Ushguli: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Those looking to rent a holiday apartment in Ushguli can then continue their accommodation search. The village lies at an altitude of 2,200 metres above sea level; trails lead towards the highest peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. Dozens of traditional Svan towers have been preserved throughout the villages of Ushguli.

Culture and History

The villages of Chazhashi, Jibiani, Chvibiani and Murkmeli in the Ushguli municipality, together with their architectural elements, continue to be listed as national monuments. The landscape of Chazhashi is protected as part of the World Heritage site and the Ushguli-Chazhashi Museum Reserve.

Lamaria, also known as the Ushguli Mother of God Church, is a basilica-like structure dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, with a distinctive tower and a protective fence. The frescoes of Lamaria follow a style characteristic of Svan painting and depict scenes of the Deesis, the Nativity of Christ and the Transfiguration.

The Chazhashi Museum Reserve includes residential complexes and an exhibition housed in a tower. Chazhashi also contains a 12th- to 13th-century castle, of which the third tower has survived; the fortress served as Queen Tamar’s winter residence. Ushguli includes another fortress from the 12th and 13th centuries associated with the reign of Queen Tamar. Queen Tamar’s Castle preserves the foundations of the old complex, a ruined defensive wall and a partially preserved tower.

Chazhashi is associated with Queen Tamar’s summer tower and a preserved 10th-century church. In Murqmeli, the Church of St. Barbara is described as a notable attraction of the Ushguli municipality. Murkmeli, in turn, is described as the “village of towers”: ten defensive towers remain from a former total of up to 80.

Hiking and Mountain Landscapes

The Ushguli–Shkhara Glacier–Namkvami Lake hiking route is nine kilometres long and takes seven to eight hours. It begins in Chazhashi, passes through Chvibiani and Zhibiani, and reaches the banks of the Enguri. The route leads to the foot of the Shkhara Glacier at an altitude of 2,900 metres above sea level. Namkvami Lake, also known as Romisghele Lake, is the final stop on the route at an altitude of 2,500 metres.

The Ushguli–Mami Trek is 23 kilometres long and takes ten to twelve hours. There are no opportunities for camping along this route. An experienced guide is essential for a safe hike on the Ushguli–Mami Trek.

Getting There

Ushguli is connected to the outside world by the Ushguli–Mestia and Ushguli–Lentekhi roads. Access is possible for around four months of the year, while snow covers the routes during the remaining eight months. From Mestia, Chazhashi can be reached by an off-road vehicle; in worse weather, the road can become almost impassable.

Local Cuisine

Kubdari is recognised as an intangible monument of Georgian cultural heritage. Gitsruli, a mountain herb used in Kubdari, grows mainly in the hay meadows of the village of Ushguli.

Other linked destinations: Lakhushdi, Adishi, Tvebishi, Chkhorotsku, Jvari, Chvabiani, Nashtkoli, Martvili.

For the higher-level travel overview: Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.