Svaneti Private 4x4 Tour
Six days in Svaneti with a local driver-guide and a 4x4. Svan towers under Shkhara in Ushguli, the Chalaadi glacier, and the Koruldi Lakes facing Mount Ushba.
6 days / 5 nights 2–4 guestsModerate
Travel guide
Svaneti travel guide
Svaneti is the high corner of the Caucasus I would send anyone to once: medieval Svan towers, Ushguli under Shkhara, Georgia’s highest mountain, and glacier and lake hikes straight from Mestia. It is also far, about 9 to 10 hours from Tbilisi by car. This is how to do it well.
By Jimmy Malania, licensed Georgian guide since 2011 · Updated
- About 9 to 10 h from Tbilisi by car
- Highest point 2,740 m (Koruldi Lakes)
- Best June to September
Getting there
By car, Tbilisi to Mestia takes about 9 to 10 hours. The road runs west across Georgia, past Kutaisi and Zugdidi, then climbs into the Enguri Gorge past the Enguri Dam, with forests, rivers and mountain villages replacing the lowlands as you go.
It's a long day, so I treat it as part of the trip: we stop when you want, and the drive back gets its own rested day at the end instead of following a hike.
There are also small-plane flights to Mestia, but they depend on the weather and are often cancelled, and an overnight train runs to Zugdidi, with the mountain road still ahead of you. For most people a private car from door to door is the easiest way.
Mestia as a base
Mestia, at about 1,500 m, is the town in the middle of Upper Svaneti, and the best base: every day trip below starts and ends there. On our tour you sleep five nights in the same guesthouse, with breakfast, so you unpack once.
Leave time for the town itself. Old Mestia is full of Svan towers, and after the Chalaadi hike on the first full day there's a free afternoon to walk around it.
Ushguli and Shkhara
Ushguli is the reason many people come to Svaneti: a cluster of villages with medieval Svan towers, one of Europe's highest inhabited settlements, under the white wall of Shkhara, Georgia's highest mountain.
The Mestia to Ushguli road is roughly 45 km and usually done by 4x4, and it takes a full day. We pass remote villages on the way, walk through Ushguli and Chazhashi to Lamaria Church, then continue into the Shkhara Valley for a walk with close views of the mountain and its glaciers.
The hikes: Chalaadi, Koruldi and Shdugra
- Chalaadi Glacier. About 6 km round trip, 2 to 3 hours, through forest along the Mestiachala River to the ice. One of the easier mountain hikes around Mestia, and a good first active day.
- Koruldi Lakes, 2,740 m. The 4x4 takes you up to the alpine zone, then you walk around the lakes. On a clear day you see Ushba and Tetnuldi. A longer hike is possible if you want it.
- Shdugra Waterfall. From Mazeri in the Becho Valley, under the north face of Mount Ushba: about 14 to 15 km round trip, 5 to 6 hours, around 500 m of climbing. The 4x4 can take you to the halfway café, which halves it.
Every hike can be shortened or skipped, and the guide sets the pace to the slowest walker. Distances and times for all of them are on the hiking page.
The Svan towers
The stone towers you see in every Svan village were built by families, for defence, most of them in the Middle Ages. A family lived in the house beside its tower and climbed into the tower when the valley was attacked.
Upper Svaneti is on UNESCO's World Heritage list, and Ushguli is where the towers stand closest together. In Mestia you see them right in town, between the guesthouses.
When the roads are open
The best time for Svaneti is June to September, when the Ushguli road and the Koruldi Lakes trail are clear of snow. May and October are possible, but snow can close parts of the plan.
If you want the harvest in Kakheti and the mountains in one trip, September is the month. See the best time to visit Georgia, or how Svaneti fits into a two-week route in our Georgia itineraries.
Questions
How do I get from Tbilisi to Mestia?
By car it takes about 9 to 10 hours, via Kutaisi, Zugdidi and the Enguri Gorge. There are small-plane flights too, but they depend on the weather.How many days do I need in Svaneti?
Our tour is six days: one to drive in, four days in the mountains (Chalaadi, Ushguli, Koruldi and the Becho Valley), and one to drive back.Can I reach Ushguli by car?
Yes. The road from Mestia is roughly 45 km and usually done by 4x4. It is a full-day trip, best from June to September.Are the Svaneti hikes difficult?
Moderate. The longest is Shdugra Waterfall, about 14 to 15 km round trip, but the 4x4 can halve it. Every hike can be shortened, and the guide sets the pace.Where do we stay?
In a guesthouse in Mestia for all five nights, with breakfast, so you only unpack once.
Our Svaneti tour, and other high mountains
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