Skip to main content
Geotour

Photos: Aleksey Muhranoff (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Iprali

Svaneti · Village

Getting there
On the Mestia–Ushguli road, about 35 km (1.5 h) from Mestia on a partly paved mountain road
Best time
Late June–early October
Recommended stay
1 night

About Iprali

Iprali is a small Svan village in the Kala community of Upper Svaneti, on the Mestia–Ushguli road about 12 km before Ushguli. On the four-day Mestia–Ushguli trek it is the third night's stop: you arrive after the hardest stage, from Adishi over the Chkhutnieri Pass (2,722 m), and sleep at a family guesthouse among old Svan defensive towers. The next morning's final stage to Ushguli is shorter and gentler. In the village, the Church of the Archangels keeps frescoes painted in 1096 by the royal painter Tevdore, and Lagurka, the church of Kala on a crag above the valley, has his frescoes of 1112.

Tours Including Iprali

See the tour

Must-See Attractions

  • Svan towers

    Medieval defensive towers still stand beside the houses of Iprali and the neighbouring villages of Kala. Church of the Archangels (Tarngzel): The village church, with frescoes painted in 1096 by Tevdore, court painter of King David the Builder; ask your host who keeps the key.

  • Lagurka church

    The church of Saints Kvirike and Ivlita on a rock above Kala, with frescoes by Tevdore dated 1112.

  • Enguri valley views

    The upper Enguri valley between Kala and Ushguli, with forested slopes and the high ridges above.

Nearby

  • Ushguli

    The group of four villages under Mount Shkhara, the last stage of the trek, about 12.4 km on foot (4–5 h) or 30 minutes by car.

  • Adishi

    The village at the start of the previous stage, across the Chkhutnieri Pass, about 17–19 km on foot (7–9 h).

  • Mestia

    The main town of Svaneti, about 35 km west by road (1.5 h).

Location42.9365° N, 42.9242° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

On the Mestia–Ushguli road, about 35 km (1.5 h) from Mestia on a partly paved mountain road; trekkers arrive on foot from Adishi, about 17–19 km (7–9 h).

Best time

Late June–early October

Best time

July to September gives the most settled weather and the lowest snow on the Chkhutnieri Pass; late June can still bring snow patches and high river water.

Recommended stay

1 night

Walking
The Adishi–Iprali stage is about 17–19 km with a river crossing below the Adishi glacier (by horse or wading), then a climb of about 800 m to the Chkhutnieri Pass; start early. The final stage to Ushguli is about 12.4 km, mostly along the valley road and forest paths.
Heads-up

There is no ATM in Iprali or Ushguli; bring cash from Mestia.

Season

The trek is usually possible from late June to early October, when the pass is free of snow.

History & culture

Culture

Kala's church of Lagurka, dedicated to Saints Kvirike and Ivlita (Cyricus and Julitta), is one of the most important shrines of Svaneti. On 28 July, the saints' feast of Kvirikoba, pilgrims from across Georgia gather there for a service, a communal meal and traditional games, including a stone-lifting contest.

Local Cuisine

Guesthouse dinners serve Svan dishes: kubdari (bread filled with spiced meat), chvishtari (cheese corn bread), tashmijabi (mashed potato with cheese) and Svan salt, a blend of salt, garlic and herbs.

Accommodation

A handful of family guesthouses in Iprali and the other Kala villages, with shared or private bathrooms and half board; they fill up in July and August, so we book them ahead.