Ushguli in October: Svaneti’s high villages before the snow closes in

By David Kiknadze, Transport & Openings Reporter · 27/10/2026

Ushguli, a cluster of four villages — Zhibiani, Chvibiani, Chazhashi and Murqmeli — sits at the end of the Mestia road, under the shadow of Mount Shkhara, Georgia’s highest peak. It is one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe, and its stone defensive towers, narrow lanes and medieval churches form part of the Upper Svaneti ensemble on the UNESCO World Heritage List. October is a useful month to go: the summer trekking crowds have largely gone, the light is low and clear, and the surrounding slopes turn ochre and rust against the grey stone of the towers and the white of Shkhara’s glaciers. It is also, by Ushguli’s own clock, a closing month — the community is cut off by snow for long stretches in winter, so an autumn visit comes with a real sense of a place about to go quiet.

What to see

Chazhashi holds the densest surviving group of Svan tower-houses, several still at their original three-to-five-storey height, and is the classic viewpoint for photographing Shkhara above the rooftops. Above the village, the Lamaria church complex was the religious and communal centre for all four villages, blending Georgian Orthodox practice with older Svan tradition; its small museum room, when open, holds icons and liturgical pieces typical of the region. Community-run ethnographic rooms elsewhere in the villages display tools, textiles and photographs that give a direct sense of daily life inside a tower-house before electricity arrived. For those with a full day and proper footwear, a marked trail follows the Enguri river toward the Shkhara glacier — a demanding but non-technical walk that starts right from the village. Zhibiani, Chvibiani and Murqmeli, the three other villages, are worth a slower circuit on foot, past hayricks, terraced fields and free-ranging livestock.

Ushguli suits travellers who already have some tolerance for long, winding mountain roads and basic rural infrastructure — this is not a destination for a rushed itinerary. It rewards those interested in medieval architecture, Orthodox heritage and high-mountain walking rather than resort-style comfort. From Tbilisi, allow about eight hours by road via Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Mestia, with the final Mestia–Ushguli stretch through the Enguri gorge often slow; checking current road conditions before setting out is sensible at this time of year, as weather can affect the route. Kutaisi, at roughly four hours twenty minutes, is the more practical starting point, ideally with an overnight in Mestia to break the journey and allow time in Mestia’s own museums and old town. Batumi is about six hours fifty minutes via the same inland route. Most visitors combine Ushguli with a wider Svaneti itinerary rather than a single out-and-back trip, pairing it with Mestia’s towers and museums and, road conditions permitting, villages along the way such as Mazeri or Mulakhi.

Read more on gtour.ge: Ushguli

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