Georgia
A medieval village bristling with over two hundred defensive stone towers, then a church perched opposite the Caucasus's second-highest peak
Georgia
A journey far from Tbilisi and Kakheti: Svaneti, an isolated mountain region of the Greater Caucasus where the village of Ushguli, one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe at over two thousand metres, retains more than two hundred medieval defensive stone towers built by rival family clans, then the Kazbegi region, dominated by Mount Kazbek, Georgia's fifth-highest peak, where Gergeti Trinity Church stands spectacularly at two thousand one hundred and seventy metres facing the glacier.
When
June to Sept
Price
From 2 400€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
6 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in Svaneti, an isolated mountain region of the Greater Caucasus cut off from the rest of the country by snow-covered passes for much of the year, which allowed it to preserve a medieval defensive architecture unique in Europe to this day. The village of Ushguli, a community of four hamlets perched above two thousand metres and UNESCO World Heritage listed, retains more than two hundred stone towers built between the 9th and 13th centuries by family clans who used them both as defensive refuges against invasions and as residences, an architectural practice that persisted locally into the 20th century.
Day 1
Ushguli and its defensive towers
An exploration of Ushguli, one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe, and its more than two hundred medieval stone towers.
Day 2
A hike to the Shkhara glacier
A hike from Ushguli to the edges of the Shkhara glacier, which feeds the sources of the Enguri River at the foot of Georgia's highest peak.
Days 1-2
The road to the Kazbegi region, dominated by Mount Kazbek, a dormant volcano and Georgia's fifth-highest peak rising to five thousand and fifty-four metres, whose snow-capped silhouette inspired several poems by the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin in the 19th century during his travels along the Georgian Military Road. Gergeti Trinity Church, built in the 14th century and perched at two thousand one hundred and seventy metres on an isolated promontory facing the glacier, historically served as a hiding place for the country's most precious religious treasures during invasions, owing to its particularly difficult access.
Day 1
A hike to Trinity Church
A hike to Gergeti Trinity Church, perched at two thousand one hundred and seventy metres facing the glacier of Mount Kazbek.
Day 2
The Georgian Military Road and Darial Gorge
A drive along the Georgian Military Road, an ancient trade route through Darial Gorge that inspired Alexander Pushkin's poems.
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