Mestia to Ushguli Trek — 7-Day Supported Private Hike

Morning train (about 5.5 h; we book the current timetable), then about 130 km by road (about 3 h).

1. Morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi

   • ZugdidiDay 1: the morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi (about 5.5 h), then about 3 hours by road up the Enguri gorge to Mestia.

     Day 1: the morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi (about 5.5 h), then about 3 hours by road up the Enguri gorge to Mestia.

     Zugdidi is the main town of Samegrelo in western Georgia, about 330 km (5 h) from Tbilisi and the gateway to Svaneti: the mountain road to Mestia starts here, and the Tbilisi train ends here. Its main sight is the Dadiani Palaces museum, the former residence of the princes of Mingrelia, with European paintings, family treasures and one of the death masks of Napoleon Bonaparte, set in a botanical garden. Most travellers stop for 1–2 hours and a Megrelian lunch on the way to or from Mestia.

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2. Afternoon transfer from Zugdidi to Mestia

   • MestiaNight 1 in Mestia (about 1,500 m), where you meet your mountain guide; the last ATMs before Ushguli.

     Night 1 in Mestia (about 1,500 m), where you meet your mountain guide; the last ATMs before Ushguli.

     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.

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3. Evening briefing with your mountain guide

4. Overnight: Mestia (guesthouse, half board)

About 16 km and 6–7 hours; a steady climb over the ridge, then down into the Mulakhi valley.

1. 08:30

   Start from Mestia

2. Packed lunch on the trail (included)

3. Afternoon arrival in Zhabeshi

   • ZhabeshiDay 2, the first trek day: Mestia to Zhabeshi, about 16 km over the ridge into the Mulakhi valley; guesthouse with half board.

     Day 2, the first trek day: Mestia to Zhabeshi, about 16 km over the ridge into the Mulakhi valley; guesthouse with half board.

     Zhabeshi is a small Svan village in the Mulakhi valley of Upper Svaneti, about 15 km east of Mestia by road. It is the usual first overnight stop on the four-day Mestia–Ushguli trek: a day of about 16 km on foot over pastures with views of Mount Ushba, ending at a family guesthouse with dinner. There are a few old defence towers and a quiet village lane, but you come here for the trek, the evening meal and an early start toward Adishi.

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4. Overnight: Zhabeshi (guesthouse, half board)

About 11 km and 5–6 hours; a long climb and a steep descent into Adishi.

1. 08:30

   Climb towards the ridge above Zhabeshi

2. Packed lunch on the trail (included)

3. Descent into Adishi

   • AdishiDay 3: Zhabeshi to Adishi, about 11 km, to a small tower village below the Adishi glacier; guesthouse with half board.

     Day 3: Zhabeshi to Adishi, about 11 km, to a small tower village below the Adishi glacier; guesthouse with half board.

     Adishi is a small Svan village at about 2,040 m in Upper Svaneti, with a cluster of medieval defensive towers and a view up the valley to the Adishi glacier. It is the overnight stop at the end of day 2 on the four-day Mestia–Ushguli trek, about 11 km from Zhabeshi. Only a few dozen people live here year-round (44 in the 2014 census), and most visitors arrive on foot, stay one night in a family guesthouse and leave early the next morning for the Chkhutnieri Pass.

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4. Overnight: Adishi (guesthouse, half board)

About 19 km and 8–9 hours, the hardest day: the Adishi river ford early, when the glacial water is lowest, then the pass at about 2,700 m.

1. 07:00

   Ford the Adishi river, or cross on a local's horse

2. Climb to the Chkhutnieri pass, facing the Adishi glacier

3. Packed lunch (included); long descent to Iprali

   • IpraliDay 4: an early ford of the Adishi river, the climb to the Chkhutnieri pass (about 2,700 m) and a long descent to Iprali, about 19 km in all.

     Day 4: an early ford of the Adishi river, the climb to the Chkhutnieri pass (about 2,700 m) and a long descent to Iprali, about 19 km in all.

     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.

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4. Overnight: Iprali or Khalde (guesthouse, half board)

About 12 km and 4–5 hours, mostly along the valley road and trail.

1. 09:00

   Walk up the Enguri valley

2. Packed lunch (included)

3. Afternoon in Ushguli: Chazhashi towers and Lamaria church

   • UshguliDay 5: an easier walk up the Enguri valley to Ushguli (about 2,100 m), with the afternoon among the Chazhashi towers and at Lamaria church.

     Day 5: an easier walk up the Enguri valley to Ushguli (about 2,100 m), with the afternoon among the Chazhashi towers and at Lamaria church.

     Ushguli is a community of four small Svan villages at about 2,060–2,200 m at the head of the Enguri valley in Upper Svaneti, 47 km beyond Mestia. It is one of Europe's highest permanently inhabited settlements, and its medieval stone defence towers, with the snowfields of Mount Shkhara (5,193 m) behind them, are part of the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage site. You walk between the towers of Chazhashi, climb to the Lamaria church, and, with a full day, hike up the valley toward the Shkhara glacier.

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4. Overnight: Ushguli (guesthouse, half board)

⚠ About 5 hours by 4x4 over the Zagari pass (about 2,600 m) and Lentekhi. Outside the Zagari season we go via Mestia and Zugdidi, which takes longer.

1. 08:30

   Drive over the Zagari pass and down through Lentekhi

2. 13:30

   Lunch in Kutaisi (not included)

   • KutaisiDay 6: out over the Zagari pass to Kutaisi; night in Kutaisi. Day 7: Gelati Monastery if time allows, then Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport.

     Day 6: out over the Zagari pass to Kutaisi; night in Kutaisi. Day 7: Gelati Monastery if time allows, then Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport.

     Kutaisi, Georgia's third-largest city, sits on the Rioni river in Imereti, about 230 km west of Tbilisi. It is the natural base for western Georgia: UNESCO-listed Gelati Monastery and the hilltop Bagrati Cathedral are on its edge, and Prometheus Cave, Sataplia, and the Martvili and Okatse canyons are within an hour. In town, walk the Green Bazaar, the White Bridge and the old Jewish quarter, then eat Imeretian khachapuri with a glass of local Tsitska or Tsolikouri white wine.

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3. Afternoon free in Kutaisi

4. Overnight: Kutaisi (hotel, breakfast)

Kutaisi–Tbilisi 3–3.5 h; Kutaisi airport about 30 minutes.

1. Morning at Gelati Monastery (UNESCO) if time allows

2. Transfer to Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport