DAY 11. Tbilisi to Mestia.
We enlisted our friend, Kaxa, to drive us from Tbilisi to Mestia, which lies deep in the Caucasus Mountains. The drive from Tbilisi to Zugdidi passed through agricultural land and forests but things got really exciting once we drove out of Zugdidi and started heading up to the mountains. The road follows the Enguri River and at first passes small landholdings with agriculturally rich gardens. It then passes through incredibly rugged conifer and mixed deciduous forests.
Initially I asked Kaxa to stop for photos but I realised that if we were to stop at every bend in the road – each offering terrific scenery – we would never make it to Mestia. I did ask to stop when I saw this white church nestled in the forest.
DAY 12. Mestia.
Kaxa the Magnificent. Our friend, Kaxa, drove us from Tbilisi to the mountain town of Mestia in the Svaneti region of northwestern Georgia. He keeps us entertained and teaches us about Georgian culture, history, food and politics. And most importantly, he delivers us safely to our destination. Our roadtrips would not be the same without him.
After spending a night with us in Mestia, Kaxa drove us up to the trailhead where we started a 20 kilometer hike to the Koruldi Lakes and back.
After seven months of planning and anticipation, Joseph, Hans and I finally laced up our boots for our first day hike together in Svaneti. We will spend 4 days in Mestia preparing for our 5-day trek. Our first preparation hike was a physical challenge but very rewarding in terms of views of the Greater Caucasus.
Day hike to Koruldi Lakes. For our first hike in Svaneti we decided to hike to a group of lakes at the base of Mt Ushba. Joseph looks refreshed at the start but after a 1500 metre ascent and 20 kilometer round trip we were pretty exhausted by the end of the day.
Day hike to Koruldi Lakes. Our first glimpse of the massive Mt Ushba and Joe and Hans whip out their cameras. Ushba rises to 4710 metres and is just south of the Russian border. It is known as the ‘Matterhorn of the Caucasus’ for its spire-shaped twin peaks. Height-wise it doesn’t rank in the top 10 of the Caucasus but it is one of the most difficult to climb.
Day hike to Koruldi Lakes. After a three, or perhaps four, hour ascent we reached the Koruldi Lakes at 2740 metres. Quite a number of cattle were grazing at that elevation as there was abundant grass due to earlier rains and snow melt.
Day hike to Koruldi Lakes. Mt Ushba at 4710 metres watches over us as we hike up to the Koruldi Lakes. At this point we are well above the tree line and into the alpine meadows.
Day hike to Koruldi Lakes. The 1500-metre (in elevation) descent to Mestia took a solid three hours but with views like we were getting no one complained. The 4858-metre high Mt Tetnuldi (to the left in the photo) became shrouded in clouds in our descent but was clear of clouds for most of the day. We’ll be trekking close to its base in a few days.
Hike to Koruldi Lakes. A 360 degree video panorama of the Svaneti Caucasus with an extra dose of Joe and Hans. Thanks to Joe for production credits.
DAY 13. Mestia.
After our challenging hike on Tuesday we decided to have a less physical day and learn about the Svans. The Svans are an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians who historically have resided in the Caucasus Mountains of northwestern Georgia. To find out more about them we visited the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography. This museum was nominated for an award as one of Europe’s best museums and we could tell why. The collection was quite remarkable to begin with but it was also extremely well presented and well documented in English. The halls contained Christian treasury masterpieces like paintings and Bibles starting from the 9th century to relics that showed the Svans as great warriors.
DAY 14. Day hike to Chalaadi Glacier.
Hans and I seem to stumble across suspension bridges every time we travel together. Today’s crossing of the raging Mestiachala River brought back memories of the last time Hans and I encountered suspension bridges together – 36 years ago in the Lacandon jungle of Southern Mexico.
Joseph explores the terminus of the glacier, which is covered by debris.
The back side of the rock on the lower left says that the glacier reached this point in 1974. It has receded about 500 metres in 43 years. Climate change is no hoax. It is real and there is abundant tangible proof.
