Sno valley & Sno fortress

The Sno Valley runs southeast off the Georgian Military Highway 4km south of Kazbegi. About 15km along the unpaved valley road is the small village of Juta (2150m), inhabited by Khevsurs from over the mountains to the east. You can get a jeep from Kazbegi to Juta for around 45 GEL round trip. A beautiful short walk from Juta goes southeast up the Chaukhi valley to the foot of Mt Chaukhi (3842m), a dramatic multipinnacled peak popular with climbers , just 1½ hours from Juta. With more time you can continue up the valley eastward from here towards the 3338m Roshka (Chaukhi) Pass . In one long day from Juta you can get over the pass and down to Roshka village in Khevsureti.

In Juta, Iago Arabuli (899533239) and Soso Arabuli (895545149) have homestays, both charging 25 GEL per person with dinner and breakfast. Iago speaks German and his wife English, and they boast a Western-style toilet.

Sno Fortress is located in village Sno, on the bank of the Sno – right estuary of the Tergi River. The fortress is erected on a stony hilltop, a hardly accessible place. The fortress is surrounded by a virtually circular wall and has a pyramidal tower in the center. According to scholars, it must have been built in the 16-17 cc.

The fortress served to close and defend the gorge that contained shorter routes to Khevsureti, Pshavi, Mtiuleti (through Gudamakari gorge). The fortress belonged to the Ghudushauri family. According to Vakhushti Bagrationi, “here there is the small Ghudushauri fortress that is now strong and sensible”.