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Trekking / Hiking in Svaneti
Medieval tower villages under 5,000-meter walls: the Mestia-Ushguli trek through Europe's highest inhabited corner.
Why here
The Mestia-Ushguli trek is Georgia's classic: four days and about fifty-eight kilometers through Upper Svaneti's medieval tower villages, UNESCO World Heritage since 1996, crossing the Chkhunderi Pass via Zhabeshi and Adishi to finish in Ushguli at around 2,100 meters, among Europe's highest permanently inhabited villages, beneath the 5,193-meter wall of Shkhara. The format is guesthouse to guesthouse, Svan salt on every table, and daily stages a fit walker handles without expedition logistics. Local Mestia outfits run it guided from around $570, with day-hike alternatives to the Chalaadi Glacier and Koruldi Lakes for shorter stays.
Best months
June to October; the Adishi river ford runs high in early summer, horses carry crossings for a few lari. Stages are moderate but consecutive, base fitness matters. October colors are the photographers' window.
Getting there & around
Mestia is a day's drive or a short prop flight from Tbilisi; Ushguli transfers return trekkers to Mestia. Guesthouses handle bags between stages on guided trips.
Skill levels: intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Svaneti Trekking
GuideMestia team of five named local guides with a decade-plus each, running the four-day Mestia-Ushguli classic plus day hikes and winter tours.
Travel Mestia
OutfitterMestia-based operator since 2015 running Ushguli day tours, Chalaadi Glacier and Koruldi Lakes hikes, and transfers with local guides.