Ushguli + Shkhara glacier

Start from: Mestia

Time: all day

Shkhara glacier, located 8 km to the north-east of Ushguli, is the only glacier of the Bezengi wall that can be reached by jeep. You will still have to walk a little to reach the icy tongue of the glacier, though.  This is the place where the main river of Svaneti, the  Enguri, starts. The trip to the glacier from Ushguli and back should take about 3 hours, so it is a good idea to combine with a visit to Ushguli. When you return to Ushguli, we recommend you take the marked tourist trail through the village, starting from Lamaria monastery and down to Zhibiani and Chazhashi. In Zhibiani there is a private ethnographic museum, open most of the time, and in Chazhashi there is a state-owned treasury featuring precious items from Ushguli’s churches and homes (closed on Monday). Your driver will give a call to the monks at Lamaria to open the church (if they are at the monastery at that moment) and to both museums.