Svaneti Georgia

The beginning of our adventure will be in Tbilisi, where we will spend only a few hours, but if someone wants to stay longer in Tbilisi, they can arrive a day earlier.

What to see in Tbilisi? We'll start with the Old Town and colorful restaurants serving khachapuri and khinkali. Then, we'll go to the Gabriadze Theater, Bridge of Peace, and the Abanotubani Sulfur Baths in Tbilisi. In the evening, before the train to Zugdidi, we'll admire the view of Tbilisi from the observation deck near the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.

Then, we will go by train to Zugdidi, where our journey along Svaneti will begin.

In the morning, we arrive in Zugdidi, where our car awaits us to be taken to Mazeri. This is a small village at 1660 meters from which you can best see Mount Ushba, the harshest and most dangerous mountain in the Caucasus. Ushba means “coven of witches” or “mountain of witches” in Georgian. You can be calm, we will not go up there ;). We will have a much easier track to the Mazeri waterfalls, where we will see our first glacier of Mount Shelda.

After the track, we return to the village, where we will be met by Mila, the owner of the guesthouse where we will stay. She is extremely hospitable and kind; believe me, she cooks divinely so we will have a genuinely Georgian dinner.

This is the most difficult moment of the trip, but the views that will open up before us are the best reward! We will have a 360-degree view of the Caucasus Mountains - majestic and beautiful! We will climb to an altitude of 2950 meters and then start descending towards Mestia.

Our goal is to cross the Guli pass. On the way, we will see an old village that was completely destroyed by an avalanche, cross waterfalls, and spend the night camping under the starry sky.

We wake up, open the tent, and see the mountains—it's a good morning! We have plenty of time. Today, we have an easy track to Mestia, a colorful town in Upper Svaneti, where several dozen medieval Svan stone houses with watchtowers and residential towers have been preserved, ancient temples, and a bunch of interesting things.

Everyone will have time to walk around the town, take fantastic photos, and relax, and in the evening we will buy wine and play board games.

We had already seen a bit of Georgia, but not enough, so we set off to the village of Ushguli. We warn you right away that the road will be fun, we are driving along the edge of the canyon because Ushguli is located at an altitude of 2200 meters, it is considered the largest highland settlement in Europe. This village offers a fantastic view of the highest mountain in Georgia - Shkhara 5193m. Traditional Svan towers have been preserved in the town, and on the hill next to the village of Zhibiani is the Church of Our Lady, built in the XI century. National Geographic has repeatedly filmed Ushguli, and we will see it in real life!

We will also enjoy an easy trek to Mount Shkhara's glacier and spend the night at a campsite with a beautiful view of the village and mountains.

We have hiked well in the mountains, so it's time to rest. In the morning we pack up our tents and leave the campsite. We have plenty of time to walk the streets of Ushguli and taste the local chacha.

In the afternoon, we go to the seaside in Batumi.

The Black Sea coast is always warm, and there is always something to do. The city is remembered for its abundant greenery, palm trees, a considerable promenade, and delicious food. P.S. Try the local shawarma;)

These days, everyone has a free program. You can look at the moving 8-meter statues that tell the story of Ali and Nino's love, sunbathe and swim, go boating, take a walk in the Seaside Park, climb the tower of the Georgian alphabet, and in the evening, be sure to ride the Argo cable car. We'll help you with suggestions;)

It's time to say goodbye, but first, we'll make friends on Facebook and exchange our best photos. And, of course, we'll arrange our next adventure together. Before the flight, we take a group photo and return home.