Things to do in Svaneti, Georgia (Honest Georgian Guide)

Things to do in Svaneti, Georgia

If you’ll be traveling around Georgia by a rented car, reaching Svaneti will not be a problem. The best road to take is from Zugdidi to Mestia. If you’ll be using local transport, your best and cheapest options are the local vans called marshrutka. We would recommend you to jump on it in Zugdidi or Kutaisi. Marshrutkas and buses also drive to Mestia from Tbilisi– from the main train station, but you will need at least 8 hours to reach Mestia.

Mestia is somehow a capital of Svaneti region. Everything begins and ends here. With its altitude of 1.470 meters, it is a great base for hiking. The main street and the square might look like a Caucasus Switzerland, but just steps away from the hustle and bustle, you find yourself on the muddy streets with pigs wandering around and hearing kids laughter, who luckily have not been spoilt by tourism yet.

Svaneti can be named as hiking paradise. It does not offer just amazing hiking trails, fantastic views, and landscape, but also lots of glaciers, which can be visited. If the Svanetian towers already charmed you in Mestia, the views on them in Ushguli will blow your mind. The Svanetian towers were once used as defense towers for locals. To be exact these were actually fortified houses, from which local warriors defended their land and families. It is said that the oldest dated to the 6th century.

You can visit Ushguli either on foot (you will need around 4 days of hiking – sleeping can be done as wilderness camping or you can stay in local guesthouses in the villages along the way) either by car, where 4WD is still recommended. You can fetch a 4WD from the main square in Mestia.

Ushguli is actually an area, covering 4 smaller villages, which lie at 2.200 meters above sea level. Old stone houses are surrounded by Caucasus snow covered mountain tops, what makes everything even more spectacular. To top it all off, add the unique Svan towers and you will never want to leave. Ushguli is also a great place for hiking. Ushguli is so unique that it is even UNESCO World heritage site. It is claimed that Ushguli is Europe’s highest permanently inhabited settlement. If you already made it to Mestia, don’t even think of skipping Ushguli.

There a lot of guest houses available. Few hotels are in Mestia as well and two camping grounds. The prices for hotels and guest-houses depends on the season and services, but you can already get a fair room for around 13-14 EUR per night. Lots of GH offers breakfast, Wi-Fi, and some even saunas.

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