Kazbegi Adventure Weekend: Rafting, Hiking & Paragliding — 3-Day Private Tour
Private · 3 days
$575/person · 4 travellers
Svaneti: Mestia & Ushguli — 5-Day Private Tour
Zugdidi · Mestia · Chalaadi Glacier · Koruldi Lakes · Ushguli · Kutaisi
Overview
A five-day private tour of Upper Svaneti, the high valley of Svan defence towers under the main Caucasus ridge: three nights in Mestia with walks to the Chalaadi glacier and the Koruldi lakes (2,740 m), then a night in Ushguli (about 2,100 m) beneath Mt Shkhara (5,193 m), Georgia's highest peak. Getting there is the hard part, so we solve it: you take the morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, where a Mestia-based driver-guide meets you, and in summer you leave over the Zagari Pass (about 2,620 m) to Kutaisi instead of repeating the same road. Ushguli's Chazhashi quarter, a cluster of medieval tower houses, is the core of the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage site. The walks are on mountain paths of 2–6 hours, with an easier option each day, so it suits active travellers of any experience. Four nights, the train ticket, a local hiking guide on the Koruldi day, museum entries and all 4x4 legs are included.
Itinerary
6 stops: Zugdidi, Mestia, Chalaadi Glacier, Koruldi Lakes, Ushguli, Kutaisi
1Day 1Train to Zugdidi, road to Mestia
Morning train (about 5.5 h; we book the current timetable), then about 130 km and 3 hours by road.
Morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi
ZugdidiDay 1: the morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi (about 5.5 h), where your Mestia-based driver-guide meets you for the 3-hour drive up the Enguri valley.Day 1: the morning train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi (about 5.5 h), where your Mestia-based driver-guide meets you for the 3-hour drive up the Enguri valley.
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.
View destination details
Early afternoon: met at Zugdidi station by your Mestia-based driver-guide
MestiaThree nights in Mestia: the Svaneti Museum, with its icons and manuscripts, and Margiani House, where you climb inside a Svan tower (both included).Three nights in Mestia: the Svaneti Museum, with its icons and manuscripts, and Margiani House, where you climb inside a Svan tower (both included).
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.
View destination details
Enguri dam viewpoint on the way up
Early evening: arrive in Mestia
Overnight: Mestia (hotel, breakfast)
2Day 2Mestia and the Chalaadi glacier
Easy walking on a forest path.
Chalaadi GlacierDay 2: our 4x4 to the Chalaadi bridge, then an easy 2–3 hour return walk through forest towards the glacier. We stay well back from the ice because of rockfall.Day 2: our 4x4 to the Chalaadi bridge, then an easy 2–3 hour return walk through forest towards the glacier. We stay well back from the ice because of rockfall.
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.
View destination details
4x4 to the Chalaadi bridge (about 30 min)
Walk towards the glacier, staying back from the ice (2–3 h)
Kubdari lunch in Mestia (not included)
Svaneti Museum
Margiani House tower
Dinner in Mestia (included)
Overnight: Mestia (hotel, breakfast and dinner)
3Day 3Koruldi lakes
4x4 to the Mestia Cross (about 2,200 m), then 3–4 hours of walking with a local hiking guide.
4x4 to the Mestia Cross
Walk to the Koruldi lakes (2,740 m) and back; packed lunch (not included)
Koruldi LakesDay 3: 4x4 to the Mestia Cross (about 2,200 m), then a 3–4 hour return walk with a local hiking guide to the Koruldi lakes (2,740 m) and views of Mt Ushba. Easier option: the Hatsvali chairlift and a tower visit.Day 3: 4x4 to the Mestia Cross (about 2,200 m), then a 3–4 hour return walk with a local hiking guide to the Koruldi lakes (2,740 m) and views of Mt Ushba. Easier option: the Hatsvali chairlift and a tower visit.
The Koruldi Lakes are a cluster of small alpine lakes at about 2,740 m on the ridge north of Mestia in Upper Svaneti. On a clear day the twin summits of Ushba (4,710 m) and the peaks of the main Caucasus ridge are reflected in the water. You can hike the whole way from Mestia, take a 4x4 up to the Mestia Cross viewpoint and walk the rest, or ride a 4x4 all the way on the rough track and spend your energy on the view.
View destination details
Easy alternative: Hatsvali chairlift and a tower visit
Back in Mestia
Overnight: Mestia (hotel, breakfast)
4Day 4Ushguli and the Shkhara valley
47 km, 1.5–2 hours; roadworks possible.
Drive to Ushguli with photo stops
UshguliDay 4: Ushguli's Chazhashi towers, Lamaria church and a walk up the valley towards the Shkhara glacier. Night in a family guesthouse with dinner.Day 4: Ushguli's Chazhashi towers, Lamaria church and a walk up the valley towards the Shkhara glacier. Night in a family guesthouse with dinner.
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.
View destination details
Chazhashi towers and Lamaria church
Walk up the valley towards the Shkhara glacier (5–6 h return on a gentle gradient, or shorter)
Dinner at the guesthouse (included)
Overnight: Ushguli (guesthouse, breakfast and dinner)
5Day 5Over the Zagari Pass to Kutaisi
Ushguli to Kutaisi about 160 km (4–4.5 h); Tbilisi another 3–3.5 h if you continue.
Depart over the Zagari Pass and through Lentekhi
Lunch in Kutaisi (not included)
KutaisiDay 5: over the Zagari Pass and down through Lentekhi to Kutaisi (about 160 km, 4–4.5 h); drop-off at Kutaisi airport or on to Tbilisi.Day 5: over the Zagari Pass and down through Lentekhi to Kutaisi (about 160 km, 4–4.5 h); drop-off at Kutaisi airport or on to Tbilisi.
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.
View destination details
Drop-off at Kutaisi airport, or on to Tbilisi by about 18:00
Make this tour your own:Build your own tour
What's Included
Included
- Train ticket Tbilisi–Zugdidi
- Mestia-based 4x4 with fuel and parking and an English-speaking driver-guide on days 1–5
- All 4x4 legs: Chalaadi bridge, Mestia Cross, Ushguli and the Zagari Pass
- Local hiking guide on the Koruldi day
- 3 nights in a standard hotel in Mestia (breakfast, one dinner) and 1 night in an Ushguli guesthouse (breakfast and dinner), twin/double rooms
- Entry fees: Svaneti Museum and Margiani House
- Bottled water
Not included
- Lunch and the dinners on days 1 and 3 (about 25–40 GEL per person for lunch)
- Drinks
- Horse hire at Ushguli
- Single room supplement
- Tips (optional)
- Travel insurance (mandatory for visitors to Georgia from 1 January 2026)
- Flights
Map
Good to know
- Best Time to Visit
- Mid-June–September; late May and early October on request, when the Zagari Pass is open
- Physical Requirements
- Moderate fitness level required. Includes longer walks, some uphill sections, and possibly uneven terrain.
- Cancellation Policy
- Nothing to pay now. Your quote includes the cancellation terms before you pay anything.
- Walking
- Chalaadi is an easy 2–3 hours on a forest path; Koruldi is 3–4 hours at altitude with about 550 m of ascent; the Shkhara valley walk is long but gentle and can be shortened. An easier option exists every day.
- Zagari Pass
- the return over the pass depends on snow and weather. If it is closed, we drive back via Mestia and Zugdidi instead, a longer day.
- Train
- tickets for the Zugdidi train sell out in summer, so we book them as soon as you confirm; hotel-to-station transfer in Tbilisi is on request.
- Cash
- Ushguli has no ATM; take cash from Mestia for drinks, horses and souvenirs.
- What to bring
- boots with grip, warm layer and rain jacket (Ushguli nights are cold even in July), sunscreen and a hat.
- Museum hours
- the Svaneti Museum and Margiani House keep their own weekly hours; we plan the Mestia visits around them.
Categories:
Short trip (2–5 days)
Mountains
