Georgia: Svaneti & Caucasus Mountains

Route Overview

On the map above you can see the overall route that I took. I go into this on much more detail with points of interesting and riding notes on the route review pages, starting with the section from Kutaisi to Ushguli



In brief, I flew into Kutaisi and spent a couple of days in the city, before heading north into the High Caucasus. Quiet and hilly back roads took me to Lentekhi, followed by a long climb over the Zagari Pass into the Upper Svaneti region.

I stayed for two nights in Ushguli, doing a fantastic hike surrounded by some of the highest peaks of the Caucasus. My route then continued with enjoyable rides to Mestia and the Koruldi Lakes, before a mostly downhill route took me out of the Svaneti and into the Samegrelo and Imereti regions.

On the return to Kutaisi, I visited the charming town of Martvili and hiked around the monasteries of Gelati and Motsameta. The entire circle was a little over 500km, with nearly 12,000m of elevation gain, so it definitely falls into the short but steep sweet category.

Logistics

I headed to Georgia immediately after running my last guided tour of the summer in the French Pyrenees. I first flew from Lourdes Airport to Rome with Volotea, and then from Rome to Kutaisi with Wizz Air. With both of these airlines it was very easy to reserve the bike in advance and I had no problems checking it in.

My bike for this trip was a custom built Sardinha Nordest, with titanium frame and carbon fibre fork. It had a 1x12 Shimano SLX grouset (34 tooth chainring) and I put on 2.6" Maxxis Forekaster tyres which I ran tubeless. I chose the wide tyres for a couple of reasons. Partly because I was unsure about the state of the roads in the Svaneti mountains so was prepared for gravel surfaces and some rougher trails around the Imereti region. The main reason, however, was that I was flying from Georgia directly to Tajikistan to ride through the rough roads of the Fann Mountains, where the wider tyres would be essential.



I didn't carry a tent, and tried to travel light with just two large Vaude panniers. I had rain gear but no bulky, warm clothing, so there was still plenty of room left in the panniers for food and supplies.

Overall, I was happy with the set up and would go with something similar if I did this tour again. As I found on my early trip to Georgia, I think that unless you plan on doing long hike-a-bike sections over remote mountain passes, camping gear isn't necessary. Of course, if you like to camp then you should bring it, but there is no shortage of good quality and good value accommodations.

Alternative Routes

Most of this circle around the Svaneti mountains plans itself. The main consideration was whether to do the loop clockwise or anti-clockwise. I chose anti-clockwise so that I would be climbing (and thus spending significantly longer) on the quieter roads.

Having decided on this, the other main decisions were how to get to Lentekhi (I chose the quieter and more hilly backroad, rather than the main road to Tsageri, although I think both are fine for riding). And, on a similar vain, how to get back to Kutaisi from Jvari. Again, I chose a route with quiet paved roads and some off-road sections. Martvili is a popular tourist area, mainly for its canyons, and it was conveniently located for an overnight stop.

If you haven't been to Georgia before, I would definitely recommend continuing south to explore the region around Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia, as I did on my previous trip here.

Overall Thoughts

This was another hugely enjoyable trip to Georgia, which is undoubtedly one of my favourite countries in the world for cycle touring.

The combination of incredibly scenery, fascinating historical and cultural sights and delicious food is hard to beat. It's easy enough to stay on quiet roads and trails to avoid the sometimes erratic traffic, and is generally such a rewarding country to cycle through.

The Svaneti villages were a particular highlight. Mestia is the main tourist hub in the region, but it is still extremely quiet compared with similar destinations elsewhere in Europe; and it is so visually striking with the tower houses and equally towering mountain peaks. Ushguli was similar, with some very charming and interesting guesthouses, mostly serving hikers.



The only slight negatives for the trip were really my fault. Firstly was that it was really hot at lower elevations (around Imereti) - but this is kind of to be expected if you travel in the middle of July!

In the Svaneti mountains it was much cooler and there were even very heavy thunderstorms on some afternoons, so make sure you bring some rain gear if you like to ride later in the day. The only other slight disappointment was that the food in Lentekhi and Ushguli wasn't quite up to the same incredible level as elsewhere in the country. These are remote villages, so it's completely understandable, but something worth considering if gastronomy is your main motiviation for visiting Georgia!

Dogs had been an annoyance on my previous trip to Georgia, particularly around Tbilisi and Mtsketha, however, I hardly noticed any this time. They were pretty much non-existant as a nuissance - the big and intimidating sheep dogs in the Upper Svaneti villages barely batted an eyelid as I passed them.

Overall, my experience on this trip was really great. Just as on my previous trips to Georgia, the people in the Svaneti are perhaps not the most openly friendly and smiling, but they are incredibly hospitable and kind if you ever need assistance. The number one highlight though was the mountain scenery, which was utterly breathtaking at times; the High Caucasus are really some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.

Check out the links below for much more details about the rides that I did...


Part 1 - Kutaisi to Usghuli

Part 2 - Mestia & Jvari

Part 3 - Martvili & Gelati


Georgia & Armenia Cycle Tour (2024)


Cycle Touring in Georgia


Cycle Touring in Armenia


Cycle Touring Guides