2 DAYS IN SVANETI from Kutaisi

Long drive from Kutaisi to Mestia but well worth it for the magnificent Caucasian vistas and the nocturnal view of the lit towers. Ushguli was lovely and unique.

What an amazing tour! The landscapes are stunning. I loved the hike to the Tchlaadi glacier and Ushguli a lot. I will come back one day for sure.

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Absolutely brilliant tour with some amazing views and hikes. The guides were so knowledgeable and friendly. Can absolutely recommend this tour!

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I booked this 2 days tour from Kutaisi to Svanetti thru Budget Georgia. The night before the tour they sent me a what's app message about the pick up location and time. Giorgi, the tour guide is friendly and knowledgeable, and told us history of his country and about the places we're going to visit. The whole trip he was full of energy and and answered all the questions asked to him. He even recommend a small bakery on the way to Mestia, where some tour participants ordered a special meat pie, called Kubdari. The trip was very long and at times the road was bumpy but it was a relief when we finally reached Mestia. Due to we arrived late than expected, we started the tour straight away, we went to see the old residence of the famous family in Svanetti, so as the Svan towers. Mestia is peaceful, surrounded by lots of green landscapes and took some rest. ..At around 5:30 pm, we started our hike to the Glacier, the hike was easy to medium, ensure u wear a proper hiking shoes, lots big rocks on the trail. I enjoyed this hike, the views were spectacular so as the fresh air... The next day we drove to Ushguli with a different tour guide, named Dato, he's friendly and jolly person... He gave us insights about places we stopped, we took lots of photos, Ushguli was just awesome, we saw the Unesco certified Svan towers, Tower of love, green landscapes and mountains. Overall, if u only have limited time and really want to see Svanetti, go for this tour, ensure you book your guesthouse near Credo Bank, I booked my accommodation facing the river, just a 2 minutes walk to the meeting point, Credo Bank.Once again, thank you Budget Georgia, wish u all the best!

Best way to see Svaneti and Mestia in a crunch! The guides are sweet and informative and the tour takes you from Kutaisi to Mestia and Ushguli, with stunning views. Be prepared for a good bit of bumpy car travel but the destinations and logistics are perfect for a small trip out to Svaneti.

This tour blends stunning Caucasus landscapes with mixed logistics. Here’s the condensed breakdown: Day 1: Kutaisi → Mestia Starting with a 7:50 AM meetup, the 6-hour drive included quick stops at a dam (viewed distantly) and a small waterfall. In Mestia, we visited a historic tower and museum (extra fees), showcasing medieval Svaneti architecture. The afternoon “glacier hike” was a mountain path with distant snow-capped views, but the guide’s breakneck pace left us breathless—no rest stops until we begged for a pause. Day 2: Ushguli Excursion A 10 AM departure took 1.5 hours to Ushguli, with scenic viewpoint stops. The 2-hour stay (including lunch) offered glimpses of stone towers and snow mountain backdrops. Departing at 3 PM, we relied on seamless driver coordination (different drivers/guides for each leg) to catch the 4 PM Mestia-Kutaisi van, arriving at 10 PM.

This tour is divided into three: 1 - Kutaisi to Mestia: The trip is long and tiring, but our guide (His name was Saba) was very friendly and helpful, stopping whenever we asked to take photographs and talking to us about various topics. When we arrived in Mestia, he gave me free time while the rest of the group, who were going back to Kutaisi that day, went to eat... and then left me at the Hotel. 2 - Mestia-Ushguli: This trip was wonderful and I highly recommend it. The landscapes are sensational and leave anyone's jaw dropping. Our guide Dato was very cheerful and always gave us good informations and free time to wander around the town. 3 - Mestia to Kutaisi: In fact, this route is no longer part of the tour, but is a transfer. Our driver Gizo didn't speak any English, causing some initial confusion as he didn't have the information I had asked for to stay at Kutaisi Airport. This "problem" was resolved almost immediately with a phone call from Nini (from the Budget Georgia office), to him and me. The trip went smoothly, despite the road being difficult. Overall, I recommend this tour. Going to and from Mestia in the same day is very exhausting and leaves us very little time there to get to know it, so this two-day solution (although short too) allows us to get a better idea of these two marvelous places

This is a convenient option if you are short of time. But essentially is a transfer (with a couple stops at additional cost) by Budget Georgia from Kutaisi to Mestia. Then the next day a tour to Ushguli with a third party. And then a transfer back to Kutaisi. You have different guides each day and there are other people on the transfers not booked onto the tour. All of our drivers were helpful when anyone had questions but the long journeys meant a lot quiet time and made it feel again like a series of transfers rather than a tour. This was not helped by our car to Ushguli breaking down meaning we had to carry on to the village without our guide. Despite this the end point was breathtaking and an essential stop in any trip to Georgia. If you have more time I’d just book the transfers individually as could easily spend several days in Svaneti. However as I only had two days, this tour provided an easy option.

We went with Budget Georgia for three different tours from Kutaisi. First the Canyons and Caves tour, then the 2 days in Svaneti tour, and finally the Borjomi-Rabati-Vardzia tour. Their vehicles were very comfortable and guides very nice and helpful. We can recommend each of these tours, however would say that Vardzia was a long way so we suggest it's worth a night stopover to have more time to explore if you have the time. Likewise Svaneti needs to be the 2 day tour at least, otherwise it's a bit rushed. Two things to keep in mind: 1). Entrance fees for the destinations are not included so make sure to factor in these costs. This is common for most budget tour companies in Georgia. These costs are explicitly listed on their website yet several people on our tour were not expecting this - do the research ;-). 2). Keep in mind that the tour start and end times may be different than listed due to the need to organize tours with people starting/ending from different locations. The tour company was very helpful in giving us up to date info on start times the night before our tours. Drive times and visit times may be longer than expected so don't try to book anything else so tightly on the same day. We had a great time - thanks to everyone at Budget Georgia for helping our trip be so successful!

I took a similar tour with Budget Georgia (3 days in Svaneti) eti)To sum up, I would advise booking the transfer through Budget Georgia and taking the tours either in the city or separately through Budget Georgia. It will be cheaper than taking the multi-day package. On the first day, we had a guided transfer from Kutaisi to Mestia with three stops (water dam, waterfall, and Khachapuri tasting). We reached the village at 2 pm, and the rest of the day was "free." However, without transportation, there isn't much to do in the area. In my opinion, it's enough to just order the transfer to Mestia rather than the guided tour, as the stops on the way are not worth to have a guide. On the second day, we hada trip to Ushguli and Glacier Hike. The drive to Ushguli was indeed an adventure, and I highly recommend not driving yourself (you can also book it in Mestia). The Glacier Hike in mid-May was nothing special. It took us 1 hour each way, and we were accompanied by the same guide. On the third day, due to bad weather, we had the option to choose between going to Koruldi Lakes or Heshkili Huts. We chose huts, thinking it might be a better option since the place is at a lower altitude with a better chance of seeing the scenery. However, the weather was really bad, with rain and fog covering the village. There was definitely no chance to see anything! As a tour operator, I would have suggested canceling the tour altogether and refunding the money. What is the point of being left soaking wet with no scenery? In the afternoon of the same day, we had a transfer back to Kutaisi. Knowing that the roads are not the best in the area, we were surprised to see that they sent us a driver with a really low bumper car. Believe me, reaching home was an adventure. We kept our fingers crossed that the car wouldn't get stuck on the road (the weather, as mentioned earlier, wasn't great—I haven't seen such a strong rain in a while). The driver George, on the other hand was really lovely. Sending my best greetings to him!