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Geotour

Photos: Jelger Groeneveld (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Chalaadi Glacier

Svaneti · Nature

Getting there
About 10 km (30 min) from Mestia by 4x4 or taxi on a dirt road to the suspension bridge, then about 1.5–2.5 h return on foot
Best time
June–October
Recommended stay
Half a day

About Chalaadi Glacier

Chalaadi is a glacier at the head of the Mestiachala valley, about 10 km north of Mestia in Upper Svaneti, and the easiest glacier walk in the region. A taxi or 4x4 takes you up the valley to a suspension bridge over the Mestiachala river, and from there a path of about 5–6 km return, with 200–300 m of climbing, leads through birch and pine forest and over the moraine to a viewpoint below the ice. It makes a relaxed half-day from Mestia.

Tours Including Chalaadi Glacier

See the tour

Must-See Attractions

  • Suspension bridge

    The start of the walk, where the dirt road ends beside a couple of cafés and a border post.

  • Forest trail

    An easy path through birch and pine along the river, about 40 minutes from the last bridge to the moraine.

  • Glacier viewpoint

    The moraine below the glacier snout, with the peaks of Mt Chatyntau above; keep at least 100 m from the ice.

Nearby

  • Mestia

    The main town of Upper Svaneti, with the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography and medieval Svan towers, about 10 km (30 min by car) south.

  • Koruldi Lakes

    High lakes at about 2,700 m above Mestia with views of Ushba, about 1 h by 4x4 from town.

Location43.1282° N, 42.7131° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 10 km (30 min) from Mestia by 4x4 or taxi on a dirt road to the suspension bridge, then about 1.5–2.5 h return on foot; Mestia is about 130 km (3 h) from Zugdidi.

Best time

June–October

Best time

From June to September the path is snow-free and the forest is green, and early October brings autumn colours, while in winter and spring snow covers the path and the valley road.

Recommended stay

Half a day

Getting there

A taxi from Mestia to the suspension bridge costs about 50 GEL for the return trip with waiting; or walk the whole way from Mestia, more than 20 km return (5–6 h).

Heads-up

Rockfall and ice collapse near the glacier snout have injured and killed people; stay at least 100 m back from the ice and do not walk on it.

Documents

Carry your passport: there is a border post at the bridge, as the main valley leads towards the Russian border, and soldiers sometimes check documents.

Walking

The trail is easy, about 5–6 km return from the bridge with a short rocky section on the moraine; trainers are fine in dry weather.

Fees

Free.