Mestia (Svaneti)

Deep in the Greater Caucasus, Svaneti bristles with medieval defensive stone towers; Ushguli is one of Europe's highest permanently inhabited villages, and hikes to the Chalaadi Glacier and Koruldi Lakes are stunning.

Mestia is the main town of Upper Svaneti in northwestern Georgia. At about 1,500 m, it sits in the upper Enguri River valley on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, ringed by 4,000–5,000 m snow peaks such as Ushba, Tetnuldi and Shkhara. Thanks to its high mountains and remoteness, Svaneti has preserved for a thousand years its own Svan language, medieval family defensive towers and a wealth of church icons; Upper Svaneti was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1996. In town you can visit the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, the stone towers and traditional houses; day hikes nearby lead to the Koruldi Lakes, the Chalaadi Glacier and the Zuruldi ridge. About 45 km southeast, Ushguli is one of Europe's highest permanently inhabited villages; visit by hired car or on the classic four-day Mestia–Ushguli trek. June–September is hiking season, September–October brings golden autumn colours, and from December to April you can ski at Hatsvali and Tetnuldi. Getting there: take the night train or a minibus from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, then a minibus up the mountain (about 3 hours); there are also small planes from Tbilisi and Kutaisi to Mestia, but they are often cancelled due to weather. Plan on 3–5 days. Mountain weather is changeable and nights are cool, so bring warm clothes. Local specialities include Svan salt, kubdari meat pies and chvishtari cheese cornbread.

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