Crossing of Khde gorge to Juta

Day 1: Darial Gorge - Khde valley
distance 8.7km, 1240m and 490m

The trail starts at the elevation of 1300m in Dariali gorge, at the right bank (northern side) of Khdestskali river, in Russian sources also known as Kistinka. First, it follows a dust road and in serpentines climbs upwards and deeper into the valley. After one hour of walking, you will come to Khde Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), currently under construction.

Here the road ends and you will have to find a trail - it lies some 30 meters above the road, on the right bank of the river. To reach it, you will have to turn sharply to the north at HPP and climb 30-40 meters on a steep slope, covered by scree and rocks. The trail is not clear, often disappears - sometimes it appears right on the bank of the river, other times leads tens of meters from the riverbed.

At the elevation of 1750m trail reaches the rocky ledge which stretches all the way to the river and blocks the way. It can be crossed through a crevice, located approximately in its middle. The trail then leads onto a heavily overgrown meadow full of nettles and disappears. You have to cross it - vegetation is tall near the river, so you could consider climbing a bit uphill, where it shouldn’t be as high. But don’t stray too far from the river and after you pass the worst section, descend to the riverbed again. The trail should continue there, leading you through a thin forest.

About one walking hour behind the forest, the path climbs onto the beautiful meadow at the elevation of 1960 m. On the opposite bank of the river can be seen a mighty waterfall, first of many. After another hour and 200 meters higher, you should come to the border post - trail here significantly moves off the river, which is now far to the right.

Checking of permits may take 20 to 30 minutes. Then the trail slowly descends back to the Khde riverbed again. Some 30 minutes after you leave the border post, you should come to the flat, grassy meadow - the place is quite unusual as the river here disappears beneath the stones. This is the good place to spend the first night.

Day 2: Khde valley - below Kibishi pass distance 13.5km, 1520m and 451m

Continue deeper into the valley. The route, in the beginning, follows the riverbed, as the water runs deeper below the stones. When it finally appears, you will probably find yourself on its left bank. Cross it to the right bank, find a small trail and follow it. You will eventually come to the spot, where the trail got destroyed by a landslide, so cross back to the left bank of the river and carry on.

The trail here climbs up through a beautiful valley; you will see more waterfalls on the left side (elevation 2350m). The terrain is mostly scree covered by grass. The river then branches into several streams, could be another great place to camp. The trail follows the left bank of Khde river and climbs again.

Eventually, you will reach a large grassy meadow at the elevation of 2400m and ahead you can see another, much higher level of the valley (altitude 2800m) with another waterfall. It´s called “Kibishi ledge” (ok, I made this name up - it is mentioned only in Russian articles as "Ustup Kibishi". If you can invent a better, English name for this geomorphological formation, I am open to suggestions. Does it even have a name in Georgian?).

To climb Kibishi ledge, follow the barely visible trail in the grass to the right of the waterfall. You have a great view of mountains Shino and Kuro to the west and Rustavi glacier to the east. South of the Shino mountain (don't confuse with Shani mountain on the Russian border) you can also see LeraKT pass, which can be used by trekkers without glacier equipment to leave the valley.

Once on the ledge, stay to the right of the river and traverse the slope (mix of scree and grass). Eventually, you will have to descend a bit to the river (water could be quite dirty here). Now you are in the moraine and see Kibishi pass right ahead of you. Keep approaching the glacier, while looking for a good place to camp.

Day 3: Below Kibishi glacier - Juta village distance 8.2km, 496m and 1547m

Navigate the moraine to Kibishi glacier. It´s much smaller than on the old Soviet maps; currently, it starts at the elevation of 3280m and is 900 meters long. It´s solid, without cracks, covered by firn and reasonably steep (gradient 15-20°, in upper part up to 25°). Put on ropes and crampons. The route is obvious, climb directly to the pass - it shouldn´t take longer than 1 hour.

Kibishi pass lies at the elevation of 3500 meters and is a great spot for a break, but don´t stay here too long; there is still long march ahead. The terrain on the other side of the pass is steep and rocky - it´s recommended to descend through the rocky couloir, more to the right (watch for the arrow painted on one of the rocks on the pass). The terrain here is pretty steep (25-30°), and you have to watch for stones loosened by people above you, but luckily this section is only 200 meters long.

Ahead of you is now long descent on rocks and grass. According to some sources, it´s recommended to descent to Sharovanistskali riverbed as directly as possible and follow its left bank, but hikers I quote here found this path very uncomfortable as they had to traverse steep, grassy slope. They recommend slower descent, staying higher on slopes on the right bank of the river and descend later.

No matter which route you take, you should eventually reach Juta river - from the pass, it takes about 3,5 hours, during which you lose 1200 meters of elevation. The route here follows the left bank of the river, but it´s not necessary to ford the river. Just follow the right bank and after 200 meters you will come to the border guards post. Your permit will be checked here and there is also a steel beam laid across the river, so you can cross to the other side. From here it´s just an easy walk on the road to Juta village.