Ushguli - A Place Like No Other — Tuljak! Travel Blog

The term Shangri-La often conjures up a certain image.... a remote village at the foothill of high mountain peaks, seldom visited by outside visitors. Although it technically refers to a fictional place in the Himalayas, most would assign that title to places like Zhongdian in China or the Hunza Valley in Pakistan. Is it possible that such a place even exists in Europe nowadays? Considering the development of the European continent, no place could ever be too remote to be touched by the modern tide of technology and mass tourism. But when I arrived at the Svan village of Ushguli, it reminded me of what Shangri-La might be, at least in spirit. When I was working out our Georgian journey, getting to Ushguli was my prime concern.

For those who have traveled in Georgia extensively, Ushguli is also their ultimate destination. Its claim of fame is being the highest permanent settlement in Europe. Located at the foot of the Shkhara Mountain, the villages that comprise Ushguili have retained much of the characters from medieval times. The harsh environment of the high Caucasus cut the town from the outside world through much of the winter. It is not until the last ten years that the tourists "discovered" the splendor of this mountain oasis.

From Mestia, the journey to Ushguli was an interesting drive through rough mountain passes. Although Ushguli is only 30 miles from the center of Mestia, it took us more than two and a half hours to cover that distance. This particular route had worried us quite a bit, given its notoriety. Despite driving a solid 4WD (Toyota 4 Runner SR 5), we have heard plenty of horror stories and seen plenty of images of what lay ahead. To our great surprise, the first one-third section of the road was excellent. Given all the extra cash I put in for hiring an off-road vehicle, I was a little upset about it. Thankfully, the road condition deteriorated considerably the further we went. Before we knew it, we were stopped by a road crew working on the repairs from a recent landslide.

Ushguili - 7.jpg — The medieval village of Ushguli.

Eventually, the road began to track upstream along the Enguri River. We were there in early June, and the melting snowpacks created a torrent of a river that easily washed away the only road access to Ushguli. The muddy road narrowed considerably; the notoriety of this road became justified. I was glad that the person behind the wheels was me; Brian would not have been confident with the sheer drop of the adjacent cliff to the river below. Along the way, we passed through several small villages and hamlets, each dominated by characteristically Svan defense tower houses. These sparsely populated villages, often just comprised of a couple of families, are at serious risk of losing their younger generation to bigger towns in the lowlands.

With a year-round population of approximately two hundred, Ushguli has held on to its community better than any other Svan town. It is big enough to support a school, several small shops, and five functioning churches. The winter isolation also made Ushguli a local center of religious revival in Upper Svaneti; the picturesque Lamaria Monastery was only reopened in the last decade. Ushguli comprises four ancient villages: Zhibiani, Chvibianu, Chazhashi, and Murkmeli. Each is within close walking distance of one other, and each village may seem to be similar to one another. Chazhashi, the oldest settlement of the four, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Ushguili - 3.jpg — The medieval village of Ushguli.

Because our guesthouse, Guesthouse Svanuri Saxli, is mistakenly located in the Chazhashi on Google map, it was the first village we experienced. While there are well-preserved medieval villages all over continental Europe, the villages of Ushguli are frozen in time in appearances and spirit. The streets are filled with manure and mud. It was a sensory experience. Despite the inability to locate our guesthouse, wandering these streets was truly an unforgettable experience. We eventually climbed a small hill to the east of Chvibianu to survey the surrounding landscape. It turns out that was the location of the famed winter castle of Queen Tamar and the main gathering place of Ushguli. Sadly, much of the modest castle was demolished in the 1930s by the Soviet authority.

This is our first true guesthouse experience in Georgia. It took us ten minutes to locate it among this medieval settlement. Owner Georgi and his mother treated us with traditional shoti puri, sulguni cheese, and homemade jam. Despite our language barrier and their busy life, we could appreciate their hospitality. Sitting in the kitchen, we were transported back to the early 20th century by their fading family portraits and AGA-like stove/oven. Our room was basic, clean, and just what we expected in the highest town in Europe. But what made me extremely happy about the room was the view of the Shkhara Mountain. I would easily trade any penthouse suite in Tbilisi for this wonderful view of the highest peak in Georgia.

The guesthouse is located just on the southern edge of the Chvibiani, and it was only a short 10-minute stroll to the edge of town. The stroll was fascinating since I had never seen so many livestock roaming the streets of a village this freely before. Besides the usual livestock like cattle or suckling pigs, loose horses are galloping up and down the streets. Young men still ride their horses bareback through the village, oblivious to the foreign visitors around them. It was an otherworldly sight; the only visible sign of modernity was the utility poles dotted among the houses. Honestly, a big part of the fun was seeing high-maintenance tourists struggling with walking among the manure. Nothing is more hilarious than seeing young people screaming in manure while taking a glamorous selfie.

The remoteness of Ushguli has long been the fascination of outsiders for centuries. The Svan town was the subject and backdrop for one of the most celebrated silent films, Salt for Svanetia. Directed by Georgian director Mikhail Kalatozov, the film is often considered the first ethnographic movie ever produced worldwide. The striking setting of Ushguli provided the ideal setting for the Soviet "public educational" films.

Although much of the film was deliberately staged, as in the case of most Soviet public films, Kalatozov successfully captured many of the independent and rugged spirits of the Svan people. Portrayed as tough and hardened, the locals exemplify the virtuous life of self-reliance and a close-knit community. At the same time, the Svans were framed as primitive and victims of the greedy lowland aristocracy. Of course, in the eyes of the Soviets, the October Revolution provided much-needed peace for the villagers of Ushguli.

The film starts with a more ethnographic scheme of herding, subsistence farming, and religious life. Gradually, it introduces the "darker side" of Svan's life: death, superstition, and desperation. Chief among the difficulties was the lack of salt supply. Milk supply from livestock and new mothers dwindled with the salt deprivation and threatened the new generation of Svans. Ironically, Svaneti salt is well known across Georgia and a commonplace pantry item. Unsurprisingly, all this began to change with the arrival of the Soviets.

The people of Svan no longer had to rely upon the narrow mountain pass to get the precious salt. By the third year of Stalin's Five-year Plan, the 105-kilometer in Svaneti was completed. What is the overall message? Soviet ideology could provide what Svan traditions and Orthodox belief can't: the much-needed infrastructure. Interestingly, the film ran afoul with the Soviet censor for the lack of emphasis on Soviet modernization efforts. Kalatozov was further criticized for emphasis on the primitive portrayal of the Svaneti culture.

Despite the government censor, Salt for Svaneti is well regarded today for its avant-garde approach to cinematography. Aside from the cinematic effects, the accompanying soundtracks are amazing. Although it was a silent film, the 2015 Pitlochry Film Festival in Scotland commissioned Klezmer band Moishe's Bagel to create the accompanying soundtrack. The resulting scores are so powerful that it took me a while to realize it was originally a silent film,

These are the most amazing plate of vegetable we have ever tasted.

Part of any visit to Ushguli has to be the interaction with the locals. Despite the increasing number of foreign visitors, the locals are very friendly and excited to see you.... at least for now. I had a wonderful conversation with two local women who seemed to take great pride in hosting visitors worldwide. They marveled at how two New Yorkers could possibly find their little mountain hamlet. Even though most visitors travel to Ushguli as a day trip from Mestia, staying at the guesthouse could get you the authentic side of the village. It was clear that living in the village requires a level of independent spirit. Each family holds their livestock, and you can be certain that the milk you have in the morning breakfast is fresh and unpasteurized.

I feel very blessed to be able to witness the majesty of this place in such great weather.

As evident by teams of construction crews, the progress of modernity is inching toward Ushguli day by day. I wonder whether the Upper Svaneti villages could retain their characters and way of life after the eventual arrival of tarmac roads; time will only tell. Like so many things, things are always in constant flux. We feel so fortunate to experience Ushguli before the tour buses and high-end hotels start popping up everywhere. I was already amazed by the amount of tourist infrastructure in the village. It now has a wonderful full-day restaurant, Cafe Koshki, and several small shops for food and beverages.

Beyond Ushguli, the mountain pass went further east to the infamous Zagar Pass, eventually leading to Lentekhi in Lowe Svaneti and Kutaisi. While that may have been the most logical route back to the lowland, the car rental agency explicitly advised attempting the crossing again. Aside from the treacherous terrain that involves several riverbed crossings, the real danger lies in how remote and infrequently traveled the road is.

On average, as little as five cars a day take on the Zagar Pass; rescue efforts for a car breakdown may take as long as eight hours. Brian and I debated greatly about taking this route from day one. According to all who have completed it, it is the most spectacular drive in Georgia. We will have a good reason to return to Svaneti the next time... as part of a three-car caravan.

Shkhara Glacier Trek

The most popular activity from Ushguli is the easy trek to the Shkhara Glacier. This is perhaps the most straightforward trek we came across in Georgia. Only one road leads to the foothill of Shkhara from the center of the village. Perhaps uneventful for the serious hiker, this is just the kind of hike that we were hoping for after our morning drive from Mestia. Since we only had one night at Ushguli, we decided to tackle the glacier trek straight ahead.

It was not clear just how much on the track could be covered by our 4WD. About five minutes into the drive, we came across the roadblock of an ice pack. Just as we were debating whether to drive over it, an oncoming car approached and stuck on it. Being a little skittish with driving in a foreign country, we decided to trek the rest of the way. The hike tracked along the bottom of the flat valley floor and switched from one side of the Enguri River to another. Oddly, the flatness of the trail makes it seems endless and somewhat harder to motivate ourselves. Luckily, we were greeted and accompanied by a few strayed dogs. Although there were plenty of strayed animals all over Georgia, we found those in Svanetia to be particularly friendly and affectionate. Each followed us for quite a long stretch and protected us from ongoing cars or horses.

About an hour in, the typically unpredictable weather descended upon us. Before we knew it, it was pouring down on us. As usual, we were never prepared for the elements of any kind. Trekking through the stream without waterproof footwear was never a good idea. Soon enough, I was freezing out of my element before we could even see the head of the glacier. To our surprise, a stand of beer and shashlik was out in the middle of nowhere. Not short after that, we decided to snatch a final selfie and turned back. While we were sad we didn't make it to the end, the thoughts of a hot shower and a hearty dinner were even more enticing. Eventually, we had to say goodbye to our local canine companion. Like so many things else in Ushguli, the memory of this trek would stay with us for a lifetime.

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