Juta

Juta sits at about two thousand two hundred metres at the head of the Sno valley in Khevi, a scatter of stone houses and guest houses among summer pasture, and it is among the highest permanently inhabited villages in the Caucasus. Above it rises the Chaukhi massif, a wall of dark granite towers that climbers compare to the Dolomites, and the standard walk from the village goes up to a meadow and a small lake beneath the spires in a couple of hours. The harder route crosses the Chaukhi pass at around three thousand three hundred metres into Khevsureti and down to the Abudelauri lakes, a full day with real ascent.

The landscape

• The Chaukhi granite towers - the wall of spires above the village.
• Stone houses on summer pasture - the village at 2,200 metres.
• The meadow walk under the massif - the short route from Juta.
• The Chaukhi pass crossing - the day route over into Khevsureti.

When to go

June to September; the road and the pass are snowbound outside that. A day for the meadow walk, two with the pass crossing. Book guest houses ahead in August.

Before you go

The last stretch of road is rough and needs a four-wheel-drive taxi, which is charged accordingly. The pass crossing is a serious mountain day with loose ground and altitude. Weather changes fast. Guest houses fill in the short season.

Nearby

Kazbegi is north-west; the Abudelauri lakes lie over the pass.

Key facts