Twelve days: the full ten-day programme — the warm-up days, the Mestia–Ushguli trek, the Shkhara glacier, the Becho valley, the cultural day — finished with two nights at a mountain base camp. The camp is simple on purpose: you walk out to it, eat a barbecue by the fire, sleep under the stars, and walk back in the morning. A guided farewell morning in Mestia closes the trip.
The base camp is the point of the extra days. After a week and a half of guesthouses, you end with evenings that belong to the fire and first light that belongs to the mountain. Breakfast and dinner are covered every night of the trip, and the group stays at six people — one guide, one car, the arithmetic the per-person price is built on.
Classic or Signature
For trekkers who want the full programme plus two nights sleeping high, away from the villages.
Day by day
Pine forest, the suspension bridge over the Mestiachala, the glacier tongue. Easy acclimatisation day; afternoon in Mestia - Svan towers and the museum.
Alpine lakes at 2,700 m with the full Ushba panorama. The hardest day-hike near Mestia.
First trekking day of the classic route, through Svan villages along the Mulkhra valley.
Over the Zhabeshi pass to the remote village of Adishi.
Adishi glacier, the river crossing and the Chkhutnieri pass - the strongest day of the trek.
Final trekking day into Ushguli under Shkhara, Georgia's highest peak.
Day hike up the Enguri valley to the Shkhara glacier, then the drive back to Mestia.
Shdugra waterfall, Georgia's most powerful, and the Ushba glacier viewpoint.
Towers, frescoed churches, a traditional Machubi house, museums, a Svan family table.
Walk out to the camp, barbecue by the fire, sleep under the stars, walk back in the morning.
Walk out to the camp, barbecue by the fire, sleep under the stars, walk back in the morning.
Towers, museum, market and Svan salt with the guide, then the transfer out.
What is included
- A local Svan guide with the group every day
- All travel inside Svaneti in our own vehicles
- A room in Mestia with breakfast and dinner
Not included
- Airport transfer — we arrange it as a separate line, just ask
- Flights and travel insurance
- Lunch on the mountain
- A room to yourself (single supplement on request)
Your guides
Shako MargianiAthlete · IFMGA & GMGA certified
Lasha PirtskhelianiIFMGA & GMGA mountain guide
Galo JapharidzeAlpine ski racer & guide · GMGA certified
Dato GuledaniMountain guide · GMGA certifiedCertified local Svan guides. We guide in English, Georgian and Svan.
Dates are flexible — tell us yours and we build the departure around them. Solo travellers can join a group that is already forming.
Questions we hear before this trip
How many people travel together?
Six, with one Svan guide and one car — that arithmetic sets the per-person price. Larger parties are split by activity, each sub-group priced by its own rule.
I am travelling alone — can I join?
Yes. A single traveller can join a departure that is already forming, and dates are flexible.
What are the base camp nights like?
You walk out to the camp, eat a barbecue by the fire, sleep under the stars, and walk back in the morning. Two nights, deliberately simple — after ten days of guesthouses, that is exactly the point.
What is included?
A local Svan guide each day, all travel inside the region in our own vehicles, and accommodation with breakfast and dinner.
What is not included?
Flights, insurance, lunch on the mountain, and a room to yourself.