Date: 26th May 2026
Travelled: Walking around Mestia in Georgia
Visited: Mestia
Stayed: Mestia Paliani Hotel
Another morning in Mestia, the mist lingering on the hills surrounding the village.
Just a walking day today, no buses or cars. So we start our walking day with our usual walk this time up the hill through the narrow cobbled lanes taking in the towers, dogs and cattle.
Back for breakfast and coffee before we muster for our first adventure the Svaneti Museum. Being Independence Day in Georgia, the museum is closed but our guide has arranged for it to be opened for an hour. Itโs less than a kilometre walk.
Svaneti is an independant region of Georgia, it has it own language most everyone seems religious and they are up for stealing a wife. Below a few photos from the museum.
Our guide gives an interesting but frankly long winded explanation of the various exhibits. Heโs very passionate about his country so fair enough.
We walk back into the village to watch the locals celebrating down in the main square but itโs crowded and very noisy. Not a photo worth sharing Iโm afraid. We walk up a little further and find a tiny doner cafe. The Georgian version of what we call a doner kebab is made with lavish bread rather than Lebanese bread. More filling less bread, it was perfect for lunch at (12GEL or A$7).
After lunch we visit a farm house with a 23m high tower coming out of the middle of it. It was a bit of fun and interesting to see how the families lived with their animals for 6 months of the year, the winter is long in Mestia.
Our guide recommended going to the movies this afternoon. So at 5pm we pay our 20GEL pp walk up the narrow steep stairway into the theatre. The theatre only plays one movie, Dede (2017) four times everyday. Dede is set in Ushguli, spoken in Svaneti with English sub-titles. The time frame around 1993 at the end of the Georgian civil war.
Pictured above the red lemmings enjoy their last supper in Mestia, we move on tomorrowโฆ
Michael + Pam