Trekking in Svaneti, Georgia

After breakfast, we board a private minivan and head out into the mountains. The net drive time is about 4-4.5 hours. The road winds along the roaring Enguri river gorge with sheer cliffs above and below, and primeval coniferous woods covering the banks.

On the way we stop for a quick tour at the spectacular Enguri dam — a masterpiece of Soviet engineering — which remains the world’s 7th largest and covers up to 40% of Georgia’s electricity demands.

As we approach Mestia — the main village of Svaneti — an enormous twin tower of Mount Ushba comes into view soaring two vertical kilometers above the valley floor. The peak is as beautiful as it is deadly — it is known to climbers as ‘the Matterhorn of the Caucasus’ or ‘the Disaster Mountain’ and as ‘Coven of Witches’ to locals. We turn off to that side valley and stay for the night in a family-run guesthouse in the shadow of Mt.Ushba.

After a hearty breakfast at the guesthouse, we hit the trail through shady primeval conifer forest, following the roaring Dolra river upstream. In a couple of hours, we cross the river over a wooden bridge and pass the borderguards wooden huts where we are greeted with a smile and sometimes even with a warm traditional cheese flatbread — khachapuri!

From there we come right to the base of Georgia’s tallest waterfall — the mighty Shdugra — where we stand in awe as tons of water cascade over a sheer 100-meter drop. While many trekkers turn back here, we opt for the more challenging route, hiking uphill for a few extra hours until we reach the top of the waterfall and stand right next to the roaring stream as it abruptly drops into the abyss below.

We then continue to the improvised monument to all climbers who lost their lives while attempting Mt Ushba. From a vantage point a few hundred meters beyond, we’re treated to an exclusive view of the reverse side of the mountain, with Ushba glacier, the formidable icefall, and the normal route’s ridgeline.

As we descend to the borderguards huts, we enjoy fun and relaxed horseback riding (no experience required!) to the hotel for some 1.5 hours that saves our legs the effort of the remaining 6km and 300 vertical meters.

12km distance, 1000m vertical.

We bid farewell to the guesthouse owner and his family. In about 40 minutes a private minivan takes us to Mestia — Svaneti’s main village. We check in to another guesthouse in the most well-preserved part of the town with narrow cobbled streets and over 25 medieval Svan towers in sight!

After a quick coffee and cake at the town’s best place, a 4×4 minivan takes us a whopping 1,300 vertical meters up along a nerve-wracking dirt track to the famous Koruldi lakes located at a grassy plateau at 2,750m a.s.l. with a 360 panorama of the Svaneti range. From there our trekking route continues for another 600 vertical meters. In 2-2.5 hours of trekking and easy scrambling, we reach the narrow Koruldi ridge soaring right in front of the enormous tower of Mount Ushba and Chalaadi glacier beneath our feet — a sunset view that rivals the most scenic places of the Alps!

We celebrate the day at a restaurant run by a Svan family that owned the place for generations, offering a fine interpretation of otherwise rustic Svan cuisine, including millet flatbread and kubdari — traditional juicy meat pie.

6km, 600m up and down

A chairlift and then a gondola ski lift whisks us from the heart of Mestia to Zuruldi ridge at 2,300m. As we rise some 900m above the valley floor, the breathtaking view of two-horned Mount Ushba opens up. Dominating the valley’s end stands the imposing white pyramid of Mt Tetnuldi, 50 meters taller than the Mont Blanc! On the horizon, the 5,000m-tall summits of the Great Caucasus are rising.

The countless Svan towers of Mestia now appear tiny beneath our feet. Further up the valley, we see Mestia’s airstrip. If we are lucky, we might even catch a glimpse of a landing turboprop plane from Tbilisi veering its way through the deep valley.

We easily follow the scenic ridge trail for a few hours and then descend into charming Tsvirmi village with a 10th-century church. A private minivan in under an hour takes us further along the roaring Enguri river to Iprari village perched on an airy ledge above the river. On the way, we make a quick stop to visit an 11th-century Svan church and a medieval dining hall in Khe village. We stay at a guesthouse and enjoy a hearty dinner, getting ready for tomorrow’s trekking adventure.

10km, 300m up and 770m down

We leave our tents and sleeping bags for the porters or pack horses who will reach tonight’s campsite by taking a dirt track at the valley bottom. At the same time, we start going up Chkhunderi ridge by following a faint trail through the woods that was used by local shepherds generations ago but apparently was forgotten.

As we climb out of the woods and into the alpine zone, the grassy ridge narrows and dramatic ice face rises in front of us. This is the famous ‘Bezengi wall’ — the highest section of the Caucasus mountains which divides Georgia and Russia and boasts a few 5,000m summits.

We continue trekking along the airy ridge as close as we can get towards the massive wall and then descend a steep grassy slope to a cosy wild campsite by a stream, separating us from the glacier bedrock. Our porters are already waiting for us with the tents and soon we’ll be enjoying a hearty dinner cooked on portable stoves.

12km, 1450m up, 1080m down

The porters spend the night next to us and are ready to transfer our tents to the next campsite. We carefully cross Khalde glacier which looks more like a pile of rubble with occasional spots of ice and pools of meltwater. Crampons are not necessary but there is no trail so we have to walk carefully, besides, there are only a few places where the glacier can be crossed.

Back on green grass, we continue trekking towards Karetti pass which is a saddle in the next ridge forking out from Bezengi wall. Once on the saddle, we follow the ridge until we reach Lagem pass. From there we descend a steep but well-trodden trail to Engiri valley where we camp next to a summer cafe — the porters are already waiting for us with our tents and there’s even a chance of well-deserved beer!

Linking Karetti and Lagem pass is one of the wildest yet most spectacular sections of our trekking tour in Svaneti.

15km, 1100m up & 1200m down

After the last two rather strenuous days, today feels almost like a day-off trekking! Without gaining much altitude, we approach Mt Shkhara 5,193m — the highest mountain in Georgia — by following a grassy moraine ridge. Standing beneath a mountain face of Himalayan scale, with its glaciers of unfathomable scale, is one of the main highlights of this trekking trip in Georgia.

We descend back to our camp, and continue hiking with our porters, following the valley as it curves right, towards the source of Enguri river — we saw it dammed at the beginning of the trekking trip.

We pitch our tents by a tiny Nuamquam lake, perhaps, the most beautiful in Svaneti. After dinner, we marvel at the play of sunset hues on the hanging glaciers and observe stars emerge in the sky.

6km, 700m up

After breakfast, we take down our tents and the porters carry them down to the village. We then climb Vakhushti ridge, reaching a high point of 3,153m, and continue trekking down and away from the Shkhara wall, enjoying magnificent views on both sides of the airy ridge. In the afternoon we finally descend to the famous village of Ushguli, squeezed in a narrow valley between steep slopes.

10km, 700m up & 950m down

After three nights in tents, bed linen and hot showers come so enjoyable! Ushguli actually is an agglomeration of four hamlets — Murkmeli, Chazhashi, Chvibiani, and Zhibiani. Our family-run guesthouse is situated in a genuine 12th-century building in the heart of Chazhashi — the only part of Ushguli which is protected as a UNESCO cultural heritage site! It is also famous for being one of Europe’s highest permanent settlements, located at 2,200m above sea level.

During the well-deserved rest day in Ushguli, we visit 9th-century Lamaria church — with its well-preserved frescos, a local museum with ancient crosses, icons, and goblets, and even climb a Svan tower! In the evening we celebrate the end of our week of trekking in Svaneti with piping hot traditional meat pies!

We leave hospitable Svaneti driving a scenic road across Zagar pass and reaching Kutaisi in little more than 4 hours. Having enjoyed a quick lunch in the city, we change cars and continue along a modern highway to Kazbegi, in the very north of Georgia. That takes about 5-6 more hours.

We drive about 40 minutes along a narrow winding road to Juta settlement. Sitting at 2,200m, it rivals Ushguli as one of Europe’s highest settlements. From there we hike in a stunningly beautiful range Choukhi which resembles Italian Dolomites. Provided good conditions, we scramble on a peak with unrivalled views of Mt. Kazbegi 5,047m.

13km, 1170m up & 1170m down

In about 30 minutes of driving from Kazbegi, we reach the famous 14th-century Gergeti Trinity Church perched on a rocky outcrop above the village, with the majestic dormant stratovolcano of Kazbek 5,047m towering in the background. The location is jaw-dropping and the spot is a perfect example of how ancient Georgian architects managed to integrate their buildings into the natural landscape. Soaring high above the valley, the church used to be a hiding place for people and treasures during numerous invasions.

From the church we continue trekking along the rim of a deep canyon towards the edge of the enormous Gergeti glacier at circa 3,300m, using the route that Kazbek climbers take to reach the basecamp next to Bethlemi hut aka meteo station at 3,800m.

We have gently gained altitude acclimatization over the previous week of trekking in the Svanetian mountains so if you are considering bagging your first 5,000m peak it is very reasonable to continue climbing Kazbek from this point of our itinerary. This is available as an optional 5-day extension.

Having descended to Kazbegi village, we celebrate the conclusion of our trekking trip in Georgia by dining at one of the village’s poshest restaurants with panoramic views of the mountains and fine Georgian cuisine. Then a private minivan takes us to the capital of Tbilisi in under 3 hours where we stay for the night in a hotel.

12km, 960m up & 960m down

Flight back home