How much does it cost to hike the Transcaucasian Trail?

Start date of trip: 15th June 2023. Article publication date: 11th February 2024.

A photograph taken in a stream close to the water level, looking at the hiker’s feet with mountains in the background. The best things in life are free, whether that be taking a bath in a stream, or the generous hospitality of the people of the Caucasus. But you will need at least some money to hike the TCT! . For 60 days on the trail, I spent just under 29 USD per day, on average. An additional 800 USD was spent to get from western Europe to the trailhead and back. So the TCT cost me about 2,500 USD. This total doesn’t include the cost of gear. Read below for a breakdown of the costs, and information about payment methods.

Contents

A note on currencies

To provide a common point of comparison, the costs in this article are stated in US dollars (USD), based on the approximate exchange rates during my trip in June to August 2023, which were: 1 USD to 2.60 Georgian lari, or 390 Armenian dram. These rates change over time. For example, the influx of Russians into these countries has made their currencies stronger in recent years.

Getting to and from the trailheads

The cost of travelling to the start and end points will depend a lot on your itinerary. In my case, it was about 800 USD, including everything, but I didn’t choose the cheapest options, as described below.

To get to the Caucasus I bought return flight from France to Tbilisi (500 USD), as it was the fastest way. However, I ended up having a lot of spare time, and I wish I’d followed Tom Allen’s advice on how to travel overland, found in the official TCT guide, which would have had less environmental impact and been more of an adventure. He managed to find an itinerary costing less than the flight I used.

From Tbilisi, it cost me about 200 USD to get to the south end of the TCT in Meghri. Besides food and accommodation along the way, this included the sleeper train to Yerevan (50 USD), just for the Sovietesque experience, and an expensive taxi from Goris to Meghri (70 USD), because I was rushing to get to the trailhead. Getting to Meghri can be done much more cheaply using marshrutki (minibuses).

Getting back to Tbilisi from Anaklia, the TCT’s northern end, can be done very cheaply using marshrutki, plus train sections if preferred. However, I spent about 100 USD, including hostels and food, because I spread the journey over a few days. I recommend spending some time as a tourist before or after hiking the trail, for example exploring Tbilisi or Yerevan. This will, of course, add to the cost of the trip.

Daily costs on the trail

A pie chart showing the proportions of the daily costs on the TCT taken up by food, lodging and other categories.
A breakdown of my daily costs whilst hiking the TCT. During 60 days of hiking, I spent 1,710 USD, which is an average of just under 29 USD per day. There was no significant difference in daily expenditure between Armenia and Georgia, and I also did not detect any increase in price during the local tourist season (July and August).

The breakdown of these daily costs is shown in the pie chart. The major expenses were food (65%) and lodging (30%). A generous dinner or breakfast in a homestay or restaurant was typically 10 USD, and very occasional fancier meals were up to 40 USD. A big resupply of food (to last about four days) would be about 50 USD. The cost of a room in a homestay or hotel was 19 USD on average.

It would be possible to spend less or more on the TCT. Some people save money by doing more wild camping, which means fewer nights and meals in homestays. However, these meals are a real treat, and they provide a chance to talk to more local people, especially women, who mostly work in the home. The price of the trip will increase for slower hikers (who spend more time on the trip), and those who sleep more nights in paid accommodation.

How to pay

I was only able to pay by card for about 30% of transactions in Armenia, and 40% in Georgia, usually in supermarkets. Cash is required for most payments, and can be withdrawn from cash machines (ATMs), which are marked on the official TCT online map.

For this trip (and many others), I used a Wise card for payments and cash withdrawals (note: this is an affiliate link). I started using this card a few years ago when I lived in the US, but needed to send money back to Europe. I use Wise because they are clear about conversion fees, they offer good exchange rates, they have a good app, and the card is free.

Other costs: Phone plan and insurance

In the Safety section, I discuss getting a local SIM card. The price of this averaged out to about 20 USD per month, with generous data.

For any kind of insurance, I only buy it if I couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket (or it is mandatory). In Armenia and Georgia, where healthcare is good and relatively cheap, I didn’t think it was worthwhile.

Supporting the TCT

A photograph of the snowy wall of the Shkhara massif, viewed from the Chkhunderi viewpoint which is a green ridge with a well-trodden footpath running along it. A view of the Shkhara massif from the Chkhunderi viewpoint on the famous Mestia–Ushguli section. The huge success of this trail is due in great part to the efforts of the TCT Association. Through-hikers joining the ‘Class of 2023’ were asked (but not required) to donate 100 USD towards the TCT project. I don’t know what the arrangement will be in future years, but I will post here if I find out. Even on a selfish level, this is a great bargain, given the amount unpaid work that has gone into developing the trail. But supporting the TCT also improves the world in many ways: exposing more people to the benevolent joys of hiking and nature; bringing sustainable tourism to rural communities; and: training future trail developers to multiply the effect. So do consider supporting the TCT!