Georgia (5054m)

Loved my trip to Georgia to climb Kazbek. We had an awesome group and all successfully summitted. Some tips: - Take water purification tablets. You can't rely on buying water at meteo station. - Don't be lured into a false sense of security on this trip. All but summit day is relatively easy. But summit day - wowzer! Took our group (a strong bunch) about 7 up and 5 down and it was hard work. - Top marks to MBA for incorporating a back up day. We needed it and it'd have been disappointing to have missed the summit when that 24hrs made all the difference in terms of weather. - Altihut is awesome, enjoy the comfort as once you get to Meteo station it disappears! I was disappointed with the quality of the guides on our trip and this is the only thing stopping a 5 star review. Love you Georgia!

Wonderful people and an incredible adventure. My first time experiencing anything above 2250m, a real challenge. Bekar, David, Buta and Kakha are experienced guides and know Mount Kazbegi like the back of their hand. The decision was made to turn around at 4500m due to poor conditions, the absolute maximum we could have gone safely. Great food, facilities, itinerary and friends. I'll be back to explore again some day. Elliott (Australia).

Sadly we didn't manage to summit due to adverse weather/heavy snow but we still had some great views on summit day and made it to around 4500m before turning back. The guides were all very friendly, and Altihut was much more comfortable than expected! There wasn't very much to do in Stepantsminda but our lunch and dinner there were both fantastic. Definitely add on some time at the end to explore Tbilisi and other parts of Georgia.

Mother nature can be a cruel mistress. Tough climb, and unfortunately winds meant summiting was unachievable. Nevertheless the trip is well worth a crack. Georgia is a stunning country and the mountains are a joy to visit. Altihut is great and the only real dow side being the Meteo station toilet!! Didn't quite need as big a sleeping bag as the kit list said, and definitely bring a pack of cards in case the weather turns and you need to keep entertained! Other than that it's a really well organised trip and I'd highly recommend.

Well organised and exciting trip that ran smoothly from startt to finish. All accommodation exceeded my expectations and the mountain guide who escorted me on the journey was exceptional. Would highly recommend this trip.

This is an absolutely epic adventure! However, Kazbek is no easy feat, so make sure you’re ready for it. I almost didn’t book this adventure because I thought I had to carry a 65L backpack up the mountain to the first refuge, Altihut. This worried me for weeks! However, when we arrived at MPlus to meet our guide and collect our kit, we were given the option of using the wonderful Georgian mountain horses. After a quick group consultation, we decided to pay (about £30 each) and conserve our energy for other things. The Alps style Altihut is a delightful place to stay during acclimatisation. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the food is delicious, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Meteo Station is a whole different experience. I’m glad it was only for one night. The only way to cope is to have a sense of humour and appreciate it for what it is - a Soviet era meteorological station built in the 20s and now in desperate need of a complete refurbishment/ knocking down! The toilet hut is an experience I won’t mention. The hot chocolate, however, is absolutely delicious. And it was impressive that we were served French toast at our 1.30am breakfast in such a hostile and brutal environment. The acclimatisation hikes are moderately challenging, but not too strenuous. I took them slowly and steadily, drank lots of water and prioritised sleep. This approach served me well on summit day and I didn’t struggle with altitude sickness. We were well taken care of by our two brilliant guides, Beka and international award winning mountaineer (!!!) Archil Badriashvili. We were very lucky to have them both. However, they are not babysitter guides like I’ve had on some other trips. They are there to provide expertise, support and encouragement, but you really must know what you are doing in the mountains. They will be there when you need them (ie jumping across a wide crevasse on the glacier!). The summit day was one of the longest and most challenging days of my life. It took everything I had to summit Kazbek, and then I had to keep finding more and more inner reserves to manage the descent. The guides were wonderful at keeping us moving and motivated (although I wasn’t so grateful at the time!). As exhausting as it was, it was also exhilarating to be pushed to such physical and psychological limits. Climbing Kazbek is a magnificent feat. If you’re up for being tested and exposed to some pretty extreme conditions, book this trip now. And enjoy the plentiful delicious cheese bread in Tbilisi. The food in Georgia is worth a visit alone, never mind the beautiful mountains. The kit list is there for a reason. Follow it to the letter, including observing the recommended bag sizes. As suggested, I took a larger 65L backpack to carry everything and then a 35L mountaineering backpack that could be squashed down and carried in the other backpack. The 35L backpack was perfect for the ascent to Meteo Station (summit day essentials and sleeping bag) whilst my larger pack was stored at Altihut. I came well prepared with base layers, mid layers and a high quality down jacket as well as insulated mountaineering gloves and foot warmers. The saddle and summit were extremely cold, so I’m glad I had everything with me. Only regrets - I wish I’d brought my camel pack, as it was tricky to drink enough water on summit day. We had minimal breaks as we just had to keep going. I also wish I’d topped up with factor 50 sun cream every time we did stop. I ended up quite badly snowburnt around my nose and lips. Only 15% of the people who do this trip are women. I was lucky that in my small group of four, two of us were women, which changed the dynamic somewhat. Our group had a gentler energy than if it had been all men. So if you’re a woman considering this trip but feeling intimidated, give it a go. I definitely don’t regret it. I discovered I was more than capable.

Great, but challenging trip. Be ready for long walking hours in the snow and be rewarded with the great views and finally the summit. Our guide Levan was very good and helpful. Everything was very well organised starting with the airport transfer, including accommodation, the summit, transport etc. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Exceptional and challenging experience. Our guide Levan was highly skilled, great communicator, and ensured our success reaching the summit.

Very good trip for someone who wants to start hiking/climbing at altitude

Overall a fantastic trip with great guides. The ascent up Mount Kazbek is spectacular but not to be underestimated, given the high altitude and glaciated terrain! My group's ascent was unfortunately hampered by challenging weather conditions, but I had a great experience nonetheless. Most of the trip was spent staying at Altihut which is a very comfortable, though the night spent at Meteo hut is much more basic. It was great to spend some time in Tbilisi at the end of the trip, sampling some of its night-life and exploring the old town.