Mestia-Ushguli hiking trail
The warmest shades of the color spectrum, the sun that shines but doesn't scorch, valleys shrouded in ethereal mist, refreshing crispness and mountain villages framed by white peaks. Would you like to be a part of this magical fusion? COME TO SVANETIA! The cradle of the Caucasian peaks (Ushba, Skhara, Tetnuldi), salts and wines.
The raw and rugged appeal of Svanetia attracts hikers like bees to a jar of honey, and travelogues report that 100-150 hikers head to the trail every day during peak season. Since crowded places are no longer fashionable, local mountain guide Misha has prepared an itinerary for us. Under his guidance, we will follow secret trails from Mestia to Ushguli.
Ushguli is one of the highest continuously inhabited areas in Europe, located at an altitude of 2100 m. The settlement has also been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the preservation of its milieu with defensive towers.
The hiking route is framed by rugged peaks, we can breathe in the icy breath of glaciers and we can test our strength with a raging mountain river. But that's not all!!! The Georgian experience loves contrasts and within the rigid frame also fits genuine rural areas, hospitality, local food and drinks and moderate physical exertion. The symbolic stone towers of Svanetia will guard the whole experience.
This is a technically easy trail, which is suitable for everyone regardless of age, weight, education level and previous experience. The length of the hike is about 110 km, the highest point is 3000 m. The backpack is light (25-30 l), overnight stays are in homestays/hostels. However, the weather can be unpredictable in autumn and we must take into account rain showers and cool temperatures.
Be ready!
Our goal is to walk. To cover any distance, you have to walk for many hours and take even more steps. You have to keep going even when the fog covers the mountains or the rain starts pouring down. I'm not talking about the discomfort... The miracle is that one is happy not in spite of these discomforts, but precisely because of them: excessive fatigue can drive the soul to delirium; excessive beauty can turn the mind upside down.
Overview - short & sweet
Objective: to complete the Mestia-Usghuli hiking trail
Dates: 1.-11.10.2021
Activity: hiking
Adventure guides: Lisette Huaniita Sipelgas, Triin Sõro
Technical difficulty level: 1/5 (easy mountain hike; read more From the FAQ page)
Physical difficulty: 2/5 (moderate effort; read more From the FAQ page)
Group size: 12
Trip price — 935€
Please note: For community members discount of -5% applies
[If the trip is canceled due to pandemic circumstances, we will refund the advance payment in full!]
Trip price
PRICE INCLUDES
Local transport in Georgia and all transfers
All overnight stays during the trip
Meals on hiking days (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
A sumptuous last dinner in Kutaisi
Elamus+ surprise gift
Group pharmacy
Travel organization and implementation
Adventure locomotives with Georgian experience
Local experienced mountain guide
Climbing equipment, except climbing shoes (optional activity)
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE - FLIGHTS, PERSONAL BEHAVIOURS AND OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Flight tickets (e.g. Riga-Kutaisi-Riga)
Insurance (travel insurance and sports insurance)
Personal camping equipment (including toiletries and medication)
Meals outside Mestia
Extra snacks for the hike
COVID-related travel expenses (e.g. PCR test)
Unscheduled excursions, transportation, etc. (or if you want to do something extra)
Our guide and great friend of the Estonian people Misha
Registration for the trip
Before registering, please read travel conditions. To secure your place on the trip, a deposit (3%) must be paid within 20 business days of receiving the confirmation and invoice by email; if there are less than 30 days left until the trip, the total cost (100%) must be paid. Read more: frequently asked questions.
Schedule and activities
Day 1: Arrival
We fly from Tallinn to Kutaisi, load our luggage into the car and head for Mestia. The first thrill is the narrowing mountain road with every kilometer, which winds its way up and down the mountains and valleys like a vine. The journey takes about 5-6 hours, including photo and shopping breaks. In the evening we meet our guide Misha: we eat, plan and get to know each other.
Day 2: Mestia
We wake up early, have a good breakfast and warm up our hiking boots. On the first day of the hike, we explore village roads, forest trails, a moraine slope and the Chaladi glacier. The glacier is located at an altitude of 1600 m (Mestia is 1400 m) and the highest point on our way is 1900 m. After 8 kilometers of hiking, we return to Mestia for the evening and restore the lost calories.
Chaladi Glacier Selfie (2018)
Day 3: Mestia - Becho
We wake up early, have lunch and set off. The day's hike winds through the beautiful Dolra Valley, takes a look at Georgia's highest waterfall, Shdughra, and brings us closer and closer to the home of the Georgian goddess of hunting, Dali - Mount Ushba. Ushba is a mountain with technically difficult climbing routes and, according to literary sources, is associated with the birth of Russian technical alpinism. However, the highest point of the hiking day will be the Ushba glacier (3000 m), not the peak. You can take a piece of rock with you as a souvenir from the foot of the legendary and mysterious mountain. We cover a total of 18 hiking kilometers and return to Becho, where we fill our bellies and stay overnight.
Mount Ushba seen from Elbrus (Russia) (2010)
Day 4: Becho Village
We repeat our morning rituals and set off. We hike another 18 kilometers, aiming to climb the Gul Pass.. The total ascent is 1360 m. On the way we pass some completely destroyed houses and a slightly better preserved church. In addition, there are cows, alpine meadows and vastness. The test of the day will be the ascent to the gorge, which at first glance seems like a serpentine rising into the sky - the dream of every pedometer. But the effort will be rewarded with a lot, because the gorge offers views of the snowy peaks and the majestic Ushba. Now we take some pictures, rest our feet, have a snack and return to Becho. Evening rituals and sleep follow.
Day 5: Mestia-Jabeshi
Boots are warm, body is used to it, bag straps are balanced, direction is found. We start our five-day hike to Ushguli. After the morning rituals, we drive back to Mestia by car. From there we head towards the village of Jabesh. The hike starts on the banks of the Tsaneri River in Mestia, passes through river valleys, villages and alpine meadows. Hiking kilometers are 16 and the highest point is 1800 m. In the evening we explore the village of Jabesh, have dinner and stay overnight.
Day 6: Jebesh-Adish
We wake up at dawn, have breakfast and head to the village of Adishi. The total hiking kilometers are 13 and it is a rather easy day. The village of Adishi is located at an altitude of 2040 m above sea level and is significantly less affected by tourism than other villages in Svanetia. We are greeted by centuries-old cottages, stone towers and four churches with traditional frescoes. But that is not all. The Tetnuldi mountain pyramid towering above the village (the tenth highest mountain in Georgia) and the fast-flowing Adishi glacial riverbed add spice and crispness to the whole. The missing steps and daylight can be spent exploring the archaic village. In the evening, a traditional meal and overnight stay.
Day 7: Adishi-Iprali
We are facing the longest and most challenging day of the trek. We can barely shake off the morning stiffness when we have to cross the raging glacial river. And there is no supporting bridge, boat, wifi or flight connection. A winter swimmer companion, negotiation skills, iron will and good mood will come in handy. Unfortunately, a beach hotel with a cold cocktail awaits us on the opposite shore, but a multi-hour climb to the Chkhunderi Gorge (2655 m). During the breath-taking breaks, you can take pictures of the rhododendron groves that spread all around. Majestic panoramic views of the snowy peaks and the Adishi Glacier open up from the gorge. Once the views have been seen, the journey simply continues downhill, we descend into the Khaldechala River valley, pass the village of Khalde, which was destroyed in the 19th century, and reach Iprali towards evening. The total length of the trail section is 16 hiking kilometers.
Day 8: Iprali-Ushguli
The last hiking ritual morning and we are already covering the last hiking kilometers, which carry us again through the mountain villages, forests and meadows of Svanetia closer and closer to our destination, Ushguli. A total of 13 hiking kilometers and a postcard view opens up before us with sagging houses, medieval stone defensive towers and the towering Shkhara (Georgia's highest peak) mountain massif. Ushguli village is the highest settlement in Europe with 200 permanent residents (2086-2200 m). Part of the buildings with defensive towers have also been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Snow covers the area for six months of the year, which often cuts off the area's only connection to the outside world - the road to Mestia. If the intoxication of reaching our destination has not taken away our energy, we will spend the rest of the day wandering the narrow network of roads, visiting the Lamaria Church and doing other cultural activities. We will have dinner and stay at the lodge.
Day 9: Ushguli - Mestia
We will drive back to Mestia. Everyone whose heart beats towards extreme motorsports or Slavic driving culture, smile… and the driver will laugh with you. And the rest, enjoy the view and trust. Upon arrival in Mestia, we will start with routine-breaking procedures. Everyone is free to choose the most pleasant way to relax. Dinner is also available :)
Day 10: Mestia-Kutaisi
We wake up at the crack of dawn, pack, say goodbye to Misha and get into the cars to start the return trip to Kutaisi. After lunch we arrive in Kutaisi: we walk around the old town, look at the houses, people, cafes, shops, etc. We will definitely have a proper last dinner. We spend the few hours of the night in the hostel.
No one will go hungry in Georgia. I swear! (2018)
Day 11: Departure
We will gather at 3.00:XNUMX in the morning and head to the airport.
I promise that the whole bouquet of flavors, colors, and smells you've absorbed will stay with you for a long time! :)
NB! There may be minor changes to the schedule and planned activities - for example, due to weather and conditions or passenger requests.
What to consider when traveling to Svanetia?
FOOD CULTURE
If you open the Estonian Wikipedia with the search term “Georgian cuisine”, you will find only one sentence under drinks: “A lot of Georgian wine is drunk.” True, the climate of Georgia is much more favorable for cultivating vines than ours, and looking at the natural mastery of handling them, I would like to ask what is in the mother's milk of this people? If not the host himself, then certainly the neighbor has a whole village of wine sloshing around in a corner of the cupboard. But it doesn't stop there. Everything left over from the winemaking process is spun into chacha (grape juice), pressed into snacks, and everything that precedes the sacred ceremony is rolled into dolma, tea mixture, or simply a salad.
PS! And this is not just drinking, enjoying, enjoying, but a magical rite of respect. Alongside the wine and chachapitsi, we greet our family, pets, loved ones, remember the best moments, thank the group leader, God, nature, etc.
When assembling your backpack, I recommend leaving a hole in it shaped like a wine bottle ;)
Some more keywords from food culture: Georgian bread, khachapuri (cheese pie), suluguni cheese, eggplant rolls, khinkali (LARGE dumplings), tomato-cucumber-onion salad, Svanetian salt (herb salt).
MORE ABOUT SVANETI
Traveling in the mountain villages of Georgia offers not only mental and physical purification, but also digital Detox's option: Internet connection is non-existent on hiking days, weak in villages. It is worth mentioning this to your family in advance.
ATMs in Mestia generally work, but to be on the safe side, we fill up with cash in one of the larger towns along the way.
PS! The trip is also suitable for geologists, gold diggers and crystal collectors. Found, seen, taken with you…
TRAVEL EQUIPMENT
There will be no heavy mountain climbing on this trip, so you will need standard hiking equipment: hiking clothes, preparedness and layers for rainy weather, hiking boots, a day hiking backpack (20-35 l), a change of clothes, etc. We will write more specifically about what weather to expect and what to bring in the information letter sent to all participants before the trip. You can always ask the adventure guides for advice.
As a leisure activity, you can also try rock climbing, for which we provide the basic equipment - more serious enthusiasts can pack their own climbing shoes for this occasion.
Travel documents, flights and COVID-19
The participant is responsible for the validity and orderliness of their travel documents. The following documents are required for this trip:
pass, which is valid for at least 6 months after the end of the trip;
proof of a negative COVID PCR test (made up to 72 hours before the start of the trip)*;
travel insurance;
A hiking-friendly option is also recommended. sports insurance if travel insurance does not cover it.
*NB! COVID-related travel restrictions and requirements are subject to change. We will provide more detailed information before your trip begins.
Flight tickets are not included in the price, but we ask that you consult with the tour guide in advance when purchasing them, to ensure that you purchase the right tickets at the right time and to the right destination. We will keep those registered for the trip informed about flight availability and schedule.
We will make a decision no later than one month before the trip whether the trip is possible and safe enough. If the trip is canceled due to circumstances caused by the pandemic, we will of course refund the advance payment in full.
Any more questions? Feel free to ask the adventure locomotives.
Adventure guide Triin Sõro
(5274261, triin[ät]elamuspluss.ee)
