Zeta Camping — Hotel in Mtskheta-Mtianeti

TLDR: Gaslit after injury from unsafe room - no help, no first aid, just denial. Stay away.

I waited six weeks to write this, partly because I didn’t want to relive the stress, but also to give the owner every opportunity to do the right thing after what was a nightmare of a stay.

In mid-July, my friends and I had to cut short the Juta-Roshka hike when our tents failed in a storm. Freezing and wet on the mountain, we hiked down to Juta looking for accomodation. Fifth Season was full, so we ended up at Zeta. It was overpriced (even for Juta), but it was late and we didn’t have a better option.

We checked into two greenhouse-style domes. Within five minutes, it was obvious the build quality was poor - damp patches, dodgy electrics - but we figured it would do for the night. Dinner was overpriced and bland with tiny portions, but again, not our main concern.

Just after going to bed, we heard our friend scream from the other room. He had slipped on the wet shower floor, and his foot was sliced open in three places by the edge of the shower door - which for some reason was razor sharp. The cuts were several centimetres deep and bleeding heavily.

We ran to get help. The staff (an inexperienced woman and an older man who spoke no English) were completely unprepared. No first aid kit, no first aid knowledge, no idea what to do. They just stood there. In fact, the guy touched the shower door and just shrugged at us - insinuating it wasn't sharp and that he hurt himself shaving! -all whilst the floor was covered in blood. We had some supplies of our own, and two other guests stepped in to help - they were trained and took over when the staff didn’t know how to respond.

At one point the woman offered to call emergency rescuers, but then realised they wouldn’t be able to reach us until morning, if at all. The only idea they had was for us to WALK down to the village (200m down) and another 2km to the roadblock, where I had to organise further transport to a hospital.

By 1AM, we’d used everything we had to stop the bleeding and calm our friend through shock. The only option was to wait until morning. The woman arranged a horse to help carry him down, and a car to the roadblock. We were grateful at first, until she charged us over €30 for what was basically an emergency evacuation. No empathy, no understanding - just a bill. We paid without arguing, assuming the owner would reimburse us later.

He didn’t. In fact, he ignored every message we sent. Emails, WhatsApp, phone calls - nothing. We weren’t even asking for compensation at first, just basic accountability and a refund for an objectively unsafe stay. Total silence. Eventually I contacted him from a different number, posing as a new guest. He replied within minutes. When I revealed who I was and explained what had happened, he denied it and even called me a liar. He said no injury occurred. When I offered photos of the wound and the stitches, he stopped replying.

Let that sink in. A serious injury happened on his property, and the owner’s response was to pretend it didn’t happen and ghost us.

I won’t go into how the injury ruined the rest of our trip, you can imagine. The only thing worse than that was the owner's behaviour.

Had none of this happened, I probably would’ve rated Zeta 3/5. The location is beautiful, but the food is awful and the rooms are overpriced. But after our experience - and after being completely ignored and actually gaslit - I honestly believe this place is a safety risk.

If you're hiking in the area, you're probably experienced and prepared and you plan for the risks of terrain, weather etc. What you don’t plan for is getting injured by the room itself and being met with zero support or first aid, and a business owner who refuses to acknowledge any responsibility.

Photos of of our messages with the coward. I hope this review helps someone else make a better decision. Don’t reward this kind of negligence and dishonesty. We gave money to a business that ignored a real emergency and tried to pretend it never happened - so you...

Zeta Camping is located directly above the village of Juta. It's been supported by USAID and EU aid efforts; clearly it helps attract more tourists to this relatively isolated area. For us it was a great break from staying in the middle of Kazbegi/Stepantsminda and an opportunity to get in some hiking; others use Zeta as a more serious mountaineering base. ||||- Getting to Juta from Kazbegi requires first a 5 km drive south on the main Military Highway to Sno. After that it's 15 km on a dirt road to Juta itself; the first 10 k of which is flat and then the final 5 k a climb. When we were there in June the road was quite muddy. We had a small call with limited ground clearance and didn't feel comfortable driving the whole way given numerous streams and such - though it was probably possible. Lots of marshrutka/driver options of course too....You can also just hike too||- Upon arriving in Juta, we struggled to find the place. It is very literally right above the village; look straight up the cliff from the end of the main road. We went more to the right side of the hill to get up but the path wasn't great...it turned out there were better options more to the left. I would suggest that Zeta (and the neighboring Fifth Season) could do a bit more to sign the place -there are only signs in the village that point vaguely up...||- We stayed in one of the 3 person dorm rooms. There are a couple of buildings with a variety of options. Good bedding; power supply etc. No ensuite; but good bathrooms with hot water showers not too far away. ||- Shared common space / restaurant was great. We actually really enjoyed the food. Lots of tables, outlets, space to hang out spread out over two levels. We never asked about wifi - it seemed some local carriers had service there, but our local SIM cards (Beeline) did not. Great views from the common space. ||- For the more casual hiker, the best options were a 3 km out (and 3 km back) to a mountain lake, or a longer treak out 10 km to another lake at the edge of the mountain. Not a ton of routes, but it was quite nice to see up towards the mountain. ||||Overall, great opportunity to get out of the more urban areas but still have all the services you need (if you're traveling light). Sounds like the place books out all summer so plan ahead! ||||If you're looking at cabins, consider Fifth Season which is located just above Zeta. They have a bunch of units with windows angled vaguely up the valley with what should be a great view. Otherwise their facilities look broadly...

Zeta Camp is an amazing glamping/camping area that is just at the entrance of the Chaukhi valley trail. It's serene and you feel completely surrounded by nature. The staff members are friendly and extremely helpful. Their restaurant food is some of the best I've had in Georgia, albeit pricey - but since it's located in such a remote area you can understand how difficult it is to get supplies on this alpine region.

That said, here is a guide so you know exactly what to expect to get there. Because it's worth it!

You will have to drive through the Juta valley and get to Juta village. Once you are at Juta village you will need to park at the base of the mountain to hike to the camp. Tell the man at the parking lot where you are staying and for how many nights. He will write down your license plate and you have to pay him a parking fee. Daily parking fee is 10 GEL and then there's an overnight fee, etc.

Look for signs that say "Zeta Camp 1000 Steps". These "steps" is actually about a 30 min hike up a steep climb and is the beginning of the Chaukhi trail hike. The path is rough, and it's not friendly for luggage. So bring only overnight backpacks. Prepare for how altitude will also affect your breathing. The other option to easily go up this hike is to find a guide who has a horse and pay them so you can ride up the mountain to the camp.

The camping area has different sections: dome sleeping, cabins, and a tent pitching area. You can rent a tent from them like we did and they will set it up for you before you arrive. The waterproof tents include sleeping pads and warm sleeping bags.

The cabins and domes have their own toilets but there is also a communal toilet and shower area for the classic campers. The restaurant/cafe is a beautiful airy wooden structure and there is plenty of room inside. If you pay for breakfast, you will be treated to a breakfast buffet. There is wine, beer, and cocktails available. We asked permission before coming to see if we can build a campfire and we were allowed to. We brought campfire wood up to the mountain and was allowed to make a campfire in a designated area. But it was difficult to start a campfire because of the altitude.

I recommend staying for 2 nights to leisurely do the Chaukhi falls and lake hike and have time to rest. Easily a core...