Lemel

Duration: about 5 hours

Start from: Mestia

Trail from: Becho

One of the loveliest panoramic horse-riding trails in Svaneti. This trail allows you to get as close to Ushba as possible without actually climbing. The path starts at  river Guli, then dives into a pretty mixed forest and starts ascending to a small forest lake and some shepherds’ huts, higher and higher until you find yourself in the alpine pastures right underneath the rocks of Ushba. You can go even further up along the ridge to find several more tiny alpine lakes, greet “grandma and grandpa” – the rocky figures on Ushba’s southern shoulder. From the ridge you get a truly Narnian view of village Becho, the Svaneti range, the summits of the Great Caucasus, the valley of river Dolra all the way to the Russian border, and of course the Shdugvra waterfalls – the most powerful waterfall system in Georgia.