You know, there is a Mount Kaf that we always try to reach in the fairy tales of our childhood, but that Mount Kaf was actually the Caucasus. Again, the Phoenix in those fairy tales used to live in these mountains… I made a trip to the Svaneti Region of Georgia, which few of us have heard of and which is among the travel plans of many of us. Zugdidi, Mestia, Usghuli Svaneti were places in my itinerary. Other things I see are my extras 🙂
What You Will Find In This Article
About Svaneti, Svan Towers and Svan People
Svaneti Region is a region in the north-west of Georgia, close to Abazia. The northern part of the region is bordered by the steep Caucasus Mountains, which also serve as a border with Russia. The Svan people, on the other hand, are an ethnic group living in this region, the Svans, who have their own language and culture, have been able to preserve their culture because they live in hard-to-reach areas. However, roads and bridges are being built now, and these places will soon lose their old authenticity. Plenty of Turkish contractors have already started to do construction and HEPP projects here.
Although many nations such as the Mongols and Turks tried to bring the warrior Svan people under their sovereignty, they could not be successful until the Russian domination. There are also rumors that Georgians brought and hid their valuables in churches in this region during wartime, not to guide treasure hunters 🙂 Orthodox Svans are a very religious society. You can also see many newly built churches in Mestia.
Towers of Svan
Known as a warrior community, the Svans continue to preserve their 1000-year-old culture. The Svan Towers, unique to this region, are the most striking architectural structures. These towers, which are 20-25 meters high, built for defense purposes next to the houses, can be reached from 4 to 7 layers. The staircase leading to each layer is pulled up to the upper floor, and the staircase entrance is closed with a stone cover, thus preventing the enemies from advancing to the upper floors. The towers were not only built to protect from outside enemies, blood feuds were very common in this region and these towers were used to protect themselves from their own feuds. Although it is possible to see a few of these towers on the way to Mestia, most of them are destroyed or neglected. In Mestia, there are towers that are open to visitors, you can climb to the top.
Zugdidi, Organic City of Lower Svaneti
The first stop of my journey to see the real Caucasus was Zugdidi, the most important city of the lower Svaneti region. I came from Batumi and took a short break here and continued on my way to Mestia. Zugdidi is the last major settlement before Mestia. You might think of it as a port for Mestia. Every few hours there are minibuses to Mestia from here.
I had made a transit plan via Zugdidi with the hope that I could come to Mestia from Batumi quickly, and I also planned to see the Dadiani Palace and market in Zugdidi. It takes about 2 hours from Batumi to Zugdidi, and 3 hours from Zugdidi to Mestia. You can reach Mestia in 5 hours directly from Batumi for 30 Lari, but there is only one direct minibus between Batumi and Mestia at 1:15 a day. If you come via Zugdidi like me, it costs 00 Lari and you have to wait for 37-1 hours depending on the time of the next minibus to Zugdidi. At that time you can see both the palace and the market.
Zugdidi market is a place where you can find organic and affordable products such as fruits, vegetables, cheese and eggs. Since Mestia is the most touristic place in the region, shopping in Zugdidi makes sense. My advice, especially for those who will stay for a long time, is to do their shopping here. By the way, I did very little shopping at this market, but I regretted it because even the few fruits I bought were so delicious that I couldn't get enough of it.
I had to walk a little bit to Dadiani Palace and the weather had exceeded 32 degrees, so I skipped the palace because I didn't want to walk in that heat.
Svan Capital Mestia
Svaneti is not a country now, and Mestia is not the capital, of course. Since Mestia is the biggest city in Upper Svaneti, I declared Mestia the capital here 🙂 This is an important stop for those who come to see the Svaneti Region, even the airport has been built so that transportation is easy. The city is actually more of a tourism capital at the moment. Almost all of the buildings in the city center have been restored, and many restaurants, hotels, tourism agencies, guesthouses (you can think of them like our hostel) are ready to welcome foreigners who come to this region to see both the towers and nature.
Transportation in Mestia
Of course, the sudden increase in tourism demand has turned into a bit of opportunism. Since there is not a good tourism infrastructure yet, there is a segment ready to extort money from foreigners. The transportation network to the destinations is not very strong, you have to rent a car or reach many points by taxi. Even in the most touristic place of the region like Ushguli, only one vehicle leaves at 10:00 in the morning, where buses do not leave on time, arrives in Ushguli in 2-2,5 hours and returns at 16:00. In other words, you only have 1,5 hours to travel there, or you have to stay there and wait for the vehicle that returns the next day. Transportation here is 40Lari (Approximately 80tl). However, although it is around 7 hours from Mestia to Tbilisi, it costs 35 Lari. Because of such interesting accounts, it seems more logical to come to this region with a tour or rent a car.
If you are considering renting a car; I definitely recommend you to rent a 4×2 or 4×4 vehicle, and to trust your driver. The roads from Mestia are very bad.
If you plan to come with a tour; You can choose Ritur, based in Rize, whose routes I have joined for a few days. They pick you up from Trabzon airport and show you around Svaneti Region with a specially prepared program and drop you back to Trabzon. Prices are pretty good too. Since they have been coming to this region for years, they have a great command of the geography.
Places to Visit in Mestia
You can take Mestia as a center and make daily sightseeing tours from here. The most visited places in this region;
Ushguli
The highest settlement of these places, Ushguli, is 46 km from Mestia, but it takes around 2-2,5 hours because the road is bad. There is also a 4-day trekking route from Mestia, most of the foreigners walking this route.
Koruldi Glacial Lakes
There is a walking route to Koroldi Glacial Lakes from Mestia centre, but it is a very steep ascent. We preferred to walk with Ritur when going up and down the lakes by car. The descent takes around 15km, but due to the steep descent, you must have ankle walking boots. Quite a difficult descent, especially the last part.
Chalaadi Glacier
The Chalaadi Glacier is around 12 km from the center of Mestia. After the last point reached by car, a walking route of 2 km allows you to enter the glacier. However, if you want to go by taxi, it will take you to 80 Lari, you can form a group and go that way.
Mazeri Village and Shdugra Waterfall
Mazeri Village is 22km from Mestia. After that, the waterfall walk takes 9km, again a difficult exit route. We often came across groups walking by themselves or walking with a guide on the path. I walked here with the Ritur team. The waterfall is really worth seeing, but make sure you have the appropriate equipment and condition for the 18km hike 🙂 This route is also the starting point of one of the most dangerous summit ascents, Ushba peak. It has a very difficult ascent due to both rock climbing and glacier crossings and steep walls.
Ropeway
The start of the cable car is 6km above the city center, you can get on and off here by taxi. The cable car is 2 tier, you can buy a ticket for 10 Lari and go to both tiers with this ticket. As you can see the region panoramically from here, those who will walk the Ushguli route prefer the cable car to get rid of the steep exit.
Svaneti Museum
Svaneti Museum is in the city center and there is a very beautiful view of Mestia. You can also stop by if you have time to learn about Svan history and culture.
Svan towers
Some of the Svan Towers are open to visitors. The Khergiani Tower I went up to was in the upper part of the city, the entrance of the tower was 2 Lari. There used to be free towers, but I didn't come across them. I definitely recommend you to experience the tower exit.
Accommodation in Mestia
There are many accommodation options in Mestia. There are many options from big hotels to hostels, from hostels to campsites. I preferred the Old Town Guesthouse, which is very close to the city center. It met my needs with its huge garden by the creek. Prices here start from 20 Lari per person in hostels and continue upwards.
Food and Drink in Mestia
This is an area where options abound in Mestia. You can find everything you are looking for, from restaurants where you can find mostly local dishes to coffee shops that make European-style coffee. As in the rest of Georgia, khachapuri and khingali are the most common dishes here. I didn't have much trouble eating in Georgia, but let me make a footnote; If you are not comfortable with coriander, you may have some difficulty in dishes other than khachapuri. The use of coriander is the same in Georgia as parsley is used in our country. However, it may overwhelm you because its aroma is very dominant.
The most popular place in Mestia is Laila restaurant, where there is also live local music in the evenings. This is a place where it is difficult to find a place without a reservation. Apart from that, there are many other places with live music in the city center, and taking a tour in the small city center in the evening will be enough to hear the sounds of music.
What to eat and where to eat in Mestia? Be sure to take a look at my post.
If I had to give an idea about the prices;
- Khachapuri 5-6 Lari,
- One dumpling of Khingali is 0,80-.90 Lari (4 of them you will be full),
- Open beer in restaurants 3 Lari,
- Bread 2 Lari (yes, bread is paid extra),
- If you are going to drink wine, it will be more economical if you order a liter instead of the glass, you should definitely try Georgian wines.
- Snickers 2 Lari at the grocery store (or the woman tried to screw me, I didn't buy it :)),
- In a coffee shop I go to, coffee costs between 6-8 Lari, European style coffee is quite expensive here.
During the time I was in Georgia, 1TL was about 0,50Lari. You can evaluate the prices accordingly.
In the Svaneti Region “Swan saltThere is a spice mix sold as ”. The smell of this mixture, which consists of different spices, is quite heavy, and they use it in most of the dishes, albeit a little. You can also get it as a gift.
There are many places worth visiting in Georgia and Svaneti is definitely one of them. I also shared my suggestions about Svaneti with Skyscanner, the international air ticket price comparison site. “Where to go for the Eid-al-Adha holiday in 2019?” You can see my and other travelers' suggestions in the article.
Other Georgia Travel Articles
Below is a list of my other travel articles about Georgia.
Stay on the Road!
1 Comment
I always give you a souffle 🙂