Svaneti
3
Day Itinerary •
Georgia
Three days in Svaneti gives you the essential extraordinary range of Georgia's most remote mountain region, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of medieval tower villages rising from the highest permanently inhabited valley in Europe, with Europe's highest peaks including Shkhara at 5,193 metres rising directly above the Svan tower houses that have stood for a thousand years. This route takes in Mestia, the capital of Svaneti with its extraordinary medieval towers and remarkable museum of Svan treasures, the hike to the extraordinary Koruldi lakes above the treeline, the UNESCO village of Ushguli at 2,200 metres with the finest concentration of medieval towers in the Caucasus and the extraordinary Shkhara glacier visible from the village street.
Best Time To Visit
June to September
Getting There
Fly Tbilisi to Mestia (45 min) or drive 9 hours
Getting Around
Rental car or 4WD; Ushguli road requires 4WD
Budget Per Day
Approx 40 to 70 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate to challenging; altitude and hiking
DAY 1
MESTIA
MORNING
MESTIA, CAPITAL OF THE SVAN TOWERS
Mestia is the most extraordinary mountain town in Georgia, its medieval Svan towers rising from among the modern houses in an extraordinary combination of ancient and contemporary. The Svan towers, built between the 9th and 12th centuries as both watchtowers and defensive refuges, are the finest surviving examples of medieval vernacular architecture in the Caucasus. The Svaneti Museum in Mestia houses extraordinary medieval icons, manuscripts and ritual objects saved from the tower churches of the region. Museum entry approx 5 GEL. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
THE MESTIA TOWERS AND THE OLD TOWN
The finest cluster of Svan towers in Mestia is in the Lagami and Lanjvali quarters of the old town, where extraordinary medieval towers still stand above the traditional Svan house compounds. The view from the upper floors of any accessible tower gives the extraordinary panorama of Mestia in its mountain setting, with the glaciated peaks of the Greater Caucasus rising directly above the town. The extraordinary carved wooden decorations on the old Svan houses are unlike anything else in the Caucasus. Drive: 30 min drive or walk
AFTERNOON
HATSVALI SKI AREA AND THE CAUCASUS PANORAMA
The Hatsvali ski area above Mestia gives the finest aerial view of the Svaneti valley from the cable car, looking over the Mestia towers to the extraordinary glaciated peaks beyond. The cable car runs in summer as well as winter. The ridge above the ski area gives a 360-degree panorama over the entire Svaneti region and is the finest viewpoint accessible by cable car in Georgia. Return cable car approx 10 GEL.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Becho village north of Mestia was the hiding place for the treasures of the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad during WWII, when the Soviet government transported the finest artworks to the remote Svan valley for safekeeping. The extraordinary story of this cultural evacuation is told at the Svaneti Museum in Mestia.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Mestia Georgian Svan breakfast with kubdari meat bread, local cheese and honey. Extraordinary. | Lunch: Lali Restaurant, Mestia Local Svan dishes including kubdari and the finest chabino fresh cheese in the mountains. | Dinner: Guesthouse dinner, Mestia Traditional Svan dinner with local beer and extraordinary mountain hospitality.
DAY 2
KORULDI LAKES
MORNING
KORULDI LAKES, THE ALPINE HIKE ABOVE MESTIA
The Koruldi lakes hike above Mestia is the finest short hike in Svaneti, a 3-hour ascent to a series of extraordinary alpine lakes at 2,700 metres with the entire Mestia valley below and the extraordinary glaciated peaks of the Greater Caucasus including Ushba at 4,710 metres directly above. The view from the Koruldi ridge looking back down to the Mestia towers in the valley is the finest panorama accessible on foot in Svaneti. The lakes are extraordinary in morning light. Drive: On descent
MIDDAY
SVAN TOWER HOUSES AND THE MESTIA VALLEY
The afternoon after the Koruldi hike is best spent exploring the extraordinary tower house compounds of the Mestia old town quarters, where the combination of 1,000-year towers, traditional wooden balconied houses and the extraordinary mountain backdrop gives the finest domestic architectural experience in Georgia. The Svan household museum in the Margiani tower house gives the finest insight into the extraordinary Svan way of life. Entry approx 5 GEL. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
EVENING IN MESTIA AND SVAN CULTURE
The evening in Mestia is the finest time to experience Svan culture, the extraordinary mountain people whose unique language, traditions and tower house culture have survived in this isolated valley for two thousand years. The local restaurants serve the finest kubdari meat pies and chabino fresh cheese in Georgia. The Svan polyphonic singing tradition is one of the finest in the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Ask the guesthouse owner about any local cultural events.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Svan polyphonic singing tradition is UNESCO-listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The extraordinary three-part harmonies sung at village celebrations and religious events are unlike any other folk music in the world. Ask at the Mestia Museum about local performances and events during your visit.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse, Mestia Early breakfast before the Koruldi hike. Bring substantial snacks and water. | Lunch: Packed lunch at Koruldi Bring food from Mestia. Eating by the extraordinary alpine lakes is unforgettable. | Dinner: Restaurant in Mestia Svan kubdari meat pie and local beer after the extraordinary alpine day.
DAY 3
USHGULI
MORNING
USHGULI, THE HIGHEST INHABITED VILLAGE IN EUROPE
Ushguli at 2,200 metres is the highest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe and the finest UNESCO World Heritage village in Georgia, a cluster of four extraordinary hamlets dominated by over 20 medieval Svan towers rising from the valley floor with the Shkhara glacier at 5,193 metres directly above. The 4WD drive from Mestia takes 1.5 hours on a rough road through extraordinary mountain scenery. The Ushguli Community Museum gives the finest insight into the extraordinary isolation of this community. Entry approx 5 GEL. Drive: On site
MIDDAY
SHKHARA GLACIER VIEW AND THE TOWER VILLAGE WALK
The trail from Ushguli to the Shkhara glacier viewpoint above the village takes 45 minutes each way through extraordinary flower meadows and gives the finest view of the 5,193-metre peak directly above the medieval towers below. The view back to Ushguli from the glacier moraine, with the towers in the foreground and the Greater Caucasus range extending in every direction, is the most extraordinary mountain image in Georgia. Free. Drive: 1.5 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO MESTIA AND DEPARTURE
The drive back from Ushguli to Mestia through the extraordinary Enguri gorge gives the finest valley views in Svaneti, the river cutting through extraordinary granite and limestone as the road descends through forest back to Mestia. If flying out the same day, the Mestia-Natakhtari airport takes a 45-minute flight to Tbilisi. If driving back, the extraordinary 9-hour road journey through western Georgia gives the finest cross-country Georgian experience.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Lamaria church at the top of Ushguli on a rocky promontory is the finest church in Svaneti, an extraordinary 12th-century structure with remarkable frescoes and icons still in use by the extraordinary Ushguli community. The church is open for services and visitors. The view from the church over the entire Ushguli valley and the Shkhara glacier is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse, Mestia Early breakfast before the Ushguli drive. Pack | Lunch: for the glacier walk. LUNCH Guesthouse in Ushguli Simple Svan food in the most extraordinary village in Europe. | Dinner: Guesthouse or flight Either final Mestia dinner or arrival dinner in Tbilisi after the flight.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Mestia, Nights 1-2 Guesthouses with tower views. Approx 30 to 70 USD per night. Ushguli, Night 3 Community guesthouses at 2,200m. Approx 25 to 50 USD. Include dinner. Budget option Svan guesthouses throughout from approx 20 USD. Include extraordinary breakfast.
Top Tips
1. Fly to Mestia rather than drive if time is short. The Vanilla Sky flight from Tbilisi takes 45 minutes and lands on an extraordinary mountain airstrip with glacier views.
2. The Ushguli 4WD road is rough but passable. Hire a local driver from Mestia for 100 to 150 GEL return. They know every pothole and shortcut.
3. Svan kubdari meat pies are the finest food in Svaneti. Each family has a slightly different recipe. Ask the guesthouse owner to make theirs. It is extraordinary.
4. Altitude affects some visitors in Ushguli at 2,200 metres. Drink water, take it slowly on arrival and the extraordinary setting will be worth any mild discomfort.
5. The Svan towers were built to protect families from both external enemies and each other during blood feuds. The same tower culture as Albania's Kanun exists here.
6. Svan honey from the alpine flowers above Mestia is the finest in Georgia and extraordinarily aromatic. Buy it directly from guesthouses at remarkable prices.
Total Budget
40 to 70 USD/day