03/08/2018 - 08/08/2018
I for one couldn't wait to get going to the mountains of Georgia, some time for us to experience the Georgian country side, the timeless highland villages and the soaring mountain peaks it is so famous for among those travellers looking for adventure. I also saw it as an excellent opportunity for us to work off all the bread and wine we consumed in the previous few weeks and to see if those gruelling body pump classes I took before the trip to get fit would be worth the pain!
But before we could step foot in the city of Mestia which would be our base to start our 4 day trekking adventure, we were met with the inconvenience of the Georgian transport system. You see, buses don't seem to have departure times in this part of the world so when the tour agents in the tourist information centres tell you the buses leave between 9am and 10am.... they don't....they leave when full. So after arriving at the bus promptly at 8.50am hoping to be on the road by at least 9.30am, we frustratingly didn't get going until 10.30am after all available seats were paid for. We eventually made it to our destination 5 hours later after a cramped, bumpy, winding and stomach churning journey. I don't normally suffer from car sickness but apparently I do in Georgia!
The next day we got the legs pumped by hiking towards the Koruldi Lakes but being mindful of the big challenge facing us over the following 4 days we only went as far as the viewing point at the cross overlooking the city below but still a tough 4 hour climb. The hike we did should have realistically taken only about 3 hours but as it happened we met two Chinese girls on the way out of the village at an intersection where two trails diverged, one that seemed to continue steeply further upwards and one which was more flat and seemed to trail off around the mountain ridge, definitely the more desirable of the two tracks. We stopped to take a quick breather from the steep incline we had just walked and to cover ourselves in extra strength insect repellent because we sure seemed tasty to the annoying little pests. The two girls asked for some spray so we kindly obliged and we all collectively discussed which path to take. We decided between the four of us to take the flatter looking path so off we went on our merry way, happy to be away from walking up another steep incline, for the moment anyways. On the way we grabbed some large sticks for walking which as it happened would carry us all the way through our trek and would prove invaluable to us.
The online guide map we were following stated that after walking for about 30 minutes you should come to an old gravel path but for us, that path didn’t seem to be emerging any time soon. The path we were following slowly seemed to disappear and was continuing on straight instead of starting to go uphill which one would assume would happen if going up to a viewing point. Stopping every so often to see if we were going in to right direction we thought surely if we keep walking that path must soon emerge, but alas, it didn’t. How did we collectively manage to make a wrong turn already we all thought. We decided that if we started to just walk uphill we must surely get to this mysterious path we had all been looking for so off again the four of us went, slowly and breathlessly making our way through bushes with the slippery muck beneath our feet. When after about another 30 minutes of uphill climbing and wondering if we indeed were making any sort of progress the blue sky appeared above and we took one last step onto an old gravel path. I shouted back to the two Chinese girls that we had made it and they both collectively cheered. Just at that moment we met a couple walking so we knew we were finally going in the right direction. After about another 45 minutes or so of walking we finally made it to the viewing point. The views were beautiful with the city of Mestia below us on our left and to our right was the towering mountains whose summits were covered in crispy white snow. Cows and mountain dogs also happily basked in the afternoon sunshine. After relaxing for about 1 hour on the mountain top we made our way back down to civilisation, thankfully on the path that we should have taken on the way up.
The next four days would see us start our trekking adventure through the Caucasus mountains from the city of Mestia to the highest village in Europe, the town of Ushguli, a walk totalling about 56km. We both felt excited yet apprehensive from our previous days hike, never having undertaken any sort of a trek before and the most distance ever walked being about 10km. I was definitely up for the challenge, just as long as we didn’t get lost along the way again!
Day 1 - Mestia to Tsvirmi (Total distance 16km, elevation from 1400m to 1900m with the highest point being 2010m).
As per usual it was an early start, on the road at 9am. The start of this walk in the early morning sunshine was definitely not the most inspiring following one of the main roads out from the city, however the towering mountains and the city below as it slowly started to become distant was quite easy on the eye. After about 7km of walking on the winding main road we reached a ski lift ride. From reading reviews about the first day of the trek a lot of people suggested to take the ski lift up to Zuruldi Ridge as the walk up to it is apparently uneventful and not worth the effort and after walking for abut 7km on a concrete road, the ski lift sounded way more appetising. We hopped on the lift, thinking to ourselves maybe we had cheated a little, knocking off a few kilometers from our journey but the minute we sat on the seat and gave the legs a rest, we immediately knew we had made the right decision. After a pleasant relaxing ride to the top of the mountain ridge we admired the views below, filled our water bottles and began the remaining 9km trek headed east to our first mountain village. We walked between trees and through colourful meadows until we made the 100m steep incline to the the transmitter on the top of Mentashi Hill rewarding us with breathtaking views in all directions and was a nice place to eat our packed lunch. The decent from Mentashi hill proved to be tricky with steep and slippery terrain but we safely made it to the bottom. From here we followed a small path leading northeast through several other meadows and pastures, all the while surrounded by beautiful views of the towering mountains. From here the trail divided into a forest which lead us straight down into the village of Tsvirmi. Tsvirmi is a lovely little village barely touched by tourism, with mucky roads (if you could call them that!) and uneven cobbled pathways where pigs, chickens and cows roam free. We hadn't booked any accommodation on arrival in these villages so another trek to find a bed for the night ensued. Most of the guesthouses we came across were either fully booked or there didn't seem to be anyone about in them to speak to. We were tired, sore and a bit cranky and this stage. As we continued to walk up the mucky road we passed by a large house which seemed to have lots of activity going on but it didn't have any sign present to suggest it was a guesthouse. But we thought to hell with it, we would wander up in the off chance they would have a bed for us. The minute we made it to the veranda which was full with adults drinking and children playing, we asked a man at the door if it was a guesthouse.
Straight away he said no but proceeded to hand us a glass of Georgian wine followed by a plate full of bread and cheese. Not knowing what was going on, we happily accepted the good will gesture as we were starving and shattered. He then told us the party was for a christening of one of the newest family members so unfortunately there was no room for us in the inn. Many more people came from the house eager to speak to us and give us ample more food and drink. It was a delightful and welcome treat after our first day of gruelling uphills and downhills. Luckily one of the guests at the party was a local man and had a spare room for us, an unofficial guesthouse but we took him up on the offer of a place to rest our heads for the night and have a hearty breakfast in the morning. We were stuffed from our feed at the party so didn't need dinner that evening. The house we stayed that night was a family of two grandparents, a daughter, her husband, two children, some pigs, a cow and a handsome dog. The family had absolutely no english between them but were so welcoming and kind and gave us a comfortable big bed for the night.
Day 2 - Tsvirmi to Adishi (Total distance 14.5km, elevation from 1900m to 2080m with the highest point being 2500m).
In the morning after a great nights sleep and a huge breakfast of Georgian cheese bread, homemade mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and fried potatoes we started our second day of trekking. On a side note, if you come to Georgia, bread and cheese here is part of their staple diet and you will have no other choice but to have it for your breakfast lunch and dinner. The women of the house even get up in the middle of the night to ensure the cheese is ready for the following day. The food is tasty and filling with plenty of carb loading for a long day of walking but I must admit we were completely sick of eating bread and cheese by the end!
The walk on the second day saw us heading towards Tetnuldi Ski Resort at an altitude of about 2500m and a walk of about 8km to reach it. This was a gruelling climb up a dusty road with little shade that seemed to continue on forever and by then we had nearly drank all of our water which I was a little worried about. Thankfully at the top a security guard of the ski resort which was closed for the summer period let us in to fill our bottles. After a quick rest we continued to follow the path which began to level out passing open areas offering lovely views of the wildflower meadows below and slowly descending into the forest. About an hour later we reached the village of Adishi hidden below the slope and only offering itself to us in the final few moments. As we arrived quite early in the afternoon accommodation was quite easy for us this time to come by. We asked for a bed in the first guesthouse leading off the track and luckily she had two single beds for us. There was an extra bed in our room so she asked us would it be ok if someone else booked in for the night and so we happily agreed. We ended up sharing our room with a lovely 41 year old Israeli musician who I think was happy to share with us as he told me on the quiet that he had started rowing with his friend he came travelling with to Georgia so needed a break from him for the night! That evening we strolled around the little village of Adishi where every household seems to be its own fortress, nearly each having its own brick tower or Svan tower as they are known. Later that night all 10 guests staying in the house were treated to a giant feast of, yes, more bread and cheese, delicious soup and some crispy fish. That nights sleep wasn't so good as I was awoken by our Israeli friend snoring and one of the locals of the house getting sick, from what I think was too much cha-cha as they were drinking it when we were having our dinner.
Day 3 - Adishi to Iprali (Total distance 18km, elevation from 2080m to 1850m with the highest point being 2940m).
Day 3 of the trek was definitely one of my favourites and probably the toughest. We left the village at 9am by the river towards the Adishi Glacier. After about 1 hour the path ended in a river. At this time of the morning the water levels are considerably high so you either cross it by foot or rent a horse. The water is fast flowing and cold since it stems from the glacier just a few 100meters upstream so we opted for the horse. Others however did cross it by foot. The horse ride only lasts a couple of minutes but for us it was the right decision. Knowing our luck we probably would have ended 100 meters down stream with all our belongs soaked.
Behind the river, the path appeared again and after about 2 hours of steep uphill climbing we made it to Chkhunderi Pass offering rewarding and outstanding views of the glacier. Here we took a breather and enjoyed our lunch of left over bread from breakfast time. From here the trail headed straight down into the valley and then followed the river Khaldechala river, about another 2 hours of walking. About halfway on this portion of the trail we stopped at an old ruined Khalde village which was ruined by the Russian army in 1876. Only one family lives here running a small guesthouse and selling some food and drink so we stopped for a break and munched on a delicious Twix bar! When we got to the village, again we didn't have anywhere booked to stay. The first guesthouse we came to had a young girl of about 10 years of age outside so we asked her if there was any room. Unfortunately they didn't but between her and her mother she sorted us with a bed in another woman's house down the road. I must say, we were very impressed with the young girls haggling and english skills. She was confident, feisty and definitely has the potential to become a great future entrepreneur. In the guesthouse we were offered lived a lovely woman and her brother who luckily had come back to fix the inside toilet so we didn't have to use the one in the dingy shed out back. That evening we were once again offered a huge dinner of bread, potatoes, cheese and eggplant which we ate in their big rusty kitchen. Unfortunately the spoke little english so we couldn't communicate with them other than the odd hand gesture about their lovely food and the rain pouring outside. Later that night a huge thunderstorm ensued with the bright flashes and heavy rain keeping us awake until the early hours.
Day 4 - Iprali to Ushguli (Total distance 10km, elevation from 1850m to 2091m with the highest point being 2527m).
When we did get to sleep that night, we were both awoken again by the creaking of the kitchen doors as the woman of the house got up in the middle of the night to tend to her cheese making in the kitchen. In the morning for breakfast she gave us potato soup, soup being something we would never consider having for breakfast but we knew it would be a long day of walking so we willingly ate it and it was actually quite delicious! She also gave us some of the boiled homemade mozzarella cheese she had been making during the night but as we were stuffed from our soup and bread we only managed to eat a slice of the cheese each. I only hope it didn't go to waste after all the effort she went to make it!
It was raining very heavily still after the thunderstorm the night before so we decided to wait it out in the morning after our breakfast to see if it died out. we went back to bed for another 2 hour power nap and by 11.30am thankfully the rain had eased. We set out on our final day of walking but I must say this trail was probably the most disappointing of the trek as most of it is on the road out of the village towards the highest inhabited village in Europe, Ushguli. There is an alternative route one can take but we, along with many other trekkers couldn't find the trail so continued on the road until the timeless village of Ushguli emerged against the backdrop of Shkhara's snowy mountain top. As the trail wasn't as spectacular as the previous 3 days hiking, the magnificent views surrounding the village definitely made up for it. Here more of the the Svan defense towers overlooked the winding lanes and livestock and where stone buildings of one or more stories lie in various states of repair. Our guest house for the night was a place we had actually booked in advance as the village can get quiet busy with visitors. It was a crowded house, with seemingly many family members living there among the guests. We didn't take her up on the offer of dinner as we wanted to explore the village for the evening ourselves and eat in one of the local little establishment. Later that evening we had a little encounter in our bedroom from a furry friend, a mouse! As we entered our room I saw a mouse scarper off our bedside locker. With no luck finding it we nervously turned in for the night only to hear it scurrying again after 10 more minutes. Eventually he came out from his hiding place behind the chest of drawers and we managed to coax him out of our bedroom and into the hallway.....Job done. We could hear furniture being moved in other rooms so we assumed he had made it into someone else's room which didn't bother us and we got a much needed good nights sleep. The next day we said our goodbyes to the charming village of Ushguli and made our way back to the city of Mestia.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the experience of our first trek in Georgia and what a beautiful country to have done it in. We were both just a tad exhausted but the legs were feeling good and we came away from it satisfied with some wonderful memories to cherish. I was already looking forward to conquering our next one, hopefully even bigger and better, if that's possible!
Comments