Hiking in Svaneti (Georgia) - Ushguli to Mestia

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• published: 29 Aug 2016
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Every year we, Wald & Don, decide to leave our luxury life behind and camp in the most remote and beautiful area’s we can find. This year fate and google maps had brought us to the amazing Southern Caucasus mountains of Georgia, or to be more precise: the Svaneti National Park. Starting our trip in Tbilisi we immediately got familiar with the weather in Georgia around May. It can be sunny and warm in Tbilisi but cold, rainy and cloudy in the Caucasus mountains. This resulted in the cancellation of our dream flight over the mountains from Tbilisi to Mestia. So no inspection from the plane but instead a long ride by car taking us via the E60 until Zugdidi and up the mountain road to Mestia. Once in Mestia our trip really started by gathering some information about the conditions in the mountains. Soon we realized that the chances of us completing our 4-5 day hike from Zeskho to Ghebi would be very challenging. It turned out our intelligence gathered from a reliable source in The Netherlands didn’t turn out to be so reliable. The mountains where still covered with snow, even the lower areas. We decided to go to Ushguli and see it with our own eyes with a backup plan ready in case everybody was right. After hitchhiking with a very nice older couple that was telling us beautiful stories about the area, their house, their view on the Russian Georgian conflict, traditional Georgian sausage making etc. etc. we arrived in Ushguli. Unfortunately they were only speaking Georgian and Russian so I can’t share any more details of the conversation. In Ushguli we stayed at Guesthouse Angelina. In Geogia every house can be turned in to a guesthouse with a friendly smile, but Guesthouse Angelina was had something special: Angelina and family. She provide us with the live recordings used under our footage. Thanks for that and good luck with your singing career! Next to that the accommodation, food and of course the dogs where amazing. They also convinced us to forget about our Zeshko – Ghebi adventure and alternatively choose for the hiking routes that would lead us back to Mestia. This turned out to be a very good alternative as well. Although we spent less nights out in the woods and more nights in the comfort of a family home, we experienced the real Georgian mountains and the hospitality of the people living there. Snowy days and frozen limps where followed by a burning sun but always with these massive peaks in the background. It was a beautiful trip combining one of the oldest cultures in the world and also one of the oldest landscapes of the world! Who knows we will be back some day to complete the Zeshko – Ghebi hike... Please let us know if you did it or if you can recommend us any other places we should definitely go to! Music: Live recording of miss Angelina & her little brother in Ushguli Jack Savoretti - HOME Nice place to stay in Ushguli: http://ushguliangelina.blogspot.nl/ More info: http://www.caucasus-trekking.com/svaneti http://www.geoland.ge/en/home http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/709