Georgia Adventure: Mestia, Ushguli and Svaneti Tour

After breakfast at the hotel, we set off directly towards the Botanical Park.

Batumi Botanical Park

Located 9 km from the center of Batumi in the Mtsvane district, the park covers an area of approximately 110 hectares and is among the largest botanical gardens in the world. You may take this tour with special tour vehicles if you wish. After visiting the park, we head to Mestia.

Zugdidi & Mestia

Traveling through Georgia’s holiday city Kobuleti and the port city Poti, we reach Zugdidi, the capital of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Megrelia-Upper Svaneti), the Laz homeland, after about a 2-hour journey through vast agricultural lands. After lunch here, we proceed along the banks of the Enguri River, which originates in the heights of the Caucasus and flows through the valley into the Black Sea. On the way, we arrive at the Enguri Dam, which was built during the Soviet era and, at 271 meters high, is the second tallest concrete arch dam in the world.

Then, after a 3-3.5 hour journey, we arrive at Mestia, the center of the Upper Svaneti Region (1,500 m), and check into our hotel. During your free time before dinner, you can visit the museums and churches in Mestia or lose yourself in the streets of the town.

The journey from Batumi to Mestia takes approximately 6-7 hours in total, depending on weather and road conditions.

Ushguli Village

Today's destination is Ushguli, the highest village in Europe where people live year-round. We'll set off from Mestia early in the morning by car. On the way, we'll pass through many small and large villages that make up the Upper Svaneti region before arriving at Ushguli. After a two-hour walk and break in the village, we return to Mestia and continue to the Chaaladi Glacier. 

Chaaladi Glacier

From Mestia, a short drive takes us to the starting point of our hike. Then we begin our trek through a forest trail to reach the end of the glacier, one of the largest in Georgia, at the foot of Mount Ushba, in a walk that lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. The hike features a gentle incline, with the last 1000-1200 meters occasionally crossing rocky terrain. After taking a break and enjoying the glacier, we return by the same trail, meet our vehicle, and return to our hotel in Mestia. 

Today we will venture into the deep valleys of Mestia.

Hatsvali & Zuruldi Mountain

We will travel from Mestia to Hatsvali by car, where the station is located. This is also a spot in Mestia known for winter tourism, with ski slopes. We will take the cable car here up to Zuruldi Mountain (2340 m). At the mountain facilities, we will fully enjoy the magnificent panorama of the Caucasus. This scenery offers a different beauty at every moment of the day, and you will never want to leave it. Towards the end of the day, we take a ridge walk through the forests with those who wish to join. Those who prefer not to can wait for us at the terrace café and soak in the view of many peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. After completing our walk, we return by cable car and head back to the hotel.

Today we will head to Mazeri Valley, one of the most beautiful valleys and the starting point of the climbing route to Ushba Mountain, which rises to 4,710 meters.

Mazeri Valley & Ushba Waterfall

We have about a 1-hour drive ahead. It's a valley with a series of waterfalls pouring down from the Ushba glacier. The largest, Ushba Waterfall, is also the tallest waterfall in Georgia. 

We will start our hike from Hiker's Cafe, located deep within the valley. The trail begins as a gently sloping forest road, but after 10 minutes it gets steeper. We ascend about 200 meters, after which the path flattens out and continues through a beautiful forest trail. After crossing the Dolra River, we pass the border guards' hut and start our second and final ascent.

Here, too, we climb about 200 meters and now we are very close to the waterfall. It's not possible to get close to the main waterfall, as it flows into a powerful and narrow canyon, but we will visit the smaller one. Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit. We then return to the cafe along the same route. You can grab a snack here. Afterwards, we head back to our hotel. 

After an early breakfast, we leave our hotel and Svaneti and set off towards Kutaisi, the capital of the Imereti region. Kutaisi, the capital of the Imereti region.

Prometheus Cave

Our first destination here is the Prometheus Cave, located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, where, according to mythology, Zeus chained Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to humans. In this magnificent cave, we'll discover its unique underground lakes and natural formations.

Sataplia Cave & Park - Walk on the Glass Terrace

After Prometheus Cave, we'll visit Sataplia Cave, which is home to rare dinosaur footprints in the world. Inside, you'll find a formation that resembles a biological human heart waiting for you! Next, we'll take a short walk through the oak forest to reach the glass terrace. After enjoying the view here, we'll continue towards the exit of the park.

Kutaisi

After completing our cave tours, we'll get back in our vehicle and head to our hotel in Kutaisi. After checking in and having a short rest, we'll visit Bagrati Cathedral, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Next, we'll go to the Colchis Fountain. After a brief tour of the Kutaisi city center, we'll stop by the White Bridge and then settle into our hotel.

Sabah kahvaltımızın ardından otelimizden ayrılıp yola çıkıyoruz.

Gelati Manastırı

İlk olarak Kutsal Gürcistan Üçlemesi olarak adlandırılan katedrallerden ikisini ziyaret edeceğiz. Bunlardan birincisi  10. yüzyılda Kral David tarafından inşa ettirilen, 1994 yılında UNESCO Dünya Mirası olarak kabul edilen Gelati Manastırı olacak. Bu tarihi ve manevi yapının büyüleyici atmosferinde biraz vakit geçirdikten sonra üçlemenin ikinci durağı olan çok otantik ve hüzünlü bir hikayeye sahip Motsameta Manastırı'na geçiyoruz.

Motsameta Manastırı

Motsameta Manastırı, sadece güzelliği ile değil, aynı zamanda derin bir hüzün ve kahramanlık hikayesiyle de ünlü. Efsaneye göre, Arap istilasına karşı direniş gösteren Gürcü prensler David ve Konstantin burada şehit edilmiş. Bu manastır, onların anısına inşa edilmiş ve Gürcüler için büyük bir manevi değere sahip. Yüksek kayalıkların üzerine kurulmuş bu manastırdan, manzarayı izlerken bu dramatik hikayenin derinliğini hissedeceksiniz. Manastırın içerisindeki kutsal suları ve huzur dolu atmosferi deneyimledikten sonra Batum’a doğru yola çıkacağız.

Ardından Sarp Sınır Kapısı'ndan geçip Rize Havalimanı'na doğru yola devam ediyoruz ve bir başka BUKLATUR gezisinde buluşmak ak üzere vedalaşıyoruz.