Four days buy you the three essential landmarks plus the valley most short visits miss. Days one to three are the glacier walk, the day in Ushguli and the climb to the Koruldi Lakes under Ushba. Day four turns west into the Becho valley for Shdugra — Georgia's most powerful waterfall — and the Ushba glacier viewpoint, a different angle on the mountain that has followed you all trip.
The rhythm alternates between easy and long: glacier, Ushguli, Koruldi, Becho. You sleep in Mestia every night with breakfast and dinner, and the guide and the car are the same all four days. A group is six people — one guide, one vehicle — which is the arithmetic behind the per-person price and the reason the pace stays yours.
Classic or Signature
For people with four days who want the classic landmarks plus the valley most short visits miss.
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.
4x4 up the Enguri gorge to Europe's highest inhabited village. Lamaria church, towers, Svan lunch, Shkhara viewpoint.
Alpine lakes at 2,700 m with the full Ushba panorama. The hardest day-hike near Mestia.
Shdugra waterfall, Georgia's most powerful, and the Ushba glacier viewpoint.
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 are on the trip?
Six, plus one Svan guide and one car — the per-person price is built on that arithmetic. Larger parties are split by activity, and each sub-group is priced by its own rule.
I am on my own — can I still come?
Yes. A single traveller can join a departure that is already forming, and dates are flexible.
What is in the price?
A local Svan guide each day, all travel inside the region in our own vehicles, and a room in Mestia with breakfast and dinner.
What is not in the price?
Flights, insurance, lunch on the mountain, and a room to yourself.
Which day is the hardest?
Day three, the Koruldi Lakes — the hardest day-hike near Mestia, up to 2,700 m. The glacier day before it and the Becho valley day after it are considerably gentler, and the Ushguli day is mostly driving and village walking.