Меню
On this tour we will mostly be driving you to and around Svaneti’s best locations. However, short hikes are on the itinerary every day: either where the jeep cannot pass or on the contrary in scenic places where the paths are low-sloped and offer the chance for a pleasant stroll. You will be needing good walking shoes and poles to feel comfortable.
7 nights / 7 tour days
Starting location: Mestia
Finishing location: Ushguli in Svaneti and on to Kutaisi city
6 nights in Mestia, 1 night in Ushguli
Max walking distance per day: 8 km
Max elevation gain per day: 250 m
Max altitude: 2830 m
Town of Mestia, Svan towers, Mestia treasury
Zuruldi ski lift and viewpoint
Mount Ushba
Chaladi glacier
Shdugvra waterfalls
Svaneti’s highest mountain pass (2830 m)
The Bezengi wall, the tallest section of the Great Caucasus
7 most picturesque villages, including the “3-level village”
Svaneti’s best culture heritage sites, oldest churches and the frescoes of Tevdore
UNESCO site Ushguli
Mt. Shkhara and its glacier
Overnights, meals, transfers and guiding. We’ve tried to make your tour comfortable and flexible at the same time
If you prefer to go on different dates or with just your family/friends, you can book the itinerary individually. Contact us for details:
Day 1. Acclimatization hike. Zuruldi. Mestia.
After breakfast we set out to the ski-lift and arrive at Zuruldi viewpoint. This is the best view of Mt. Ushba and one of the loveliest scenic hikes in Svaneti. The trail is perfect for first-day acclimatization, as there is very little elevation gain, and the total walking distance is about 8 km. Return to Mestia. Brief visit to Mestia museum, the treasury of Georgian art and craft.Overnight in Mestia.
Day 2. Villages and towers
Today’s trail is longer, though still without dramatic elevation change. It follows the Enguri river through the folds of the Svaneti Range and takes us one after another into three small villages off the tourist track. We finish the hike in 3-level village Ipari with a splendid view of Mt. Tetnuldi near Archangel’s church of Tsvirmi. Return to Mestia by car. Overnight in Mestia.
Day 3. Chaladi glacier and the culture heritage of Lenjeri
We will be spending the first part of the day exploring Chaladi glacier with a 4-km hike on foot, that will take us across a wobbly bridge and through mixed forest and finally to the snout of the glacier. After returning to Mestia there will be some free time to rest and in the afternoon we will visit the community of Lenjeri, with a proud array of towers, and go inside 2 small familial churches decorated with frescoes and facade paintings.Return to Mestia, overnight in Mestia.
Day 4. The Svaneti Range
The jeep will take us to village Ieli which we saw on our first day from the viewpoint and which will be the starting point for today’s hike. The trail goes along the valley of the Enguri river and offers delightful views of the lush green ridges of the Svaneti Range. There is a short but intensive ascent at the beginning of the trail, before the path dives into the forest, but after that the next 6 km are a pleasant stroll. The finishing point is in village Tsvirmi. Return to Mestia, overnight in Mestia.
Day 5. Shdugvra waterfalls
Today we will be exploring the valley of Dolra and Becho community. The jeep will stop in a lovely forest right at river Dolra, and we will set out on foot upstream to arrive at the foot of the waterfalls. The falls take source in the glacier of Mt.Ushba and are the most powerful waterfall system in Georgia, a magnificent manifestation of the size and energy of the Great Caucasus. Return to Mestia. Overnight in Mestia
Day 6. Bezengi wall and Ushguli
We will be moving on to the most remote region of Svaneti today. On the way we will visit 2 of the oldest churches in Svaneti, one of them decorated by King David the Builder’s royal painter Tevdore in the 11 century. The jeep will take us up to the highest mountain pass in Svaneti (2830 m), and we will do some hiking on the ridge separating Upper and Lower Svaneti to admire the Great Caucasus from Ushba to Shkhara, the Bezengi wall, with glimpses of Mt. Elbrus (5642 m) in fine weather. After that, returning to the car, we will descend into Ushguli and take a walk through the historic part of the community to top off the day. Overnight in Ushguli. Overnight in Ushguli.
Day 7. Shkhara and its glacier
This is our last day in Svaneti, but we will do a short hike to Shkhara glacier in the morning. After we return to Ushguli from the hike, we will drive off and over Zagaro pass along a mountain road of amazing beauty, passing on our way Soviet alpinist training camps of Zeskho and Ailama, and descending into Lower Svaneti with its milder climate and lower mountain ranges. The finishing point for today is your hotel in Kutaisi city.
Local certified English-speaking guides with the best tourist reviews. The focus is on safety and guest-care.
