Ushguli
mountains
About Ushguli
Among the highest permanently inhabited villages in Europe, UNESCO-listed Ushguli sits deep in the Caucasus, where centuries-old Svan defensive towers still rise above the stone houses. The Svan people keep their own language, customs and polyphonic singing alive here, and the village opens onto treks toward the Shkhara Glacier. Reached by 4x4 from Mestia and best in summer, it pairs medieval atmosphere with hearty Svan fare like kubdari.
Culture
Svans maintain their language and customs, with tower houses symbolizing family pride. Festivals feature polyphonic singing and hearty feasts.
Travel Tips
Currency: GEL; cash only (no ATMs). Language: Svan, Georgian; little English. Safety: Safe; basic amenities. Transport: 4x4 from Mestia; tough roads.
Tours Including Ushguli
View All ToursGeorgia in 14 Days — Grand Discovery
The definitive two-week journey across Georgia, east to west and mountains to sea. From Tbilisi you explore the wine villages of Kakheti, climb the Military Road to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek, and visit Stalin's Gori, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and Queen Tamar's cliff city at Vardzia. Then west into ancient Colchis — Kutaisi's UNESCO monasteries — and up the Enguri gorge to the medieval Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli, before finishing on the Black Sea at Batumi. Fourteen unhurried days, every region, expertly guided.
Caucasus Jeep Expedition — 8 Days
An eight-day 4x4 expedition the length and breadth of Georgia, off the tarmac and onto the mountain tracks. From Tbilisi you cross to Bakuriani via Manglisi and the volcanic Lake Tabatskuri, climb to the Vardzia cave city and Rabati Castle at Akhaltsikhe, then push west through Kutaisi and up the Enguri gorge to the Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli. The return runs over the high passes to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek. Seven nights, hearty meals, and country you simply can't reach by paved road.
Svaneti Highland Expedition
Svaneti sits at the far edge of Georgia, and over five days you reach the places most travelers never see. You base in Mestia among medieval Svan defensive towers built to outlast invasion, then push on to Ushguli, the highest permanently inhabited village in Europe, under the white wall of Mt Shkhara. You hike to glaciers, eat at Svan tables, and meet a fiercely independent people who kept their own language and customs through every century. The mountains here are huge and largely untouched, and the going is real. This is the wild, proud heart of the Georgian highlands.
Western Georgia & Black Sea — 6 Days
Trade the well-worn eastern route for Georgia's green, dramatic west. Over six days you cross from Tbilisi into Imereti and Samegrelo, where limestone canyons cut through forest and rivers run a startling emerald. You climb into Upper Svaneti, a high mountain world of stone tower-houses that have guarded these valleys for nearly a thousand years, and stand beneath Mt Shkhara at Ushguli. Then you drop to the subtropical Black Sea coast, finishing in Batumi among palm-lined promenades and sea air. Expect waterfalls, ancient monasteries, alpine roads and coastline, all guided, all included, at a price that respects your budget.