PLEASE NOTE: This is practical info to go along with the ‘Chiora’ letter that can be found HERE.
Svaneti is the trekking destination for tourists in Georgia. This is not to say it’s the best, but it is the most accessible. Even visitors who aren’t trekkers will visit this region to see the famed Svan Towers and the snowy Caucasus mountains. Despite the heavy tourist traffic, the region still retains a feeling of wonderment and authenticity as locals serve up specialty breads and chesses and converse among themselves in the Svan language that shares an alphabet with its Georgian cousin but little else.
The Trek
The Mestia to Ushguli trek is gaining more and more renown abroad and is now the most popular multi-day trek in the country. I can’t add much to the already vast spread of information available for the trek but I will say this: even though it’s popular and getting more crowded, it’s very much worth it. For four days of trekking you’ll feel like you’ve passed into a different world so beautiful and mystical that if I were to describe it here, I’d be accused of over exaggerating.
If you’re thinking of hiking the route, I would bring a compass, a map, and pay a visit to Jozef’s Caucasus Trekking Blog to read his post about it HERE or, take along your copy of Tim Bufford’s Georgia Bradt guidebook which provides a detailed description of the route.
One more note, Molly and I hiked at the end of May and there was deep snow on the highest pass. So be mindful of what time of year you embark. The best months to visit are June – September.
The Lodging
Below is a list of the guesthouses we stayed at while on the trek.
- Night 1: Roza’s Guesthouse
- Location: Mestia
- Price for one night: $18
- The easiest way to describe Roza’s guest house is as a hotel at guesthouse prices. The room we stayed in had not one, but two outdoor balconies overlooking Mestia and the mountains. The building is new and clean with sleek floors and a modern common rooms. Roza’s is situated up on a hill and outside there are picnic tables and hammocks in the open grassy yard. But most importantly, the owners are very kind and accommodating; they let us leave some of our belongings there while we hiked so that we could lighten our packs despite us not staying another night when we got back.
- Night 2: Guesthouse Lali
- Location: Zhabeshi
- Price for one night: $20 ($8 to camp) Both costs include dinner.
- Guesthouse Lari is small and cozy, with aging rooms and surprisingly consistent hot water. Its located on an expansive plot of land at the edge of town just beneath a dramatic jagged gulley making for a spectacular sunset. The host, Lari, was wonderfully welcoming and an incredible cook. The price of a stay includes dinner and breakfast all homemade. But perhaps the most memorable character at guesthouse Lari was Balu the dog: an enormous Caucasus Mastiff who was quite skilled at sneaking pets on the head in between scolding’s from his human.
Balu would get any bread leftover from breakfast.
- Night 3: Camping by the river.
- You can read more about this in the letter to home.
- Night 4: Guesthouse Gamarjoba
- Location: Ushguili
- Price for one night: $16 With dinner & breakfast, $7 room only
- Again, if you would like to know more about this guesthouse I would read the letter. The home is magical and the artwork is otherworldly.
The backyard at Guesthouse Gamarjoba is quite cozy.
The Cuisine
In the villages you pass through when hiking the Mestia to Ushguli route, few of the guesthouses have names and fewer have websites. So instead of reviewing each restaurant individually, I’ll take a look at common dishes in the region.
- Kachipuri – This is it; The dish that will fuel your Caucasus trekking adventure. Sold in every guesthouse we came across, the dish is farm cheese baked in bread then cut into slices like a pizza. That’s it. The cheese is spread out on the dough, then the dough is folded over to cover the cheese and the whole thing is baked in an over for 20 – 30 minutes. When it comes out, the bread is doughy and the cheese inside is melty and sharp and after three or four slices you’ll feel ready to explode.
- Churchkhela – Also referred to as ‘Svaneti Snickers’ by tourists, this candy looks like a lumpy violet candle. But don’t let its appearance fool you; it’s heavenly. It’s made from a sort of grape syrup mixed with flour that is used to cover nuts (mostly hazelnuts) and is incredibly rich, tasting like a sort of refined nerd’s rope encasing well toasted nuts. These can be found hanging in nearly every small shop.
- Soup – I apologize for not having a more specific name for this, but the soup everywhere in Svaneti is the same sort of light creamy, herby broth. It’s served with a puri (bread) at every dinner.
- Cucumber and tomato salad – Again, rather basic, but it’s served with every dinner we had so I thought I would mention it here. Fresh ingredients really make a difference.
Getting to and from Svaneti
The best way to get to Svaneti is by marshrutka (shared taxi cab) from either Tbilisi, or Zugdidi. We traveled from Zugdidi and the ride took about 3 hours. The road started out from low arid lands and slowly ascended into the high mountains. The ride cost about $7USD per person. Do be warned though: the drivers think they’re at the Indianapolis 500 when they’re on the road and yet still find time to make frequent stops for smoking and refreshments which can last 30 minutes.
As always, if you have more questions just leave a comment or send me an e-mail and I will be more than happy to reply.
Safe travels out there.
Dylan
