Svaneti, the Caucasus valley of stone towers

The Greater Caucasus forms a great wall of mountains between Georgia and Russia, with peaks higher than any in the Alps. In its western part, high in the valleys of the upper Enguri river, lies Svaneti. For most of its history it was one of the most remote and isolated regions in Europe, cut off by snow for months each year. Its people, the Svans, are Georgians, but they have their own language, Svan, which is related to Georgian but quite distinct, and long unwritten. They also have their own fiercely independent traditions. Svaneti was never fully subdued by the kings of Georgia, by invaders or, for a long time, by the Russian Empire.

The towers

The landmarks of Svaneti are its towers. Almost every village has them, tall, slender stone towers four or five storeys high, standing beside the family houses, many of them built between about the ninth and the thirteenth centuries. They were built for defence, against invaders from the north, against avalanches and, notoriously, against neighbouring families, since Svaneti was long governed by the code of the blood feud. In times of danger, the family would retreat into its tower, climbing up by ladders through the floors, and hold out. Seen from a distance, a village bristling with dozens of towers against a backdrop of glaciers and snow peaks is one of the great sights of the Caucasus.

Upper Svaneti, with its towers, churches and villages, is a World Heritage Site.

Mestia and Ushguli

Mestia, the main town, has grown in recent years with tourism, and its towers stand among new guesthouses and cafés. Its museum holds a remarkable collection of medieval icons, manuscripts and church treasures. Over the centuries, the treasures of Georgia's lowland churches were brought up to Svaneti for safekeeping in times of invasion, and the Svans kept many of them in their village churches.

Ushguli, at the head of the valley, is a group of small villages at more than two thousand metres, often described as among the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe. It stands beneath the vast white wall of Shkhara, the highest mountain in Georgia. Its stone towers, houses and small churches, set against the glacier, make a picture that stays with you.

The Svans have a strong sense of their own identity. They speak Svan, a language related to Georgian but distinct from it, traditionally unwritten and passed down by speech and song. Their remote valleys were long beyond the reach of any outside authority, and the region had a reputation for independence and for blood feuds between families, which is one explanation given for the towers. During invasions, Georgia's churches and monasteries sent their most precious icons and manuscripts into Svaneti for safekeeping, and many stayed there, guarded by the villages. Some are now on display in the museum of history and ethnography in Mestia, one of the finest collections of medieval art in Georgia. At Ushguli, the small church of Lamaria stands on a rise beneath Shkhara, the highest mountain in Georgia.

Walking in Svaneti

Svaneti is one of the best places in the Caucasus to walk. Paths link the villages through high meadows full of flowers in early summer, past glaciers and over passes with views of Ushba, a dramatic twin-peaked mountain, and the peaks of the main range. The classic walk runs from Mestia to Ushguli over several days, staying in village guesthouses along the way, where families serve generous meals of local cheese, bread, meat and the region's distinctive salt, Svanetian salt, mixed with herbs and spices. Some sections involve river crossings, and the weather in the mountains can change quickly.

Explore Worldwide's Hiking in the Georgian Caucasus, eight nights from June to September, includes Batumi on the Black Sea coast, the villages of Becho and Mazeri beneath Ushba, Mestia, the Jvari pass, Ushguli, Mulakhi and Zugdidi.

Explore Worldwide's The Best of Georgia and Armenia, fifteen nights, covers both countries and their monasteries, from Yerevan and Echmiadzin to Geghard and Noravank. Svaneti is not among its listed places. For the towers and the walking, it is the hiking trip that covers Svaneti.

The walking season is short, from about June to September. Early summer brings the wild flowers, and September brings clear skies and the first autumn colours.