On my way to Zagari Pass

The road to Mestia is partially in bad condition and leads me through a long canyon. After arriving in Mestia, I noticed a truck with a German registration number. I went there and got to know Matthias, Ingmar and Nina from Munich. They’re also heading towards Zagari Pass but are unsure if it’s doable. After talking to a few locals, they assured us that it would be challenging but possible. Great news! We agreed that we would meet in Ushguli again to spend the evening together before tackling the Zagari Pass early next morning.

Ushguli is a Unesco Village located at an altitude of about 2100 meters and right at the foot of Shkahra (5200 meters), Georgia‘s highest mountain. It is said that Ushguli is Europe‘s highest village 500 meters below the summit of Zagari Pass.

Our camp close to Ushguli rewarded us with a stunning view to Mount Shkahra. We were joined by a few dogs that protected our camp from other people and especially curious/angry cows (I was happy about that because I’ve heard stories from other cyclists that their tent was wrecked by a herd of cows). We had a few beers, rode a horse from a local and eventually agreed that our Zagari Pass adventure would start at 7:00 am the next morning. We shall soon find out what lies ahead!Read more