Baia is a Tbilisi-born travel journalist with bylines for Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller, Skyscanner as well as her own website, Red Fedora Diary, providing local insights and tips for Tiblisi, Georgia and beyond. You can follow her travels on Instagram and Facebook.
Tobavarchkhili lakes

Difficulty: Strenuous
Duration: four to five days
Start/end point: Mukhuri to Khaishi
Accommodation: Camping
Tobavarchkhili, meaning "Silver Lake" in Megrelian (a language spoken in Samegrelo), refers to the complex of lakes in the Samegrelo region, western Georgia. You pass rocky gorges, waterfalls, alpine meadows, and shepherd huts with the chance to glimpse Mt. Elbrus on a clear day.
Starting from Mukhuri village, a jeep transfer to Natipuru at 2,000 metres can save you a long (20km), unscenic first day on a rough dirt road. Expect to pay 250-300 GEL for the transfer. However, landslides and unpredictable weather often block the road, so keep a buffer day in your schedule.
Need to know
This 45-km trek is one of the most challenging in Georgia. Depending on your route, pace, and weather, it takes four to five days. It includes high passes, steep elevation changes, river crossings, snow and ice-covered slopes even in summer, and some hard-to-follow paths.
There is also no mobile coverage. Therefore, I recommend you hike with an experienced guide who has taken this trail several times before. Alternatively, you can hire a horse to carry the luggage to ease the hike.
Rain and fog are frequent at Egrisi Mountains, so be prepared and have another buffer day to fully enjoy the lakes. For the best conditions, aim for late July to mid-September. The area lacks shelters, so you will need a tent, proper hiking gear, and enough food for the trip.
The trek also has an alternative, shorter route from Skuri. It's even more challenging, and the logistics can be complicated.
How to get to Mukhuri
First, get to Zugdidi, the capital of Samegrelo. From the bus station by the bridge (not the one at the train station), the marshrutka (a minibus) departs for Mukhuri at 9 am, taking two hours. Hiring a taxi will get you there in an hour. Ask the driver to drop you off at Lugela Spring to reduce the less scenic walk by 7km.
How to leave Khaishi
Marshturkas that head to Mestia or Zugdidi daily pass by Khaishi but are usually full. Failing that, you might need a taxi or hitchhike.
At a glance
Destinations
Samegrelo & Tobavarchkhili
Activity
Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking & Trekking, Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, Culture, Responsible Travel, Slow TravelPhysical Level
Strenuous
Season
June - September
Duration
4 days
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