Georgia has long been known not only for its delicious wine, varied khachapuri and warm hospitality. A large part of the country is occupied by the Caucasus Mountains, which attract tourists from all over the world. We invite you to visit this sunny country to immerse yourself in a world of wildlife, mountain beauty, and Georgian goodness.
Our route is not the easiest. This hike is designed for people who lead an active lifestyle, as well as participants who have experience hiking in the Carpathians. In this hike you will find a variety of landscapes: dense green forests, blooming alpine meadows, wide sunny meadows, high passes and cold rocky mountain slopes, blue-eyed lakes and snowy peaks caps. But to see all this you will have to overcome two category 1A passes, ascend and descend steep slopes, be prepared for the absence of communication, people and any signs of civilization.
We do not cancel or transfer groups. If the manager approved the purchase of a ticket, you can safely buy. The hike will not be canceled due to our fault
Experienced Kuluar teamleaders will accompany the group on all route, will make the trip as safe and unforgettable as possible! They have been In Mingrelia many times and know region in details.
The program of the trek was improved several times, we tried to make it as rich and comfortable as possible.
The manager who will advise you before the trip was on a this route herself and will tell you about the details from personal experience!
More than 12,000 participants have already gone to the mountains with the Kuluar and 97,8% were satisfied.
We meet in the city of Batumi. We will tell you the exact meeting place and other important information about the trip in advance. After the meeting and acquaintance, we take a bus and go to the village of Mukhuri. Here by a passing lumber truck we'll try to get to the place for the night (if there's no car on the day, we'll have to walk the whole route). The road will be a serpentine, and here we are from the sea climate already appeared in the alpine zone. After camping, we go for a walk in the neighborhood and enjoy the scenery of Megrelia. We spend the night in tents.
Today we continue to climb the ridge. We follow a good trail that traverses the slopes of Mount Natipuru (2055 m) and other spurs of the Mingrelian Ridge. We will walk through the forest as well as past flowering green meadows. Then we will go down a little bit to the stream with cascading waterfall. Here by the river we can have a snack and have a good rest. After lunch we go up to the Okhodzhe pass. We will spend the night under the pre-peak rise to the pass, on comfortable and flat spots among huge rocks.
Today we are going to pass two mountain passes and two incredibly beautiful lakes. We will ascend to the first pass, Okhodzhe, very quickly, as our previous overnight stay was practically under the saddle of the pass. From the pass there is a spectacular view of the rocky mountains that hold the TobaWarchili and Okhodzhe lakes. After a short rest, we begin our descent to Lake Okhodzhe. The lake looks protected by rocks from prying eyes of tourists, and only approaching it you can see the depth of water color. You can stay at Okhodzhe Lake for a couple of hours, because it is incredibly beautiful! It is a great place for photo session :)
After lunch and rest we will start the ascent to the Toba Eastern Pass. The ascent is divided into two parts - firstly by path between stones we will come out to peculiar plateau from which both passes - Ohodzhe and Toba Vostochny are clearly seen. Nearby, near a huge rock, there is another pass to the upper reaches of the Magana River. After rest, walking along talus and snowdrift we come out to the saddle of Eastern Toba Pass. Coming down from the pass we discover the Tobavarchili (Silver Lake), a huge mountain lake in all its beauty. In the water mirror reflects the sky and spiky peaks surrounding the lake. Not every tourist can boast that he has seen this pristine beauty with his own eyes. And we are the real lucky ones. We'll set up our tents on the shore and cook a delicious dinner.
Today we again have a day full of beauty, and half of the day we will walk without backpacks. Waking up early, we climb the observation peak near the Toba North Pass. When the weather will be good, you can see Elbrus from there! Below the pass, there are two more lakes with water of amazing colors. Also from the summit there is a panoramic view of the whole lake of Tobavarchili - get your cameras ready! It's a breathtaking sight.
After lunch we will put on our backpacks and start descending from the lake to the upper reaches of the Magana River. Lake Tobavarchili is one of the sources of this river, and falls down into one of the hanging valleys with a huge eighty-meter waterfall! We take a steep path down to the waterfall - you can feel all its power up close! From the waterfall we will continue downhill. Stony path will dive into the steep couloir and then we will traverse the slopes of the ridge. Pretty steep and breathtaking! Down to the river, we'll wade over it and set up our tents on a flat spot not far from the shepherds' summer dwelling. We might be able to buy cheese and milk from them.
All day we go down the gorge, along the river Magana. In the morning we are waiting for a ford. Then a stony trail wiggles down the slope of the gorge, bypassing the cliffs. There is a powerful river murmuring to the left, and from the trail you can see waterfalls and large natural baths with clear turquoise water. Along the rocky but very beautiful path we go down lower and lower, through the forest to the bubbling stream. Now we have to cross the Magana River to its left bank. Sometimes there is a temporary bridge made of tree trunks thrown over the river. After the ford we will have lunch. After that we are again in for a surprise - huge boulders overgrown with moss, by which the trail winds its way. We'll stop for the night in the place where Jalara, the left tributary of the Magana River, flows into it.
The morning begins again with a ford, but it is much easier than the Magana ford. After wading over the Jalara, we climb a fairly steep path and enter a fabulous beech forest. The trees are overgrown with moss and ivy, overgrown with rhododendron and laurel. Chestnuts and blackberries grow a bit higher. Further there is small descent by old forest road to our place for lunch - to the sources of Tshavasi river. It's very pleasant to take a refreshing dip in refreshing water of Tshavasi stream during lunch in hot weather! After lunch we will start slowly climbing up the trail to the foot of Kvira mountain. Closer to the evening we will reach a place with beautiful scenery of the whole Mingrelian range - we were among these rocky peaks yesterday! We will spend the night near the tourist shelter Kirnakhona.
We get up early and with the first rays of the sun begin to climb the last peak in our hike - Mount Kvira. It offers views of almost all the mountains and gorges of Megrelia. The ascent is pretty steep, but it's worth it, believe me! Especially because we will have very light backpacks by the end of the hiking. The back slope of the mountain is quite gentle and represents a karst plateau. In one of these sinkholes we will find a secret spring used by local shepherds. Gradually we enter the forest. After walking past the rocky mountains and sometimes snow-capped peaks, mirror-like lakes and emerald meadows, to be completely happy we have to walk through the dense forests of Mingrelia. This forest is like a fairy tale, here you will find huge thickets of ferns, and a carpet of soft moss grows along the road. Tree trunks and rocks are also covered in moss. You just want to walk barefoot on them :) In the evening we will go down to the deep gorge to the hidden from prying eyes Incira waterfall. We'll set up our tents on the glade not far from the waterfall.
Well, today is the last day of the hike, which means we'll be swimming in the sea by evening! But today we will still enjoy the marvelous forest and the coolness of Incira waterfall. After making a few photos as a memento, we will go through the gorge to the village Chkvaleri, where the bus is waiting for us. After passing the village Dzhvari, we will visit the dam of Enguri hydroelectric power station, to see this unique structure. From the dam opens up a view of the Enguri Reservoir - the largest in the South Caucasus. And after that we drive to Batumi, to warm up by the sea. We'll be there in the evening.
Depending on the weather conditions, condition and general wishes of the group, the guide has the right to make changes to the route.
Additional services
The manager will advise you on equipment, help you choose the best flight, share information on hotels and excursions. You make payments and purchases yourself. If you want the manager to buy a ticket for you, then this is possible, but for extra money, because this is a big responsibility. More in the article: additional services and service fee
Required documents
You need to have a valid passport with you, visas are not needed. To participate in the hike, you must have no diseases that are not compatible with active tourism: the list is here.
After an backpacking in Mingrelia, we recommend the following routes:
We recommend you to buy tickets in advance, as soon as we confirm your participation in the hike. We advise you to fly with SkyUp, Bees Airline, Yanair, at a cost of 200-300€ per round-trip ticket. The best way is to fly to Batumi, but you can also fly to Kutaisi or Tbilisi, but in that case you should save time for travel to Batumi.
Note that luggage may be not included in the price and you will need to order extra 20 kg at the time of the purchase or you can order package with 1 piece of luggage at once. When checking in at the airport they may ask to show the card used to pay for the flight - don't forget it!
In Batumi you must be on the first day of the program in the morning, up to 09-00.
We recommend to take return tickets for evening or night flights on the last day of the trip.
After the ticket purchase please send the information about your arrival/departure flights to your manager.
Our recommendations for airline ticket selection services you can found in this article.
You need to take good insurance to participate in the program. Please do not neglect this item. For some participants, it saved thousands of dollars. You can find our recommendations for taking out insurance here: "Insurance for Kuluar hikers"
Mobile communication will not be available until the 4th day of the hiking. It will not be possible to charge phones and equipment.
There will be no Wi-Fi until the end of the trekking.
Surely you are wondering what we will eat on a hike? Let's just say that you don't have to worry. Many participants say they eat better on the hike than they do at home. The basis of the menu is a simple meal of cereals and soups. You should not count on gourmet delicacies (although they can be).
If you do not eat any products, be sure to inform the manager so that the guide can slightly adjust the menu for you. We also recommend taking some yummies with you - nuts or sweets. Appetite on a hike is much better than at home.
Please note that the menu shown is indicative only. Guides usually have their signature dishes that they love to pamper participants with. And if you have dishes that you would like to receive on a hike, be sure to tell the manager about it, as the guide may have completely different preferences.
Features of nutrition for vegetarians - if you do not eat meat, be sure to read. We tell here how we will feed you and at the same time we give you a 5% discount to the hiking.
It is best to go in July and August, as there is very little snow on the passes and everything around looks very nice.
Depending on how much stuff you have, a backpack can weigh up to 16 kg. The weight of public equipment and provisions that the team leader can give you is approximately 5-6 kg.
Think about every thing you will take on the route, based on your past experience and the recommendations of the manager and the team leader.
At the moment, in order to stay in Georgia, you have to take a Covid retest within 48-72 hours of your arrival in the country.
We will tell you about how to actively spend your time before taking the test in this article: Georgia: interesting places near Batumi and Tbilisi.
If you want to book a place in a group, you need to make a prepayment of 150 euros. You hand over the rest of the amount to the guide at the meeting in euros, cash. Prepayment return conditions and payment methods =>> .
The total amount of mandatory additional costs will be 0 euros. For souvenirs and excursions, we recommend taking about 100 euros.
*Please note: the tasks of the manager do not include the selection of a separate air flight for each participant. The manager gives general recommendations based on his experience and shares the flights of other members so that you can fly together. The participant himself is engaged in the selection and purchase of a ticket convenient for himself. If you want the manager to buy you an air ticket, book a hotel or additional excursions, read the conditions on the page: additional services.
