Things to do & places to visit in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region, Georgia

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region cover image

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region #9 destination in Georgia 2023. The average rating score is 4.42 based on 1.844 traveler reviews, of 79 attractions. Timezone: Asia/Tbilisi, current date and time: Monday, May 13, 2024, 4:19.

Top things to do (46)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Mountain Ushba (63 reviews)
- Excellent waterfall / glacier trail from Mazeri
Mountains

The Mazeri village, 15 km down the road (and up the valley) from Mestia, is the starting point for a superb trail into the mountains. you can walk for just 1-1.5 hours to a viewpoint over the mountains and Georgia's tallest waterfall, or you can continue further on a 3-4 hour (each way) steep trail up to the Ushba glacier. Even the shorter walk to the waterfall viewpoint is rather steep in places - you need to be in decent fit. Easiest to get here with your own car - drive up the valley and on the gravel road for as long as you feel safe (at some point there's a wooden bridge over the river - we drove on it with our 4WD and it was OK, but the road ends anyway after 200-300 meters, so you'd better park before the bridge). See more..
5.0 Svaneti Spirit Tours (34 reviews)
- Best hiking service in Svaneti.
4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Photography Tours • Day Trips

Overall experience with Svaneti Spirit Tours is absolutely fantastic. Elizabeth is very professional in quoting and communication. Eight and half hours trek with excellent guide Chabuki to Mazeri by Guli pass was one the best experiences I've ever had. Thank you for that and it will be a pleasure to book next hike again. See more..
5.0 Monastery Martvili (23 reviews)
- Ancient Monastery (7th Century)
Spent 2-3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

Martvili Monastery is a Georgian monastic complex located in the small town - Martvili (the West Georgia). It sits upon the highest hill in the vicinity and was of strategic importance. See more..
5.0 Geo Paragliding Company (14 reviews)
- 4200
Monday: 8:00 AM - 7:30 PM Air Tours

it was amazing, thank lot. nice review, I saw all svaneti. here is perfect mountains and wiligies See more..
5.0 Highlander Travel (12 reviews)
- An all-round absolute must-do trek
4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours • Walking Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Wine Tours & Tastings

The finest experience possible with a knowledgeable and well-trained professional guide (Merab), and great communication with Highlander office team See more..
5.0 Svanalp (12 reviews)
- GREAT guide
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Climbing Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours

We had a super experience with Misha , we did a 4 days hike with him to Mount Layla in the Svaneti .He speak very well english and also some french . He knows a lot about the culture , history and ecology . He is very flexible to accommodate our needs and respectful of our speed of climbing. Always positive . Thank you Misha for this great adventure and helping us to discover this beautiful country and people . We strongly recommend him as a guide if you plan a trip to Giorgia . See more..
5.0 Tobavarchkhili Lake (11 reviews)
- One of the most stunning trekking trail in Georgia
Bodies of Water

We took one week trekking to Tobavarchkhili lakes. Trek is quite difficult, crosses at least two passes and mountainous rivers but it is heaven for hikers who wish to trek in absolute wild nature See more..
5.0 E-Bike Rent Georgia Trip (7 reviews)
- Recommended!
Bike Tours • Self-Guided Tours & Rentals • Day Trips

Very nice and helpfull staff, great bikes. We did the hatsvali route and had a lot of fun. You won't regret See more..
5.0 Khobi Monastery (6 reviews)
- WHAT A HIDDEN GEM
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites

Happened to mention to my collegues when visiting Poti whether there were any Monasteries nearby and to my surprise within 30 minutes of Poti there is - KHOBI - and what a find. Very well maintained - with attempts being made to unearth more ruins - this Monastery is a must to see(females allowed and no entry fee)) if you are in the area. See more..
5.0 The Cross Over Mestia (5 reviews)
- The cross above Mestia
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent 1-2 hours Lookouts • Hiking Trails • Religious Sites

Towering 900m above the town of Mestia is the cross that is visible from everywhere in the valley. Follow the footpath out of town towards the cross. The first part of the climb is very steep. Soon the path bends to the right across the hillside and becomes easier as it transitions into a 4WD track. You can follow this track all the way up to the cross. You move through farms, meadows, forests and cross numerous streams. The scenery along the way is breathtaking and you can see along the valley and up to the twin peaks of Mount Ushba (4700m) as you move around the hillside. I tracked there in April and there was still a lot of snow to get through at the top. It took me three hours to get up and two hours to get down. At the top there is a lookout next to the cross that provides shelter if the weather turns. The views from the cross are sensational. I hope my photos do it justice. See more..
5.0 Svaneti Freeride & Ski Touring (5 reviews)
- Freeride in Svaneti
Multi-day Tours • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Ski & Snow Tours • Day Trips

Overall great organized holiday with a lot of powder - only because the guide was pretty good. Not a single line crossed for one week. Ushguli guest house was out of this world, recommend this experiece to all adventure seekers. Alex Margiani (Thovex) - the best guide in Svaneti. :) See more..
5.0 Enjoy Svaneti - Trekking & Exploring Georgia (5 reviews)
- Svaneti - Summer 2019
Sightseeing Tours

It was fortunate in 2019 to visit me in these places. Very beautiful, nature is perfect. We had a trip to Svaneti 9 days See more..
5.0 Castle Chakvindzhi (5 reviews)
- Красивая старая крепость
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings

Одно из множества крепостей Грузии. Каждая из них прекрасна по своему. Здесь башни заросли плющом, что придает строениям еще более древний и сказочный вид. See more..
5.0 Fortress Shkhepi (4 reviews)
- Old, destroyed fortress near Senaki. nice view, nice history of fortress. By walk from Senaki is about 5 km.
Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings • Castles • Ghost Towns

Old, destroyed fortress near Senaki. nice view, nice history of fortress. By walk from Senaki is about 5 km. See more..
4.5 Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography (280 reviews) from $6.26
- Excellent small Svan hisotry museum
Monday: Speciality Museums

Surprisingly well done museum with an interesting collection of Svaneti artifacts from the past 2-3 thousand years. We had a superb English-speaking guide that made a big difference in appreciating the collection - highly recommend getting a guide. We especially enjoyed the icons and learning about the particulars of Svan iconography. See more..
4.5 Chaladi Glacier (185 reviews)
- Unique experience
Geologic Formations

Because of the climate change there was not much snow, so it was easily doable in january. I started in Mestia, it took 2:30h to get to parking where majority leaves their car, then another 1:30h to get to the glacier as close as possible. I wasn’t rushing, so in total I got 8:30h and 23km. It wasn’t cloudy at all, so the views were amazing. See more..
4.5 Khatsvali Ski Resort (166 reviews)
- Amazing views
Spent 1-2 hours Ski & Snowboard Areas

If you are staying in Mestia do NOT get a taxi to the ski lift. It is a short walk up the hill. We made the mistake of hiring a taxi and were ripped off. Other than that, it was an amazing experience. Highly recommend See more..
4.5 Mikheil Khegiani House Museum (95 reviews)
- Svaneti legend. Michail KHergiani
Speciality Museums

This museum is one of a kind. Old climbing equipment, photographs, paintings and Hergiani's room- all is part of Svaneti's climbing history. The mountain you see beyond his portrait in stone (outside of museum gate) is called Banguriani (3857m). It was the first peak he climbed as 13 year old boy. His father (also a climber) was against it, but later gave up. Michail was a living legend of Svaneti and he still is even after decades since his tragic death (stonefall) in Italian Dolomites. See more..
4.5 Koruldi Lakes (84 reviews)
- Defently worth to visit if you stay in Mestia.
Bodies of Water

Defentely it is worth to visit. Amazing views if there is no fog. If the weather is foggy wait until it gets clear. It is defently worth to visit when you can see the views. If you do not want to hike the whole day there and back i suggest to take the 4x4 from the city centre, who will bring you to the top with 1 hour. Price for the jeep depends of the weather. In octoober the conditions can be a bit muddy and hard, so we paid for a good car and driver 250 laris. And do not try to make it with your own rental car as we tried firstly. If you do not have special 4x4 with higher suspension and offroad mud tires it can be very dangerous - ecpecially when it is raining. See more..
4.5 Inguri Dam (42 reviews)
- Worth a look
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Architectural Buildings • Dams

It is forbidden to drive inside the territory of Dam, but the best look is from aside so you can see all the huge building and take a photos. But be careful, there are no fence on the road sides! See more..
4.5 LaMaria Church (36 reviews)
- Stunning village and pretty church
Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

It's a 90 min drive from Mestia in one of the local Toyota Delica taxis. The road is now paved for around 80% of the 50 miles/80kms. Unpaved part on the day I visited was tricky as heavy rain washed rocks down the hillside and the driver had to stop twice to check it was safe to proceed. The village is stunning with many towers and reminded me of San Gimignano in Tuscany. The very small church with lovely frescoes is perched above the village and if you have made the journey you must visit. See more..
4.5 Katskhi Pillar (30 reviews)
- Finally here!
Points of Interest & Landmarks

We have seen pictures online and read about this place. And finally we got here. We had a rental car from Kutaisi and drove here ourselves. Not an easy ride with a bad car but a very interesting drive. The way ‘down’ from the pillal was needing to speed up on the car to get over the small hill, exciting, not for novice drivers. We were all alone, as out of tourist season. We know it is “just” a small building on a pillar but still felt very special coming here. It took us a good 4h, drive back and forth and the visit. At the foot of the pillar is a small chapel where we lit candles for our recent past family members. The lighter is in the drawer by the altar... Candle in the small and very friendly shop. It was just (early Jan) under renovation and seems they are making a few more buildings, the existing buildings are old and pretty so guess it will be a bit more touristic later on. See more..
4.5 Anaklia-Ganmukhuri Pedestrian Bridge (30 reviews)
- Anaklia's Landmark
Bridges

The bridge is one of Anaklia's few landmarks, It is well-kept and offers good lighting in the evenings. Views from the bridge towards the sea are great almost every sunset. It is interesting to see how the river fall into the sea right there. See more..
4.5 Poti Lighthouse (25 reviews)
- interesting place
Architectural Buildings • Piers & Boardwalks • Lookouts • Lighthouses • Observation Decks & Towers

actually it's interesting place, but it was closed when I came. in Poti there are not so much places to visit See more..
4.5 Rukhi Fortress (17 reviews)
- Fortress with a view on Abkhazia
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Historic Walking Areas • Architectural Buildings

This fortress is just before the bridge separating Samegrelo from Abkhazia. In addition to visiting the fortress, if you go on top of it you will have a great view on Abkhazian landscape. It is an abandoned fortress, therefore no working hours restrictions or entrance fees. If you are in Zugdidi, then it is a nice place to go. See more..
4.5 Ushguli Ethnographic Museum (17 reviews)
- Ushguli
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent < 1 hour History Museums

This is the only machubi in Ushguli that is still in ist midieval condition. An absolute must and worth any price to visit. The owner ist an archaeologist born in Ushguli. His father was born in this house. See more..
4.5 Mestia Paragliding (14 reviews)
- Great team, great place.
Monday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM Parasailing & Paragliding

Everything is in the title :) great team, great place. Thank you very much for that first unforgettable experience in paragliding. See more..
4.5 Town-Fortress Nokalakevi (13 reviews)
- If you love history...
Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings • Ghost Towns

The most charming and interesting ruins of once important regional capital town known to early Byzantine scholars as Archaeopolis. The town was finally abandoned after being destroyed by the Arabs in 737 AD. The site consists of quite well preserved walls of the town, old church (of 40 Martyrs), remains of fortress (on the hill nearby) and of bathhouses, archaeological excavation sites and a hidden tunnel connecting the town with the river. A great landscape adds to the beauty of place. In the local museum (10.00-16.00 except Monday) you will be shown ritual clay animals, silver and bronze bijous, Greek and Colchian ceramics, ancient coins, weapons, etc. If you love history, the place definitely deserves a couple of hours of your time, particularly if you are visiting Martvili canyon and monastery that are some 22 km away from Nokalakevi. See more..
4.5 Kolkheti National Park (12 reviews)
- Great Boat Ride
Spent 2-3 hours National Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas

Kolkheti National Park is located in Western Georgia. Come and enjoy the coast of the Black Sea and the Paliastomi Lake basin. Spend the day bird-watching, canoeing, kayaking, or take a boat tour of the "Georgian Amazon" to see over 190 species of birds. After a long day out on the lake, spend the night at the park's hotel located in the Visitors Center. See more..
4.5 "Horse Rentals in Ushguli Official" (11 reviews)
- Best tour in ushguli.
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Horseback Riding Tours

This is a horse riding in Ushguli. We offer tours on different sides of the village. You look at nature and get experience. Prices are different according to tours. Basically, one horse rent is 80 GEL. The guide is 130 GEL. Our center is located in Jibiani. If you decide to come ask Gegi. See more..