Georgia
Let's go hiking - Mestia to Zhabeshi
The start of our 3-day hike through the breathtaking Svaneti National Park area, 17km hike.
Early start with a 17km hike ahead of us
We had breakfast at Bako's Garden Inn, passed by the local market to load up on some water and snacks, and headed off on the first leg of our 3-day hike. There was some initial confusion as to which direction to go, but once we started and found the first signage post, the trail was clear, and boy, we were in for a treat.
Those autumn colours!
The hike between Mestia and Ushguli is only passable from July until October. We went the last week of September, hoping for warm temperatures, but fewer crowds. Even though this meant a lot of the little cafés along the way were already closed for the season, it also turned out to be the perfect time to witness the valley alive with vibrant autumn colours!
Stunning Zhabeshi
After 17km of hiking we ended the night in the tiny village of Zhabeshi and dropped off our backpacks at guesthouse Tanano/Dodo. There were still a few hours of sunlight left, so we traded our hiking boots for flip-flops and went for a short sunset walk into town. We met the nicest locals and watched the sun set over a fairy-tale meadow. Upon our return to the guesthouse, an enormous and absolutely delicious buffet, filled with local foods, was waiting for us. The perfect end to our first hiking day.
