Mestia Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Getting to Mestia is an adventure in itself. The five- or six-hour marshrutka or jeep trip from Zugdidi travels through increasingly spectacular scenery as it runs up the Enguri valley, then the Mulkhura valley. From Tbilisi you can take an overnight train that gets you into Zugdidi at 5.30am, in time to catch a marshrutka to Svaneti the same morning. Alternatively, there’s a 6am marshrutka that goes from in front of Tbilisi’s main train station all the way to Mestia (25 to 35 GEL, 11 to 12 hours). Get there by 5.30am to ensure a seat.

Returning, a marshrutka leaves Mestia at 5am or 6am daily to Zugdidi and Tbilisi. There may be others later but you can’t ­depend on it.

The jeep roads from Mestia to Ushguli and from Ushguli to Lentekhi in Kvemo Svaneti (via the 2623m Zagar Pass) can be blocked for weeks in December, January and February, but the Zugdidi–Mestia road is normally kept open all year.

Mestia has an airstrip about 1km east of town. Flights have been an on-off affair but may have restarted by the time you go. Agencies and accommodation in Tbilisi or Mestia should know the latest.

Most Tbilisi travel agencies offer tours with trusted drivers and guides to Svaneti.