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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/mestia-mingrelia-upper-svaneti-ge/month-by-month
How the year runs in Upper Svaneti — the long snow, the short ski season, the summer trekking window, and the two quiet mud seasons in between.
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January
Ski season proper — the Hatsvali and Tetnuldi chairs opened 3 January in 2026 — and the New Year and Orthodox Christmas weeks are the winter's busiest. Book those weeks ahead.
Weather
Deep winter: snow on the ground in town, short days, hard cold higher up.
Prices
high
Crowds
medium
These are patterns from past years, not a forecast. The lift dates are the verified 2025/26 season dates (Hatsvali gondola 27 December–25 March, chairlift from 3 January; Tetnuldi 3 January–5 April; hours 10:00–16:00; day pass 50 GEL adult, 25 GEL child) — each season's dates are announced anew, so check the lift-status page before travelling. Seasons here shift by weeks year to year.
85–150 GEL per person — Dinner and breakfast included; cash only in the villages.
The year at a glance
January
Ski season proper — the Hatsvali and Tetnuldi chairs opened 3 January in 2026 — and the New Year and Orthodox Christmas weeks are the winter's busiest. Book those weeks ahead.
February
The core of the ski season, and mid-February brings Lamproba, the Svan torch feast. Late winter is also when the road is likeliest to lose a few days — keep slack in the plan.
March
Spring skiing to the wire — Hatsvali's lifts ran to 25 March in 2026, Tetnuldi's into early April. Rockfall and avalanche closures on the road cluster in late winter and early spring.
April
Tetnuldi's chairs closed 5 April in 2026 and the valley goes quiet — many guesthouses shut, and the trails are still under snow. Come for the quiet, not the activities.
May
Still between seasons. The high routes stay snowbound — the passes on the Mestia–Ushguli trek usually don't clear until June.
June
The trekking window opens — though snow lingers on the Chkhutnieri pass into June and the rivers run high with melt. The Zagari pass back road usually opens around now.
(2 months ago)
July
Peak season begins: full guesthouses, full Ushguli vans, and afternoon storms that reward an early start.
August
The busiest month on the trails and in town. Book beds on the Mestia–Ushguli route ahead, start walking early, and carry cash — the ATMs feel August most.
September
The golden window — stable weather, clear peaks, thinner crowds than August. Many say this is the month to walk to Ushguli.
October
The trekking window closes late this month as snow returns to the passes, and the Zagari road shuts for the winter. A fine, quiet month low in the valley.
November
Mud season again. Many guesthouses close between the trekkers and the skiers — too little snow to ski, too much to walk high.
December
Quiet until the lifts wake — the Hatsvali gondola opened 27 December for the 2025/26 season, and the New Year rush follows immediately. Early December is the last of the calm.
October
Autumn colour, cold nights, the first snow dusting the passes.