Svaneti
Overview
Svaneti is a region of Georgia located North-West of the country and bordering Russia. It is probably the most beautiful part of Georgia in terms of landscape. Here you are in the middle of the High Caucasus, the highest mountains in Europe, with peaks surpassing the 5000 meters.
The main town of Svaneti is Mestia, with around 3000 inhabitants, most of them Svans. You are likely to stay here and trek or hike to the surroundings. Mestia in wintertime is quite cold at nights (-7C) and if sunny quite ok during the day (+5C). As it was low season the city is quite dead: no people, no movement, shops closed... a bit like a ghost city but at the same time really calm, so I think better than in the summertime in terms of relax. Some other important villages are Mazeri or Ushguli, also with places to stay overnight.
It is really a must to pay a visit to Svaneti if you happen to be in Georgia, as it is one of the most impressive mountain landscapes you'll ever see.
The main town of Svaneti is Mestia, with around 3000 inhabitants, most of them Svans. You are likely to stay here and trek or hike to the surroundings. Mestia in wintertime is quite cold at nights (-7C) and if sunny quite ok during the day (+5C). As it was low season the city is quite dead: no people, no movement, shops closed... a bit like a ghost city but at the same time really calm, so I think better than in the summertime in terms of relax. Some other important villages are Mazeri or Ushguli, also with places to stay overnight.
It is really a must to pay a visit to Svaneti if you happen to be in Georgia, as it is one of the most impressive mountain landscapes you'll ever see.
Sightseeing
Even if you don't move at all from Mestia or from wherever you might stay, you'll be sightseeing. Every single part of Svaneti is a pleasure for the eyes.
However, if you decide to move your ass a bit, you have plenty of hikings and trekkings to do. We stayed in Mestia and we devoted two days to visit two different places. First day we went up to the ski slopes. To get there you have to follow the road to Ushguli for 2 km and then continue to the right for 6 more km. It will take you about 2 hours to cover the 8 km from Mestia, as it is all the time upwards. When you finish the road you get to the ski lift, which takes you to the summit of the mountain, from where you can enjoy impresive views of Mestia and the surroundings, including the famous Mount Ushba, one of the most difficult to climb in Europe. Really worth the effort, although you can hire a taxi to get you to the ski lift or you'll meet cars stopping on the way to give you a lift.
Second day we headed for the Chalaadi Glacier. This trekking is 24 km and it can be done in 7 hours stopping at the glacier and taking it easy. Take the road to the airport and keep following the river. After 2 hours walking you'll get to a suspension bridge, which you will cross. Here you can pay a visit to the Border guards' hut (they are really nice and will invite you for tea or coffee) and then you can head upwards to the Glacier. The path is marked with yellow and white marks on the rocks and it takes about 1 hour to get to the Glacier. Be aware that the last part is really rocky, so watch out for sprained ankles.
On the way to the glacier you'll be following the river all the time and you'll be going through the forest, so you'll get really nice views of everything. Once at the glacier despite the view is really nice, the glacier is not as impressive as you may expect.
This trekking is reccomendable if you are really into walking, not that much if what you are looking for are unforgettable views, as the first 10 km are on a dirt road with nice views but nothing really special and the last 2 km through forest.
Besides these two trekkings, it is also nice to wander around Mestia and see the famous Svan towers. Mestia is full of them. They are towers dating from Medieval times built for protection, measuring 25 meters tall. It looks like a Lord of the Rings atmosphere in there.
Another reccomended place to visit is Ushguli, a small village 47 km from Mestia. You can hike there during 4 days, you can take a taxi for about 200 GEL per person or if you happen to be in high season (summertime) you can go there by Marshrutka for about 20 GEL if there are enough people. We couldn't go there as it was low season so no people and we were not willing to pay that much money.
However, if you decide to move your ass a bit, you have plenty of hikings and trekkings to do. We stayed in Mestia and we devoted two days to visit two different places. First day we went up to the ski slopes. To get there you have to follow the road to Ushguli for 2 km and then continue to the right for 6 more km. It will take you about 2 hours to cover the 8 km from Mestia, as it is all the time upwards. When you finish the road you get to the ski lift, which takes you to the summit of the mountain, from where you can enjoy impresive views of Mestia and the surroundings, including the famous Mount Ushba, one of the most difficult to climb in Europe. Really worth the effort, although you can hire a taxi to get you to the ski lift or you'll meet cars stopping on the way to give you a lift.
Second day we headed for the Chalaadi Glacier. This trekking is 24 km and it can be done in 7 hours stopping at the glacier and taking it easy. Take the road to the airport and keep following the river. After 2 hours walking you'll get to a suspension bridge, which you will cross. Here you can pay a visit to the Border guards' hut (they are really nice and will invite you for tea or coffee) and then you can head upwards to the Glacier. The path is marked with yellow and white marks on the rocks and it takes about 1 hour to get to the Glacier. Be aware that the last part is really rocky, so watch out for sprained ankles.
On the way to the glacier you'll be following the river all the time and you'll be going through the forest, so you'll get really nice views of everything. Once at the glacier despite the view is really nice, the glacier is not as impressive as you may expect.
This trekking is reccomendable if you are really into walking, not that much if what you are looking for are unforgettable views, as the first 10 km are on a dirt road with nice views but nothing really special and the last 2 km through forest.
Besides these two trekkings, it is also nice to wander around Mestia and see the famous Svan towers. Mestia is full of them. They are towers dating from Medieval times built for protection, measuring 25 meters tall. It looks like a Lord of the Rings atmosphere in there.
Another reccomended place to visit is Ushguli, a small village 47 km from Mestia. You can hike there during 4 days, you can take a taxi for about 200 GEL per person or if you happen to be in high season (summertime) you can go there by Marshrutka for about 20 GEL if there are enough people. We couldn't go there as it was low season so no people and we were not willing to pay that much money.
Accomodation
There are plenty of guesthouses in Mestia, and even a couple of hotels. There are also some places to stay in Mazeri and Ushguli. We opted for Ninia's guesthouse for 12 GEL per night (less than 6€). It is a really basic place with shared toilets but good value for money, probably the cheapest place in town.
Food & Drink
Not a lot of options here. There are only 2 main restaurants and bars: Cafe Riho (or also known as the Polish bar). Don't go there. Internet is not working even if they say so, it is quite expensive and service is bad. I ordered a hot chocolate and some chocolate pancakes. I got the hot chocolate and they totally forgot about pancakes. I decided to leave and then they realized about pancakes, which of course I refused. It can happen if you have the bar full and you are stressed, but not if you are the first and only customer in the bar!
The second and best option is Café Laila, on the main square. Really reccomendable. Internet works perfectly, prices are decent and the girl who works there is really nice and helpful. They also have a great variety of Georgian food, so it is definetely the best place to eat and drink in Mestia.
The second and best option is Café Laila, on the main square. Really reccomendable. Internet works perfectly, prices are decent and the girl who works there is really nice and helpful. They also have a great variety of Georgian food, so it is definetely the best place to eat and drink in Mestia.
Transportation
You can reach Mestia by plane, or as we did, by road. I would reccomend the road option at least once, as it goes through impressive mountain landscapes. We were going from Batumi, so from there a Marshrutka at 11 in the morning to Zugdidi for 12 GEL (2 hours). In Zugdidi you change Marshrutka to Mestia for 17 GEL and 3 hours.
Going from Mestia, we took a Marshrutka straight to Tbilisi for 30 GEL and 8 hours (not 10 or 11 as Lonely Planet and some places on the Internet say).
Going from Mestia, we took a Marshrutka straight to Tbilisi for 30 GEL and 8 hours (not 10 or 11 as Lonely Planet and some places on the Internet say).
Safety
Svaneti is totally safe in terms of crime and stuff. People are nice and the only dangers or annoyances can be the Marshrutka's drivers, who drive like really crazy (Georgia is said to be the European country with most car accidents and I'm not surprised) and the wild dogs in Mestia. Dogs are not agressive at all, but really annoying. There are plenty of them in town and they stick to you wherever you go, so you can end up with 5 dogs following you around Mestia. Quite funny first time but annoying after a couple of times.
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