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Geotour

Mestia

Svaneti · Mountains

Getting there
About 460 km (8–9 h) from Tbilisi via Zugdidi
Best time
June–September for hiking
Recommended stay
2–3 days

About Mestia

Mestia is the main town of Upper Svaneti, at about 1,500 m in the Greater Caucasus, some 130 km (about 3 h) above Zugdidi. Medieval Svan defence towers rise between the houses, and Ushba and Tetnuldi fill the skyline. It is the base for everything in Svaneti: the icon collection of the Svaneti Museum, a tower house you can climb, the walks to the Chalaadi Glacier and the Koruldi Lakes, the drive to Ushguli, and skiing at Hatsvali and Tetnuldi in winter.

Tours Including Mestia

See all 5 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography

    Icons, gold and silver work and manuscripts from Svaneti's churches, some from the 9th–14th centuries, in a modern building in the centre.

  • Margiani House Museum

    A family machubi and tower where you climb inside by ladders to the top floor.

  • Mikheil Khergiani House Museum

    Home of the Svan mountaineer, with climbing history and a tower.

  • Village churches

    Small medieval churches with painted interiors stand in Mestia's old neighbourhoods; many are kept locked, and we check which can be visited.

  • Chalaadi Glacier

    Easy forest walk of 1–1.5 h each way to a viewpoint below the ice; keep back from the snout because of rockfall.

Nearby

  • Ushguli

    Tower villages at about 2,100 m under Shkhara, 47 km (1.5–2 h).

  • Koruldi Lakes

    Alpine lakes at about 2,740 m with views of Ushba, about 1 h by 4x4 plus walking.

  • Hatsvali

    Ski area and summer chairlift above Mestia, about 15 min.

  • Tetnuldi

    Ski resort with long runs and chairlifts, about 15 km (40 min–1 h).

  • Mulakhi

    Village of towers on the road towards Zhabeshi and the Svaneti trekking route, about 15 km (30 min).

Location43.0446° N, 42.7289° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 460 km (8–9 h) from Tbilisi via Zugdidi; the last 130 km from Zugdidi is a paved mountain road (about 3 h), kept open in winter except after heavy snowfall.

Best time

June–September for hiking; December–March for skiing

Best time

Summer and early autumn open the high trails and the Ushguli road reliably, while snowy winters bring skiing at Hatsvali and Tetnuldi and quiet villages; April–May and November are wet off-seasons.

Recommended stay

2–3 days

Getting there

About 460 km from Tbilisi, 8–9 h by road via Zugdidi (Zugdidi–Mestia about 130 km, 3 h on a winding mountain road), or a short flight from Natakhtari near Tbilisi that is often cancelled in bad weather.

Cash

Mestia has ATMs but they sometimes run dry in high season; Ushguli has none, so bring cash for the day.

Opening hours

Museum opening hours vary; we plan the visit around them.

What to bring

Warm layers even in summer, rain jacket and walking shoes.

Time needed

At least two nights to see Mestia and Ushguli without rushing.

History & culture

Culture

Svans speak Svan, a Kartvelian language related to Georgian but not written, and most are bilingual. Towers still belong to the families who built them, and the old Svan house, the machubi, kept people and animals under one roof around a central hearth. Svan polyphonic songs and round dances are part of every feast, and in winter (usually February) the Lamproba festival is marked with bonfires and torches lit at night by the village churches.

History

Svaneti's isolation kept it largely outside the reach of invaders, and in the Middle Ages churches across Georgia sent their treasures here for safekeeping, which is why Mestia's museum holds such rich icons and manuscripts. Svan families built the stone towers, most dating from the 9th to 12th centuries, as refuges in feuds and raids. Upper Svaneti kept a high degree of self-rule until the Russian Empire brought it under direct control in the mid-19th century, and the road from Zugdidi was improved in the Soviet period.

Local Cuisine

Try kubdari (bread stuffed with spiced chopped meat), chvishdari (cornbread baked around cheese), tashmijabi (mashed potato with stretchy sulguni) and dishes seasoned with Svan salt, a blend of salt, blue fenugreek, coriander and garlic sold in jars at the market. Guesthouses often make their own araki (spirit).

Accommodation

Many family guesthouses with home cooking, a good number of small and mid-range hotels, and a few boutique hotels in the town centre and on the slopes towards Hatsvali. Book ahead in July–August.